I'm afraid I already know the answer here, but I'm going to ask the group for
any opinions which might help.
Quite some time ago, we took our motor to
a reputed old Mopar engine rebuilding specialist/machine shop for a complete and
thorough rebuild. From what we could tell at the time, he had excellent
credentials, was reputable, and knew what he was doing. The project was delayed
initially when we discovered the engine which came with the car (300F) was not
the correct year, but with kind help from Scott Tozzi and Don Verity, we managed
to secure a proper, date correct engine. Now, finally, the motor is supposed to
be finished, and ready to pick up.
The problem we are having is with the
bill (although we don't know how the engine runs yet). We were initially quoted
$3500 plus parts for a very thorough rebuild. Unfortunately, we did not get a
written estimate per se, but instead he gave us a printed flyer he had which
described his process and the price in great detail. It was one and a half full
pages, single spaced, VERY detailed, described the whole procedure, and even
discussed tolerances, etc.. Basically, it's about all you can do to a normal
engine, at least from my knowledge. We didn't want any high performance
mods--just a stock, very reliable motor. We did say we were OK with minor
modifications to enable running on unleaded gas or to create significant
improvements in reliability.
So far, we've given him $4500, and thought
we were nearly paid up, but today he said the motor is ready for pickup, and he
wants another $5000! We haven't seen the parts bill (I know he put in pistons,
and maybe a cam, which we didn't want), but we were floored. The initial
discussion started to go south over the phone, so we thought it better to go
there in person to deal with it, which we plan to do on Friday. His explanation
so far is that the $3500 was a special he was running at the time, but it took a
lot longer than what he thought, so this is his bill.
My belief at this
point is that we are getting totally ripped off, but I don't see any other
choice but to pay his price and get our motor back. I suppose we would have a
weak case in small claims court for the overage (I'm guessing about $3500-4000,
depending on the parts cost), but otherwise I'm at a loss.
Does anyone
have any better ideas than paying the "ransom?"
As an aside, can anyone
tell me what a complete rebuild on a 413 from a 300F should cost? I guess if the
going rate was about $9K, I wouldn't feel as bad, but that seems awfully high to
me for a normal performance motor.
Any advice or thoughts would be
appreciated.
Shannon
300F convertible
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