Two Engine failures from Southern Automotive

[TButtrick]

Originally Posted by Bill Bess

Hi Guys! Just thought I'd share my experience with SA.

First of all, "a motor is just that.. a motor", anything can go wrong no matter how much you spend or who builds the darn thing. Now with that silly qoute here is my experience.

Number one, SA has one of the best selections of Ford motors and a very competitive pricing system.

I think it's the frequency of mishaps that is being discussed. Wide selection and good pricing doesn't make a good engine.

Originally Posted by Bill Bess

Things like minor oil leaks, water leaks and tuning are should be considered normal and are ususally are fixible with some effort. Some things are considered "part of the horse" when using an engine thats over forty years old.

Well, I'll give you the tuning part but minor fluid leaks should be discovered and fixed during run-in. Aren't the SA motors hot tested?

[Archrms]

It would also help to know what exactly was wrong with these engines, why they didn't run, and what was needed to make the second engine finally work. Just saying that they didn't run isn't enough info.

[Excaliber]

Being 'forty years old' aint got nothing to do with it. FE's can and are built that don't leak, don't blow up, modern engines can leak and do blow up as well.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Being 'forty years old' aint got nothing to do with it. FE's can and are built that don't leak, don't blow up, modern engines can leak and do blow up as well.

Well put. The only thing that is forty years old on my engine is the block, which was stripped, dipped, stroked, bored, and "well seasoned." An FE's condition after a modern rebuild should be better than the day it left the Ford factory.

[blykins]

Not to say that I'm doubting the experience, but I'd like to hear from Bill Parham's side. He used to be a member here, but I haven't heard anything out of him for awhile.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by blykins

Not to say that I'm doubting the experience...

Now them thar solid flat tappet cams just might make a difference....

[blykins]

Shhhh.....

Don't say those words together in the same sentence or bad things could happen.....

[Jamo]

Yes Anthony...and your tenure carries with it a certain aura of credibility, sufficient to appear to bootstrap even a bit of hearsay.

[patrickt]

We've had some bad SA experiences posted on my local forum, (The Capital Area Cobra Club). Here is the most recent, with references to three other members who had bad experiences, some worse than others. http://www.capitalareacobraclub.com/...p?topic=7039.0

[Ronbo]

Being 'forty years old' aint got nothing to do with it. FE's can and are built that don't leak, don't blow up, modern engines can leak and do blow up as well.

Well, the odds don't seem to support this. Taking a 40yr old block that was designed to produce 270hp and re-machining it to a 500hp state with god knows what kind of internal rot in the water jackets. No amount of testing will catch everything short of sawing the block open. Plus the fact if you haven't owned the block since new you really don't know what it's been through.

You just have to expect this stuff to happen with old iron...

[CobraEd]

I don't think it is the blocks that are failing. It is all of the assembly that SA built.

.

[big-boss]

Realisticly, I would look into the installation (guy that posted the thread) Two engines from the same guy, SA. SA has undoubitly done hunders of these "dump truck motors". Two in a row to the same guy- What is the guy doing?
I built my own dump truck motor- 40 years old, flat solid caw, iron heads, bla, bla, bla. No leaks 3000+ miles no issues yet- but I am ready! It is not rocket science, that is for sure.
But hooking up the oil lines, adjusting the valves-carb, etc. putting water in the radiator, enough oil in the new pan- All this is where most issues arize.

[Dinobyte]

Okay, my turn.

Two motors from SA....both went south, so to speak.

One was a machining issue on a head, the other was a bad crank. Both Phucked me up for months...and caused me to lose value in the car because of lack of use.

Both installed by professionals...the last one by Dennis at Valley Ford Specialist, who really knows his stuff. (He was not impressed with SA either.)

Would I ever buy another motor from SA? No

Would I have a beer with Bill from SA? Sure, I always like to BS with people, I just don't want to buy that BS anymore.

[Got the Bug]

Dinobyte - Did Valley Ford Specialists rebuild the second motor top to bottom or did you start from scratch? Did SA come through to reimburse you for any of the costs?

[427 S/O]

Most of the cobra people who have been around ATL for a good long time, have nothing to do with B. Param or C. Guske, that's from experience folks........

[FatBoy]

I have a 427 S/O from SA in my Kirkham and so far, I'm very happy with it. There was an issue with the carb but Bill replaced it with a brand new one, no questions asked.
I hope I don't have cause to eat my words, but as I say, so far, so good.

Paul

[Tony Radford]

Perry, where did that come from? I've been a Cobra guy in the Atlanta area for six years and have run two SA motors. I've run with quite a few locals running SA engines and to my knowledge, all were happy with SA and received an unbelievable level of customer support. As long as I've known the Parhams, they've had a full backlog of engine orders from around the planet. They are passionate about the trade and it's reflected in the way they run their business. I've frequented this forum for years and I've heard rants on every vendor that serves us.

[lineslinger]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Are those motors being raced or street driven, I think it makes a diffrence.




Well, I've been posting for a while. I was at a local track event this year, and talking with some others, I heard that there was a track day at I think VIR, ? Superformance event, and there were 3-5 FE engines that went "south" (no pun intended) during that event, all built by Southern. Now whether that is true or not, I don't know. Worth checking out.

Maybe you should have checked it out before offering up your vague and speculative hearsay
If you are going to volunteer an implication with unsubstantiated sources, its just another ride on the rip em' up bandwagon, regardless of the volume of posts participated in.
Factual information lends to honesty, "I heard" is for junior high kids.
I have never done biz with SA nor have any association with them but I have listened to the varied opinions like many here
A quality preference might be to hear both sides before dropping such a vague hammer as the one you are tossing around.

[Great Asp]

Originally Posted by lineslinger

Maybe you should have checked it out before offering up your vague and speculative hearsay
If you are going to volunteer an implication with unsubstantiated sources, its just another ride on the rip em' up bandwagon, regardless of the volume of posts participated in.
Factual information lends to honesty, "I heard" is for junior high kids.
I have never done biz with SA nor have any association with them but I have listened to the varied opinions like many here
A quality preference might be to hear both sides before dropping such a vague hammer as the one you are tossing around.

I would agree with this. I would rather hear from the 3-5 owners than the guys who know a guy.

Besides, this was about the OP and his problems. Pages later, no post from Bill P, or from Mr. Campbell.

Eric

Legal disclaimer: Eric has not entered into or out of any contract with SA or any of it's affiliates and is only trying to help the parties in question reach settlement.

[Excaliber]

Say WHAT? It is ludicrous to suggest a 427 SIDE OILER block, and thats really what were talking about here, was designed for "270 horse power". Heck the CENTER oiler was available with 425 horse from the FACTORY! The Comp Cobras were certainly pushing 500 or more and LIVED!

The design is a solid piece of work, steel short stroke crank, big bore, cross bolts. There is talk of 'oiling problems' associated with the side oiler, BS I say! Sure NASCAR made modifications to the bottom end. Hey wait a minute, you think they run a STOCK freakin' modern block TODAY without serious modifications as well? Duh!

VERY few side oilers today are built to original specs. There often stroked, for instance, often with a 428 crank which is NOT as strong as the original design. Center oilers are known to have a 'high rpm' problem with the BLOCK, not so the side oiler. Block failures of side oiler are incredibly rare, it is the ASSEMBLY of the engine that makes the difference, ANY engine, old or new.