Steve V's Automotive

Nero328

Active Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2014
Some people on the forum know of the saga that has been my 4 year project but just to sum it up...it has been to a Shop in Houston for a complete motor rebuild...I am not going to mention names here because I don't have the time or energy to get into a keyboard war. That motor lasted less than 150 miles because the engine builder installed the cam bearings wrong as well as a sloppy fit on the rods...it was doomed from the start. It ran great for the first 50 miles and even managed to chunk out my 10 bolt rear end...I was impressed until it died.

I then got on the board and read, read some more and had MANY Private Conversations and decided to take it to a VERY well respected vendor on this board. Again, I am not going to be the keyboard warrior and slam anyone here because I have moved on. Sufficed to say there is a thread on that build and the car never made it around the block before having to be loaded on my trailer to be taken back to his shop. I stayed in Arizona for 2 days allowing for time to sort out the problems and even spent most of my time there trying to help but there was NO solution to the problem. At that point we had blown a head gasket due to all of the backfiring and sputtering it was doing so I decided that it was best for me to load my car back on my trailer and take it back to Houston. I wont even mention how much money I have spent on he car at this point....from two different "Experts".

After months of saving up again and essentially licking my wounds I did a little work here at my shop including changing both head gaskets so we could start over and I worked with some VERY knowledgeable people including Eric and Bob at TT and they did their absolute best to try and sort out the problems that I was having but after weeks of trying known good parts and TT sending me different Chips trying to do their absolute best using ALL of their knowledge to help me but we just couldn't get it right.

At this point I pushed it into the corner of the shop and sulked for a few months...I was now ~$45K into this car and it still sat there parked. I finally ran across Steve Vailancourt at "Steve V's Automotive...from the very beginning I was impressed with his knowledge and his lack of promises before he had even seen the car. I decided to load it up and personally take my car to Elberon Virginia from Houston TX...yes, it was a LONG trip! Once I arrived we spent the better part of the afternoon talking about what my goals were and what the problems were. We discussed a budget however I told him that I was sure we would blow it since I was NOT picking it up unless it was running the way it should, I would rather light it on fire! Steve told me it would be a while however I was patient and told him to take his time, just do it right. The biggest thing that I was blown away with was his attention to detail. Steve kept me informed throughout the entire build and posted video's, pictures and data showing what was going on and what he was finding. Long story short I am happy to discuss anything further with ANYONE that would like t discuss it and I would recommend Steve over any other man out there. I am not saying that nobody else is honest however I found a man that IS HONEST and I know I can trust not only his word but his work. Steve was fair to me and I believe I was fair to him. As all of you know these cars are very temperamental and there were a few times that we were frustrated but he persevered and delivered A BEAST! In fact he told me that he thinks this is the fastest 4.1 he has every built. Long story short I would personally stake my reputation on Steve V's Automotive and his attention to details...at the end of the day it is that attention to every minor issue that separates him from the others. Steve is an honest and very talented mechanic that is not afraid to reach out to others if he has reached something he needs help with and he has learned from the best in the business. Yes it was 3200 miles round trip but his family treated us like family and he went above and beyond to sort out my car. I could not be more pleased. Like I said before if anyone has any questions or would like to dig further into the story PM me and I will be happy to fill you in.
 

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Hey Man congrats! Been following your progress on Facebook! So, glad you got her fixed finally!!
 
Steve is great at anything he does and extremely honest with meticulous attention to detail. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my car other than Steve regardless of distance.
 
Dang Steve, what are you paying these guys?
Just kidding! Steve built my trans and I am very happy too![emoji4]


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