Southern Automotive engines. Does

[GeorgiaSnake]

Originally posted by patrija


No ONE tells my spark plug wire story ....

I still laugh at that - I was standing right beside Bill when one of those Walmart wires got ahold of him. I knew he could build motors & fish - I had no idea he could dance like MC Hammer. He ripped those things off and told Lewis to get some real wires LMAO

Randy

[csx2300]

i dont know how long SA warranties motors for, but my car was four months old. this was my first drive in it. the year was 1999. i paid for a virgin, new block, not a repaired block. It was an SA motor, not a counterfeit for those that think there's an industry thriving on counterfeiting SA motors. i took the car out for a parade lap at the mininats. on that lap, i stopped because the car ran like hell. i distinctly remember keeping rpm's below 4k. my vendor took a look at it, we did disassemble it, and told me the failure was due to a cracked/ repaired block. we still have all the pistons and rods and wristpins which we saved becasue they are all good. Both finishline and SA were called by my vendor, repeatedly, and i was told FINL said stick it, and SA would only consider repairing this new block if we shipped it to GA, they inspected it, and if it was repairable they would provide a quote and charge us for it. i was not in a mood to pay for repairs and wait four months to have my motor back, a supposedly new motor which happened to be repaired from the start. this was a car i had waited 18 months for already. i will concede the following: 1) after looking thru my file remnants, we paid $16k not $25k. i remembered $25k because that was the price the next motor cost, which obviously was a strong upgrade. 2) apparently it would have been ceramic sealant, not epoxy. 3) i never spoke directly with SA, i didnt have the time. now i wish i had. 4) SA obviously has a great following in their own backyard in GA and FLA, many of whom are personal friends. i could call objectivity into question, but will not. 5) i have never said that SA can not build a great motor, nor have i said that they can not provide great customer service. in fact, i will concede it is possible that the vast majority of SA clients have a positive experience. i do not have the data to make that determination, nor does anyone else on this site with the exception of SA. I, however, did have a bad experience. you can choose to believe me or not believe me, that is your choice. if i had wanted to waste energy trying this case in a public forum, i would have sued years ago. life is too short. i would prefer this not get personal - this was a fair question regarding experiences with a vendor. if you want an open forum and open dialogue on this website, tolerance for differing views and experiences must be fostered. I dont lie, this isnt about money, and i am asking nothing at all from SA, or anyone else. i have no hidden motives. before people get all heated up again on me, this will be my last posting on this topic. thankyou for considering my view. larry

[GeorgiaSnake]

Hey larry - nice to see a name instead of XXX1234. I think the results of this thread speak volumns. Hope your $25K motor last at least twice as long as the $15K did.

One thing Bill (SA) stressed to me - "this ain't a racing motor" and "the warranty does not cover racing" (I do know that he has fixed motors that were raced). "If you want a race motor we need to do something different".

Randy

[kingbone]

I have not been on this board for quite a while, since I sold my Unique 427. I am in the market again and happened to stumble upon this thread. I was quite surprised to hear about other peoples complaints about SA. I bought my Unique with a SA 428FE second hand and got to about 4000 road miles when it died. The diagnosis was a cracked block. I did not expect to get much consolation from SA but did alert Bill of the situation. I do find it very strange that many of the people defending SA have had many problems. I replaced the 428 with a 427 SO (not from SA) and since reading these threads, would be very reluctent to buy another motor from SA. By the way, I am looking for a 289FIA if anyone has one to sell.

[Excaliber]

Whats up with all these cracked blocks?

There has been more mention in this thread about cracked blocks than I recall hearing about on all of Club Cobra over time! Weird...

[Jerry Cowing]

Sorry to hear that Lewis retired from SA. Does anyone know where he moved? I know he has a daughter in the Fort Walton Beach, Destin area and I thought I'd look him up to say hello if he moved down this way.

[Gasman]

As far as I know, Lewis retired but did not move. He still drops in at Southern Automotive often enough for you to leave a message there. He and Bill are fishing buddies.

[chill]

Ok, not that it looks like its necessary, but I do have a Southern engine and I can't say enough positive about Bill, Susan, Southern, and their unbelievable customer service.

I speak not because their products are perfect, nobody's are. What makes vendors different is how they handle issues. I also speak as a nationwide vendor by profession...

I did have a problem with the engine but NEVER had an issue with the dedication to get it right I've seen from Southern. In my case after Bill spend a considerable amount of time and money providing the kind of support I have never seen (ok Weavers, you guys are right up there too) the car now has 6,000 miles, runs like a champ, doesn't leak ANYTHING and the issue ended up being a small, hard to diagnose, leak in a weld in the front of the Canton oil pan making it look like the front seal was leaking....not anything Southern did.

I repeat several offers I have seen on the post. Come see Bill, come drive my car, buy with confidence.

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