Looking to buy a General Lee? STAY AWAY FROM BK AUTO!! It's almost over!!!

[jb666]

I am puzzled why you didnt do a comprehensive survey of all the mechanicals etc on this car at the beginning of your rebuild.

We actually did... In the beginning a compression test and leakdown was done.. Everything was fine. Progressively, from driving it a bit and firing it up it got worse and worse.. By the time I drove it to Jon's it was smoking pretty good. He couldn't believe the difference, because when tested this time around it failed miserably.

[runningman]

Haven't checked in here for a while.  Sorry to hear about yet another set back.  Car looks sweet though, should be on the road again soon.

[rooks]

It's also been decided that , now that the motor's out, the engine bay is going to match the rest of the car.. Perfect, painted Orange and CLEAN...

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!

Watching the rebuild take place and seeing what you've gone threw, I just couldn't bare to bring it up, as I didn't want to add insult to injury.

Black engine bays are absolutely vulgar on anything other than a black car! They can make the best rebuild appear shit and cheap ... So glad you've seen the light! 

[jb666]

It's also been decided that , now that the motor's out, the engine bay is going to match the rest of the car.. Perfect, painted Orange and CLEAN...

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!

Watching the rebuild take place and seeing what you've gone threw, I just couldn't bare to bring it up, as I didn't want to add insult to injury.

Black engine bays are absolutely vulgar on anything other than a black car! They can make the best rebuild appear shit and cheap ... So glad you've seen the light! 

Well, a couple of things had come up on this subject, in my own defense... Most GL's had Black engine bays, so I wanted to stay as 'close' to that look as I could.. And, with everything else that had happened THE LAST THING I WANTED TO DO (so I thought) was pull the "perfectly running motor" out to prep/paint the engine bay... 

Well, once again the joke's on me, and the time it right.. I think it'll look amazing when it's done. 

[dm1327]

I'm a newb that's wandered over here from BangShift yesterday and have been catching up on things in this ongoing saga (I'm on page 22 of this book here so far). I wasn't planning on commenting until I'd read the whole thread but then I wandered over to BK's website and saw something that made it "personal" so to speak since I own one of these cars...

http://www.bkauto.net/media/images/glf66.gif

If you follow the link, take a look at the car in the background on the left. That's a red 1958 Plymouth Belvedere. This is an old pic (the page on his website where this is posted was dated 2006) so I have no idea who's car is was or whatever became of it, but I certainly hope it wasn't butchered the way your Charger was. Argh. 

I have to say, you must have the patience of a saint Jeff.... this would have given me a coronary by now. Wow. 

[b5blue]

If "what don't kill ya makes ya stronger", you must be frickin Superman buy now Jeff! My hat is off to you and your checkbook for seeing this project through! 

[jb666]

If "what don't kill ya makes ya stronger", you must be frickin Superman buy now Jeff! My hat is off to you and your checkbook for seeing this project through! 

My checkbook doesn't exist any more...  As for being Superman, it's more like Sampson after his hair cut.. I'm just feeling kind of beat up right about now!!

I'm a newb that's wandered over here from BangShift yesterday and have been catching up on things in this ongoing saga (I'm on page 22 of this book here so far). I wasn't planning on commenting until I'd read the whole thread but then I wandered over to BK's website and saw something that made it "personal" so to speak since I own one of these cars...

http://www.bkauto.net/media/images/glf66.gif

If you follow the link, take a look at the car in the background on the left. That's a red 1958 Plymouth Belvedere. This is an old pic (the page on his website where this is posted was dated 2006) so I have no idea who's car is was or whatever became of it, but I certainly hope it wasn't butchered the way your Charger was. Argh. 

I have to say, you must have the patience of a saint Jeff.... this would have given me a coronary by now. Wow. 

hey, good to see you over from the land of BangShift!!

Patience of a saint? Now THERE'S something I haven't been accused of!!!! As for the coronary, I think this is the big one , Elizabeth, I'm comin' to join ya!

[dm1327]

I'm up to page 67 and all I can say is, if I did the kind of work that BK did, even on my personal vehicle, I'd kick my own ass.

Wow. Just wow.

[jb666]

I'm up to page 67 and all I can say is, if I did the kind of work that BK did, even on my personal vehicle, I'd kick my own ass.

Wow. Just wow.

Well, you ain't seen nothing yet... Keep on reading 

I asked Jon, the other day, if I had the worst case of HOLY SHIT, THIS IS THE WORST EVER  that he had ever seen... He said "no, but you do have the worst case of HOLY SHIT, MORE?!?!" that he's ever seen...

We still don't have the final autopsy on the motor... Maybe tomorrow. 

[jb666]

So... I get an email from Jon today... Made my heart drop...

Subject: Reids cant do it


I am sending it here http://www.angelfire.com/in/muncie/B-K-Machine.html


It you click on the link you'll see the joke... But like I said, when I first read it I thought "WHY? What NOW?!?!?!"  Friends like this who needs enemas??

[mopar73]

So... I get an email from Jon today... Made my heart drop...

Subject: Reids cant do it


I am sending it here http://www.angelfire.com/in/muncie/B-K-Machine.html


It you click on the link you'll see the joke... But like I said, when I first read it I thought "WHY? What NOW?!?!?!"  Friends like this who needs enemas??

I love Jon's humor

[jb666]

So... I get an email from Jon today... Made my heart drop...

Subject: Reids cant do it


I am sending it here http://www.angelfire.com/in/muncie/B-K-Machine.html


It you click on the link you'll see the joke... But like I said, when I first read it I thought "WHY? What NOW?!?!?!"   Friends like this who needs enemas??

I love Jon's humor

Yeah, Jon's a hoot... Kind of like that infection that just won't go away.   It's pretty amazing watching him work, though, being close to a 500lb guy, he really gets around and is pretty agile considering he's the size of a wrecking ball.

Well, the autopsy report came in today.

Cause of death? IMPROPER BREAK-IN. (and before anyone asks, no, I didn't break the motor in.. It was supposedly "done" before I got the car.. The motor was in it for several months before I bought it and was put through the break-in period.)

Seals, bearings.. Scored cylinder(s).

The block is all honed ... The rest of the work will be done next week and I should have it back at some point next week (the motor that is!!)

So... It could DEFINITELY be worse news...

[dm1327]

Well, at least the mill wasn't complete trash. It was something that kept repeating itself in my head over and over while I was reading though... he needs to pull that motor. He needs to pull that motor... 

BTW: I finally finished all 230 pages of this thread the other day. Felt so down after I was through that I spent the next two days down in my garage working on my own project.

BK - Bad Karma   

[tan top]

 oh crikey !!       well dont sound all that bad !!  could of been a lot worse knowing BKs track record  

good time to up the compression & slip in a  bigger  cam    

yeah your right there ! DM1327  BK bad Karma

Well, at least the mill wasn't complete trash. It was something that kept repeating itself in my head over and over while I was reading though... he needs to pull that motor. He needs to pull that motor...  

BTW: I finally finished all 230 pages of this thread the other day. Felt so down after I was through that I spent the next two days down in my garage working on my own project.

BK - Bad Karma    

[jb666]

Well, at least the mill wasn't complete trash. It was something that kept repeating itself in my head over and over while I was reading though... he needs to pull that motor. He needs to pull that motor... 

BTW: I finally finished all 230 pages of this thread the other day. Felt so down after I was through that I spent the next two days down in my garage working on my own project.

BK - Bad Karma   

you know, a LOT of people were saying that... But I felt some what at ease when the leakdown/compression tests came back with positive results, in the beginning... it just gradually got worse, and worse, and .....  Had the motor been trashed completely I think I may have given up... Enough is enough 

oh crikey !!       well dont sound all that bad !!  could of been a lot worse knowing BKs track record 

good time to up the compression & slip in a  bigger  cam   

yeah your right there ! DM1327  BK bad Karma

Well, at least the mill wasn't complete trash. It was something that kept repeating itself in my head over and over while I was reading though... he needs to pull that motor. He needs to pull that motor... 

BTW: I finally finished all 230 pages of this thread the other day. Felt so down after I was through that I spent the next two days down in my garage working on my own project.

BK - Bad Karma   

The cam that's in it is a monster... Can't get much bigger and expect to drive it on the street... .582 intake, .564 exhaust ,duration 248 @.050   

[mikepmcs]

.....  Had the motor been trashed completely I think I may have given up... Enough is enough  

The heck you would've.  You would've had a road trip to come get my motor for the summer or I'd a pulled the coronet's 440 for a loaner.    You ain't giving up now.

[jb666]

.....  Had the motor been trashed completely I think I may have given up... Enough is enough  

The heck you would've.  You would've had a road trip to come get my motor for the summer or I'd a pulled the coronet's 440 for a loaner.    You ain't giving up now.

I don't know, Mike.. When Jon called me and told me the motor was coming out, I just about dropped out of the game... it's ridiculous.. I've justified my stupidity and this ENTIRE build around the fact that the car had a killer strong motor...  now I have ZERO defense....

[mikepmcs]

Hang in there Jeff.

You can still take comfort in knowing you own one of the most desired cars on the planet. 

The money aspect really sucks and the frustration of having one thing after another takes a toll but I try to look at it like....I'm grateful I can have these woes.  I know that doesn't make it any better, it's just the perspective I try to keep.

I love you man!!!!

[dm1327]

ya, you can't give up now. I have got to see this GL in person someday. 

[472 R/T SE]

The cam that's in it is a monster... Can't get much bigger and expect to drive it on the street... .582 intake, .564 exhaust ,duration 248 @.050   

Remember these threads'.  I will also say the baffle in one of my valve covers broke off from repeated contact.

I don't understand the "cam" part. The 472 already comes with a cam that is way too aggressive for the valvetrain MP provides with the engine. We had to put a smaller cam in my 472 crate to correct the geometry and keep the lifters from wearing out the valvestems prematurely. The picture of your Hemi in the crate shows it also has the correct oil pan from MP.

I went down to a .512 lift cam and my vacuum and clearance problems went away. That cam is just way to tall for the stock Hemi valvetrain. The lifters push down too far on the valve stem and cause them to open at an angle that wears one side out. It also causes the pushrod to push the backside of the lifter into the valve covers. My engine was way more fun to drive with the smaller cam. The power started coming on at 1600 and built from there. The power didn't really start on the MP cam until about 2,400 and you had to keep it above 3,000 rpm to stay in the meat of the power band. 

[jb666]

The cam that's in it is a monster... Can't get much bigger and expect to drive it on the street... .582 intake, .564 exhaust ,duration 248 @.050   

Remember these threads'.  I will also say the baffle in one of my valve covers broke off from repeated contact.

I don't understand the "cam" part. The 472 already comes with a cam that is way too aggressive for the valvetrain MP provides with the engine. We had to put a smaller cam in my 472 crate to correct the geometry and keep the lifters from wearing out the valvestems prematurely. The picture of your Hemi in the crate shows it also has the correct oil pan from MP.

I went down to a .512 lift cam and my vacuum and clearance problems went away. That cam is just way to tall for the stock Hemi valvetrain. The lifters push down too far on the valve stem and cause them to open at an angle that wears one side out. It also causes the pushrod to push the backside of the lifter into the valve covers. My engine was way more fun to drive with the smaller cam. The power started coming on at 1600 and built from there. The power didn't really start on the MP cam until about 2,400 and you had to keep it above 3,000 rpm to stay in the meat of the power band. 

Indeed I do remember those... And you're right. I already had to order a set of custom made (Ansen) valve covers due to contact issues. Power brakes have been eliminated, as well... And my torque converter was built with the specs of the motor (3500 stall) so it's already nailing the power band when I stomp on it... HOPEFULLY it'll be driveable, and fun, when it's back.

The good thing is that the motor will be 100% broken in when it gets back to Jon. It'll be done on the dyno.

Hang in there Jeff.

You can still take comfort in knowing you own one of the most desired cars on the planet. 

The money aspect really sucks and the frustration of having one thing after another takes a toll but I try to look at it like....I'm grateful I can have these woes.  I know that doesn't make it any better, it's just the perspective I try to keep.

I love you man!!!!

hey, thanks Mike!! You are right about what you said... I guess I should consider myself "lucky" to be ABLE to have these problems...

ya, you can't give up now. I have got to see this GL in person someday. 

I hope so, man... Any time!! 

[472 R/T SE]

If it was a Gen 2 motor it should have been broken in on the dyno.  When you buy the motor you get the dyno sheet.

[jb666]

If it was a Gen 2 motor it should have been broken in on the dyno.  When you buy the motor you get the dyno sheet.

Mine's a first gen... For all I know, he (Brian OR BK) got the dyno sheet, but I never saw it... I'll have one this time around...

In the slips from BK, there was one for "break in" with a hefty bill.. Also, instructions on how to break it in from there. 

[Go Hogs Go]

I never got the paperwork from MP when my boat anchor, I mean crate engine came in. It just had a sheet of paper in the crate that said dyno tested.   

[chargergirl]

Holy Moly and God Bless you for Everything you have gone through with this rebuild. He is truly your build.