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Let me start out by saying I trusted Ken. I thought he was a good person. Just with some issues. I am not trying to bash him I just want the truth to be told. I know this is long but please read in full. I will be posting pic on my build. I still have some parts that he has that I may need to buy. I will be posting for those as well. I also have a set of heads posted that was to cover part of my labor.
I must tell my story as well.I contact Matt somehow last summer talking about doing a build on a ss that Ijust bought. I spoke about VCI he referred me to Ken. Ok cool I will contacthim and see what comes of it.
Fast forward to Oct, I drop a set of 243 heads off to Ken toget ported. Fast forward to dec I drop my car of to Ken’s new shop firstcustomer. Dec goes by not much from him holidays and stuff no big deal. Janhits he pulls my motor. Great we are rolling. Bad winter right takes lots toheat that barn no big deal I am still buying parts. Ken is not on me aboutgetting him parts.
I find a good deal ona nitrous kit I ask Ken what it will take to add the Nitrous he tells me weneed to do the bottom end. Ok is that a big deal for you” no”. What will theextra charge be he says he can do it for $250 more.
Things start to roll. We have a 3 week delay due to awebsite error. I need to get different pistons. Ok that is done block is out tomachine shop rods are out to machine shop pistons are out. Rod bolts Ken whatshould I get the rods came with some ARP he says get the upgrade to the 2000. Ifind a set of used ones somewhere on the internet I ask Ken he says “I wouldn’t use rod bolts that have beenused before bud.” So I buy a set of LS1 arp 2000 rod bolts. I drop them offnothing is said about the bolts.
Then I see Matt is bringing his car to Kens, I ask Ken toplease make sure parts don’t get mixed. His response “this is not my firstrodeo” Ok.
Time to pick up block he tells me it will be $650 ok we gopick it up well nope it was $950. Ok so now I run across some extra money andbuy a set of roller rockers. Which Ken is excited about. By now ken as all my parts, things should becoming together. I am texting with Ken almost a daily basis to make sure he haseverything he needs from me. That apparently was a issue I find out on 6/29/14as I caused him delays with all the texting. I ask him what we are looking atHe says May 3rd. I am out of town that weekend so don’t hurry. I askhim about how he is working on the cars. Ken says working on my car in themorning Matts in the afternoon. Will my car be done by meet and greet? Yes. Okgood.
Two weeks out he is telling me the motor is in my car andready to fire. I tell him I am not going to be at meet and greet. Stop workingon my car and get Matts done for Meet at Greet. He post pictures on FB, I see in the background my trans on the floor, my exhaust still on the floor my control armslaying in the middle of the shop. I go off call him out say what is going on Ithought my car was ready to fire up why is this stuff all laying around theshop. How do I know you have the correct parts? I called Ken and apologized forgoing off, deleted my post from the FB pics.
Meet Greet comes and goes Matt does not get done. I comeback from being out of town and start to push for when my car will bedone. Kens says I have a guy that wantsto start tuning here I will have him do your car free of charge so I can checkhim out. So you can get some miles on before you go to Dr Phil. Great. Fuel pump was bad. Rush new one here. Couplemore days the tune guy can’t make it back until this or that time. Ok Next fuelinjectors are leaking need new ones. Ok let me see what I can do. Get new onesordered next day they don’t show. He blames me for the delay for buying usedparts. Ok I bought refurbished parts at a place he recommended but ok I willtake the blame. Tune guy cant be here until Sunday. Ok so what time works foryou Sunday 7 pm ok see you then. 6 pm Sunday I get a call I threw the belts offthe car and cant find them on the road while tuning mind you he says he onlydrove 2 miles or so. I find them in my box of parts. The only thing to be donewas to button up a couple items Sunday everything else is done other than thetune. I scramble and go find belts and load seats and heads up with my wife soI can drive my car home. Get there car is in grass ken is saying stuff likecant I catch one brake today. Please let these belts be right, is dirty andlooks like he had been working hard all day. Makes me think um all he had to dois button a couple things up and the tune. I give him the belts and he putsthem on fires the car and shuts it right off. “Jeremy split said he was donewith this shit for free so I loaded your stock tune back in.” Call him let metalk to him to see what he did to my car, Ken says no not the way you’reyelling. Later when my wife is out of the truck she says let me call “Jeremy”still no. Cuz there was never a Jeremy why did he tell me this? At this point Iam getting a little excited, I walk around the car looking at it I look at theexhaust looks pretty good grab the tail pipe and the muffler falls off. At this point I am startingto boil. While he is working on that I notice my box of parts. I walk over toit and start looking. I see a set of ARP2000 rod bolts. Ken what are these whyare they not in my car. “Cuz you have my old ones” I hit the roof I have yourwhat? “my used ones” I start yelling you told me not to use used rod bolts. Whydid you put your used shit in my car? “cuz yours were not right” Ok why did younot tell me that they were not right before you put them in and I could get theright ones? “Must Have forgot” Where are the ones that came with my rods?” Letme go look comes back with nothing. Must be at the machine shop.” Why did youput used rod bolts in my car after you told me not to? and not tell me? I nevertold you not to use used ARP you can use used ARP. See text message above. I am over the top at this point my wife getsout of the truck. She is calming the situation. I ask about the torqueconverter I bought a used yank 3600 ss. He had a friend that had a new 3800converter that he wanted to trade. I said ok to it. New vs used ok good. Abouta week ago I ask him what brand it was he tells me a yank 3800ss ok cool. I seea pic he posted of my motor and I see my trans on the floor in the back groundIt has a blue converter. I ask again what converter he says why? cuz I see ablue one in my trans in that pic. “I put Matts in your trans by mistake” ReallyI thought this was not your first rodeo. So Again I ask what converter is in mycar? “A vigilante” WHAT where did that come from? My buddy you agreed to the swap. You told meit was a yank 3800 ss. Why is it a vigilante? No answer.
I call a flatbed ittakes them 45 min to a hour. I calm down a little. He tries to explain it allaway about all the stuff with Nate, his sister in Virginia that was in thehospital, Him being in the hospital, his uncle being in the hospital. My usedparts. Ken what used parts caused you delays? “the injectors, The control arms”Is that it “yes”. The control arms have never been put on the car how did thatcause delay? All along he has been posting blaming delays on used parts andthis and that. The only used parts on my motor are Heads that he has had fromOct, injectors, a underdrive pulley, Nitrous, everything else was new.Approximately $8,000 in engine, trans, exhaust and other parts.
I paid this man $1,010 upfront to do this to my car. With aset of 799 heads due for $400 worth of labor. A well as another $490 due atpick up.
I don’t know what Iam going to do now.
Yes I had part delays yes Ken had personal delays. But forsomeone to take 7 months to do what he did to my car is not acceptable. I amafraid to fire the car as I don’t know for sure what is in my car?
All he had to do is be honest and tell me your car is notwhere it needs to be. I had offered many times to come help with what I could Ialways got a no. Why cuz he did not want me to know what state the car was in.I will have pictures of the poor quality work that has been done do to himrushing. My nitrous line is strung underneath the car not tucked away at alland zip tied in. I can on and on and I have not even had the chance to startreally looking into what he did.
The big issue here is Ken does not realize or care that heis not telling the truth. He may need some help.
My wife feels really bad for poor Nate and stared to playwith him and gave him some candy as he was complaining of being hungry. Cuz hehad be sitting at the shop all day while his dad was working.
If anyone is able to help please let me know. I live inGrand Blanc.
I must tell my story as well.I contact Matt somehow last summer talking about doing a build on a ss that Ijust bought. I spoke about VCI he referred me to Ken. Ok cool I will contacthim and see what comes of it.
Fast forward to Oct, I drop a set of 243 heads off to Ken toget ported. Fast forward to dec I drop my car of to Ken’s new shop firstcustomer. Dec goes by not much from him holidays and stuff no big deal. Janhits he pulls my motor. Great we are rolling. Bad winter right takes lots toheat that barn no big deal I am still buying parts. Ken is not on me aboutgetting him parts.
I find a good deal ona nitrous kit I ask Ken what it will take to add the Nitrous he tells me weneed to do the bottom end. Ok is that a big deal for you” no”. What will theextra charge be he says he can do it for $250 more.
Things start to roll. We have a 3 week delay due to awebsite error. I need to get different pistons. Ok that is done block is out tomachine shop rods are out to machine shop pistons are out. Rod bolts Ken whatshould I get the rods came with some ARP he says get the upgrade to the 2000. Ifind a set of used ones somewhere on the internet I ask Ken he says “I wouldn’t use rod bolts that have beenused before bud.” So I buy a set of LS1 arp 2000 rod bolts. I drop them offnothing is said about the bolts.
Then I see Matt is bringing his car to Kens, I ask Ken toplease make sure parts don’t get mixed. His response “this is not my firstrodeo” Ok.
Time to pick up block he tells me it will be $650 ok we gopick it up well nope it was $950. Ok so now I run across some extra money andbuy a set of roller rockers. Which Ken is excited about. By now ken as all my parts, things should becoming together. I am texting with Ken almost a daily basis to make sure he haseverything he needs from me. That apparently was a issue I find out on 6/29/14as I caused him delays with all the texting. I ask him what we are looking atHe says May 3rd. I am out of town that weekend so don’t hurry. I askhim about how he is working on the cars. Ken says working on my car in themorning Matts in the afternoon. Will my car be done by meet and greet? Yes. Okgood.
Two weeks out he is telling me the motor is in my car andready to fire. I tell him I am not going to be at meet and greet. Stop workingon my car and get Matts done for Meet at Greet. He post pictures on FB, I see in the background my trans on the floor, my exhaust still on the floor my control armslaying in the middle of the shop. I go off call him out say what is going on Ithought my car was ready to fire up why is this stuff all laying around theshop. How do I know you have the correct parts? I called Ken and apologized forgoing off, deleted my post from the FB pics.
Meet Greet comes and goes Matt does not get done. I comeback from being out of town and start to push for when my car will bedone. Kens says I have a guy that wantsto start tuning here I will have him do your car free of charge so I can checkhim out. So you can get some miles on before you go to Dr Phil. Great. Fuel pump was bad. Rush new one here. Couplemore days the tune guy can’t make it back until this or that time. Ok Next fuelinjectors are leaking need new ones. Ok let me see what I can do. Get new onesordered next day they don’t show. He blames me for the delay for buying usedparts. Ok I bought refurbished parts at a place he recommended but ok I willtake the blame. Tune guy cant be here until Sunday. Ok so what time works foryou Sunday 7 pm ok see you then. 6 pm Sunday I get a call I threw the belts offthe car and cant find them on the road while tuning mind you he says he onlydrove 2 miles or so. I find them in my box of parts. The only thing to be donewas to button up a couple items Sunday everything else is done other than thetune. I scramble and go find belts and load seats and heads up with my wife soI can drive my car home. Get there car is in grass ken is saying stuff likecant I catch one brake today. Please let these belts be right, is dirty andlooks like he had been working hard all day. Makes me think um all he had to dois button a couple things up and the tune. I give him the belts and he putsthem on fires the car and shuts it right off. “Jeremy split said he was donewith this shit for free so I loaded your stock tune back in.” Call him let metalk to him to see what he did to my car, Ken says no not the way you’reyelling. Later when my wife is out of the truck she says let me call “Jeremy”still no. Cuz there was never a Jeremy why did he tell me this? At this point Iam getting a little excited, I walk around the car looking at it I look at theexhaust looks pretty good grab the tail pipe and the muffler falls off. At this point I am startingto boil. While he is working on that I notice my box of parts. I walk over toit and start looking. I see a set of ARP2000 rod bolts. Ken what are these whyare they not in my car. “Cuz you have my old ones” I hit the roof I have yourwhat? “my used ones” I start yelling you told me not to use used rod bolts. Whydid you put your used shit in my car? “cuz yours were not right” Ok why did younot tell me that they were not right before you put them in and I could get theright ones? “Must Have forgot” Where are the ones that came with my rods?” Letme go look comes back with nothing. Must be at the machine shop.” Why did youput used rod bolts in my car after you told me not to? and not tell me? I nevertold you not to use used ARP you can use used ARP. See text message above. I am over the top at this point my wife getsout of the truck. She is calming the situation. I ask about the torqueconverter I bought a used yank 3600 ss. He had a friend that had a new 3800converter that he wanted to trade. I said ok to it. New vs used ok good. Abouta week ago I ask him what brand it was he tells me a yank 3800ss ok cool. I seea pic he posted of my motor and I see my trans on the floor in the back groundIt has a blue converter. I ask again what converter he says why? cuz I see ablue one in my trans in that pic. “I put Matts in your trans by mistake” ReallyI thought this was not your first rodeo. So Again I ask what converter is in mycar? “A vigilante” WHAT where did that come from? My buddy you agreed to the swap. You told meit was a yank 3800 ss. Why is it a vigilante? No answer.
I call a flatbed ittakes them 45 min to a hour. I calm down a little. He tries to explain it allaway about all the stuff with Nate, his sister in Virginia that was in thehospital, Him being in the hospital, his uncle being in the hospital. My usedparts. Ken what used parts caused you delays? “the injectors, The control arms”Is that it “yes”. The control arms have never been put on the car how did thatcause delay? All along he has been posting blaming delays on used parts andthis and that. The only used parts on my motor are Heads that he has had fromOct, injectors, a underdrive pulley, Nitrous, everything else was new.Approximately $8,000 in engine, trans, exhaust and other parts.
I paid this man $1,010 upfront to do this to my car. With aset of 799 heads due for $400 worth of labor. A well as another $490 due atpick up.
I don’t know what Iam going to do now.
Yes I had part delays yes Ken had personal delays. But forsomeone to take 7 months to do what he did to my car is not acceptable. I amafraid to fire the car as I don’t know for sure what is in my car?
All he had to do is be honest and tell me your car is notwhere it needs to be. I had offered many times to come help with what I could Ialways got a no. Why cuz he did not want me to know what state the car was in.I will have pictures of the poor quality work that has been done do to himrushing. My nitrous line is strung underneath the car not tucked away at alland zip tied in. I can on and on and I have not even had the chance to startreally looking into what he did.
The big issue here is Ken does not realize or care that heis not telling the truth. He may need some help.
My wife feels really bad for poor Nate and stared to playwith him and gave him some candy as he was complaining of being hungry. Cuz hehad be sitting at the shop all day while his dad was working.
If anyone is able to help please let me know. I live inGrand Blanc.
I work in health care, the types of "treatment" he said he was having was not easy on the body, on top of it smoking and drinking a shit ton 5.7 liters a day of MT dew and beer. He would have been put out for at least 2 days after Chemo. Which we also couldn't talk about in the of his family for some reason. Also when his kid was truly sick, I had to call the health insurance company because the EOBs were over whelming for him and Kelly. So why wasn't I asked to help with Ken's medical papers? Which Nate being sick happened about when I first started hanging out and getting to know him. I along with my parents bought Christmas gifts for him, kelly and all 6 kids, along with gift cards for food so they could have a Xmas dinner. SO yea I got played and thought he was a guy that wanted to help the little gear heads. Well I found out the hard way too. There was a dozen or so post that were deleted in many threads along the way, hinting or telling there was issues. Jakes thread, was the start of the avalanche of all this. He also had excuses for everything and anything. Had a new charger, bought sounds, exhaust and tunes yet still got repoed. 
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