Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

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Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

October 02, 2008, 01:06:09 AM

You never know which shops can be trusted but I have to get the exhaust fitted to the tbird this next week after firing the new engine for the first time this weekend. I'd like to find some harmless things I can do to the car, that cannot be quickly fixed by a person at the shop, so that I don't have to worry about anyone going out for a joyride. Since the car is still speed density, nor do I have a tweecer yet, adjusting settings in the computer are a no go. I'm thinking force the car to start out in 2nd gear and shift up early to cause the motor to run outside its power band. I'm also thinking disable the headlights and pull some bulbs from around the vehicle to kill its street legality. I'm not sure what else to do that won't make the car dangerous or harm itself.

The problem is the car's 3 hours from me and most shops are open on weekdays so I won't be around to pick it up myself at the end of the day. I'll have to have a relative do this unless I can get a day off work on Monday or bring it in the following Friday/maybe Saturday. I don't trust 90% of the people in the Seattle area so I'd like to proceed cautiously. The exhaust will only be hanging by wires when its driven in as the old exhaust has been cut up so I have to go local up there. Its currently one piece from the xpipe, all the way to the lers and their dumps.

I also don't want anyone to screw up the paint and powdercoat on all the fresh parts :(

Better yet, if anyone knows of a 100% trustworthy shop up around Tacoma, through 20 miles north of Tacoma, let me know. All I ever see in all the areas between Olympia and Seattle are slummy looking blocks.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #1 – October 02, 2008, 03:21:24 AM

Record the milage after it gets there.There no need to drive it for just exhaust work.Let them know you did.may or may not deter them.About the only other thing i can think of would be to limit the TB from opening only a little.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #2 – October 02, 2008, 06:43:14 AM

I agree,just take the mileage and make it clear that you are doing it.Take the tag and taillights home with you.Put two donut spares on the back.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #3 – October 02, 2008, 08:08:48 AM

Ditto on the odometer suggestion (and make sure they know you did it - no point in doing it and then having to argue with them). If you want to make the engine run like shiznit you might retard the timing a whole lot - that's how a lot of traction control systems limit power...

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #4 – October 02, 2008, 08:48:56 AM

I already planned on it and with my wide lens, trying to get both the odometer and shop building in the one picture, maybe with a newspaper.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #5 – October 07, 2008, 01:57:49 AM

Mileage, Tell them straight up My car goes in, goes up, come down , goes back in a spot. This is not a DD and ever detail is important. Take their paper work and get that in the shot of the mileage. Tell them NO TEST DRIVE is needed. Just make it clear as possible, talk to the guy that will be doing the work (if they have one guy for exhaust if they know who will have it)

The more they know you it could go a few ways.

They are jackasses and dont care

They understand and respect you and your car

Or they just do it like any other car and mess something up.

This is why I HATE my car being away from me or haveing people I dont know work on it.

Tail light and plateand timing all sound like a good idea.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #6 – October 07, 2008, 01:53:11 PM

Heres a thought. the only way that they could make sure that the odo doesn't rack up the miles is to disconnect the cluster or the VSS. Put a dab of bright orange pain on the cluster bolts and the VSS so it would be apparent if they were tampered with. That way you KNOW if they did drive it all over.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #7 – October 09, 2008, 12:25:43 PM

1. Take the day off.
2. Insist you drive it on the rack.
3. Pull out a stool and sit just outside the stall with your arms crossed(have a look of disain for effect).
4. After completion of job, inspect, approve/disapprove of job.
5. Lower car and remove from rack.
6. Pay for sevice.
7. Go home.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #8 – October 09, 2008, 04:07:32 PM

Retard timing to 2* advanced. I have a similar set up to you and when I did that *accidentally*

it ran like ass and had no power.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #9 – October 09, 2008, 07:34:06 PM

pull two or three spark plugs, or just unhook them.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #10 – October 09, 2008, 11:01:12 PM

why in the hell would you ever take it to a shop that you would ever think they would do anything like this, I hate to say but its a T-bird not a Ferrari. Just wait untill the time is right and have it done at a closer shop, sounds like too much trouble and stress.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #11 – October 13, 2008, 09:31:17 PM

Quote from: 347Thunder;238976

why in the hell would you ever take it to a shop that you would ever think they would do anything like this, I hate to say but its a T-bird not a Ferrari. Just wait untill the time is right and have it done at a closer shop, sounds like too much trouble and stress.

This is true and I'm not worried as if it were a sports car (nor would I be taking it to any place in that area to begin with). The problem is that I don't know about around there, but here most automotive shops that would do custom exhaust without costing $5k+ (huge chains like Midas...) hire the type of people who really don't care. Too many people at these places are in the import crowd and either hate Fords and the "large" motors like a 5.0 or think they're everything and they want to drive the thing. It isn't bad down here where I live but it is worse up where the car is currently sitting. I just don't want my fresh motor beat on by some 20 year old who wants to feel the joy of having more than 150ft lbs of torque.

Now the dilemma is that with the 4r70w in the car, the exhaust doesn't fit right and is dropping downward from the headers back. The exhaust is currently being help up by some thick wire/plate stuff (not round) to the factory ler mount holes, sitting only 1" or so above the ground at the dumps. There are three places within a short distance (the rest are all 10 miles or more) with them being Midas, Walt's (local chain I believe), and some other smaller local chain. They all don't have the best reputations, especially these specific shops, but I don't have much of a choice in getting the car on the road. Most complaints seem to be about non-exhaust work but also issues with management. I just need them to use my cats, x-pipe, and lers on entire new piping from the headers to the tailpipes.

There is even less desire for even me to drive the thing now. To get to the necessary wires, I had to pull the center console so the interior is a mess. I will just keep it like this until I get the car back. The place I am looking at going is open on Saturdays so that will help. We need to do a last check on the valve train, bolt the upper intake and valve covers on, program the ecu, fill system with coolant, and do final tweaks afterward, before making an attempt to get it to the shop by noon this Saturday. The rest of the engine has already been tested and checks out good, as do the electronics, so its only a matter of a few more hours before we can ease the thing out of the driveway and to the shop.

All this worry comes from my past experience with any and all service places to begin with. I get the people asking about power, I get the ones talking about how much of a blast it was when they drove their old tbird (I hear this a lot???), and people who apparently like to put 9 quarts of oil into my 5 quart motor. I have since quit taking the car anywhere as the last time I had it in a reputable shop, yet they somehow managed to misalign every front panel on my car (it went there due to me temporarily losing oil pressure one day - they couldn't find a cause and the oil pan was clean inside when we pulled it apart a few weeks later . I still need to fix this alignment problem before the hood latch cable breaks.

Anyways, I don't think I have to worry much anymore. After this last weekend, no one would want to be caught dead driving this car. It will certainly taken an entire weekend to clean it up. It will only take me a few seconds to get it ready for the shop since very few panels are put together anywhere now. I'm not even going to mount the TCS until car cleanup (dozens of 6' wires are all danging down from the yanked glovebox), along with the ECU. I'll get a picture of it all :hick: At least underhood looks great with clearcoated powdercoat on all non-iron engine parts. It was quite hard to look for fuel injector oring leaks with that shine. No leaks though.

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #12 – October 14, 2008, 07:57:14 AM

Quote from: lakenheath24;238909

1. Take the day off.
2. Insist you drive it on the rack.
3. Pull out a stool and sit just outside the stall with your arms crossed(have a look of disain for effect).
4. After completion of job, inspect, approve/disapprove of job.
5. Lower car and remove from rack.
6. Pay for sevice.
7. Go home.

Sounds like me when I`ve had my Cougar worked on (tires/alignment). :hick: This is why I only bring them the wheels now and do my own front-end alignment! A KB blown V8 is just too much of a temptation for the kids.

Plus, after getting into a big argument with one of the service dolts about him recommending something that only made sense for rear drum brakes but I had put in the TC rear with discs, I just lost patience with people who can't actually look at the car, just look in the book.

Custom exhaust work does suck and I've brought my car in for some welding on the exhaust (stainless), though I was there under the car with him showing him exactly where to weld so it wouldn't show

In person and looking like a neurotic psycho tends to keep them focused on the job at hand :)

Strange Request: Force car to perform poorly

Reply #13 – October 14, 2008, 01:06:16 PM

i have a downpipe going to a bullet style ler and all i wanted from the local ler shop, was a gentle bend to dump it out the drivers side and the retard wouldnt do it...what a tool.