BAD SELLER : LS1 Trans am
ROBERT SAWYER OF WATONGA OKLAHOMA, sold me a 99 ls1 without disclosing the fact that it had a broken starter mount. a piece of alum round stock was welded on, drilled and tapped. robert tells me it works just fine this way. the weld on the side of the tranny mating surface wasn't even ground down flush, leaving a bulge. still with grinder marks might i add. one would think if it had been run (mounted to a tranny), there would be some sort of flat spot on the bulging weld. as a result, the tranny doesn't mate up square. yes i can grind it down, that's besides the point. i didn't bargain for nor was this disclosed.
also, because i got a deal on shipping, i decided to split the savings with robert, as a sign of good faith. after all, i'm in california and he's in oklahoma. after recieving the motor and seeing this shoty block repair, i got ahold of robert to discuss. he tells me he won't be able to give me back any money for awhile as money's tight. anyone with a brain knows to check his posts and what do you know, he's spent all kinds of money on motor parts. heads, cam, etc. http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37170
Quote:
Originally Posted by LS1 Trans am
There's no way I can do that anytime soon. I'll get you $100, but I'm not even sure when I can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rustynuts
robert, the fact is, it's not right. i didn't bargain for a damaged block. you didn't disclose that information weather you thought it ok or not. as stated before, the tranny doesn't bolt up square. i don't care if you ran it that way or not, which i doubt, it's not right. it may be permissimble on a 1982 4 cylinder toyota pickup truck but not on a high performance ls1. i have several options on how i can approach this situation with you. i'm first going to try the civilized manor.
i've shown this to some reputable folks and what's going to need to be done to restore full function/strength/reliability is to cut off what was welded on, weld on a new piece of aluminum because i have no idea what type of aluminum was welded on and don't trust it's strength given the poor way it was done. and carefully machine down the block to tranny mounting surface. this is going to set me back. i was trying to be a nice guy by sharing the shipping savings. look what that got me. at this point, after talking with folks as to what will need to be done to use this engine with confidence, i think a credit is in order for the undisclosed work ahead of me. i'm thinking $100 for credit to squash this broken mount ordeal plus the $100 i gave you from the shipping savings as a nice gesture. totaling $200.
i like to think all things considered, asking for $200 back is MORE than fair. he will no longer reply to my pm's. any suggestions? i don't take to kindly to being screwed, especially by some 20 year old kid.:growl:
the for sale thread http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35896
you can see the light coming through the tranny mounting surface due to the weld bulge.