The facts I have are personal experience. Not my personal engine, but 3 buddies that had issues.
I don’t want to hijack this gentlemen’s thread about pistons and go off on tangents, but want to clarify some things, because it is beneficial to the community and how we can all benefit going forward.
Please note, I have a thread started for a rather large build in progress, and will be posting everything done throughout, products used, and experiences had.
I know we often go off of the experience of others, whether friends or what we read, but that is weighted differently than personal experience, because there is often more to the story. We honestly don’t know from what is mentioned below if your friends did something that rested on their responsibility. People are more apt to complain and vent online, than if they have a good experience, which is sad. This results in thousands of successful stories unreported, and a handful of allegedly terrible situations reported. I can attest to this as a business owner that bends over backwards for customers, but unfortunately, some people just want to start trouble.
First one was built for boost, never saw boost, and ended up in boxes in my garage when it ate 3 bearings and tore up a crank.
As in the journals were not line-honed correctly or there was a thrust bearing issue from hard downshifting?
Second was a big bore stroker in a Mach 1. Didn't even have 1000 miles when he went to start it after work and there was no oil pressure. I will give credit to MMR for handling that one gracefully. But they didn't have a choice as they pulled the original engine, built the BB/S, and installed it. They didn't have anyone to point fingers at.
I’m glad they stood by it, and sometimes mistakes happen or parts are defective. It could have been a rear crank seal or anything.
Third was a long block they built. When the valve train started ticking they claimed the mechanic that put the valve covers on put too much RTV and a piece of RTV made it from the top of the cylinder head, down to the oil pan, through the pick up screen, through the filter, and blocked one of the oil galleries in the head. They took my buddy for another few hundred claiming both heads had to be rebuilt because of it.
It sounds like they were properly sceptic though, if RTV started up top. Where else would it have been used if not for the timing cover? That’s a tough situation for anyone and any business, and your local dealer or even a lawn mower shop would give just as much of a raised eyebrow.
I do know of another engine they built in a 96 GT vert. But I lost contact with that guy a few years ago. However, I do know after a few dyno runs that car became a shelf in his garage. But to be fair I don't know if that was the tuner or MMR.
As you acknowledged, it could have been the tuner, and that validates my concern that these forums are often filled with stories that more than often are effectively banter, producing no true discernibly logical conclusion. It has certainly made my research on this build extremely painful and drawn out.
Those are just the engines that were actually in my driveway and I talked to those guys regularly. When I was in the local Mustang club there were a few more that has MMR built engines and they all had issies at some point. The shop everyone used stopped installing them. For a while at least. But those others were just people I'd run into at a cruise or get together.
So yeah, I have some facts. And I don't regurgitate what other people say. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones and your engine will live. But going by past experience you'll need a new one sooner than later.
I do appreciate you sharing, but wanted to follow up with those clarifications. Again it is hard when we all know there are two sides to a story, and customers are truly not always honest when trying to get something out of a situation that they know they messed up. It muddies the water, if you will.
Anyway, I will be posting all details in my thread, and I am very active in Facebook groups etc, so if anyone is curious feel free to reach out to me. The build is in progress, and I hope to report very good things, but honest things nonetheless.
MMR has and does help many, and deserves the opportunity to clear any stale air. Stay tuned.
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