Since this a site where cobra enthusiasts come to share informantion, I feel it is my responsibility to share my experience with Performance Engineering. Apparently the situation I am about to share is not uncommon. I will not comment on others experiences, but I will detail mine. I wish others would have shared their experiences when I was about to purchase my dream car that I saved and prepared for over a period of many years. (one fella did, but I failed to follow up properly.... Thank you, my bad)
I took delivery of my car 3 years ago, my 460 was built and installed by PE (performance engineering). After 7000 miles my motor failed with a major bearing problem. Eric, the owner of PE, offered to fix the problem if I got the car to his shop. I live in NY, so getting the car to him was not easy or cheap. I dropped the car off to him and a month later the car was done, however I had dislocated my ankle and broke my leg severely so I had to rely on family and Friends to go to get the car from Ohio for me. I told Eric of my situation and asked him to give the car a good amount of driving to ensure all was good due to my situation and the distance I was from his shop. The car arrived at night so the next morning I had a friend come over to take me for a ride. First thing I noticed was that there was
antifreeze pooled up on the intake manifold. Then on the very first mile the
oil pressure was drastically decreasing with an increase in RPM. YUP... My bearings were shot mile one! Eric had me trailer the car to a friend of his that was a back draft dealer. He confirmed that the bearings were fried as he found metal in the pan, he could do nothing so I trailered it back. Another 4 hours of trailering on top of the 24 hours to get it to him the first time. Eric's response was "get me the car back I'll fix it"
As I reached out to my cobra friends I learned of many stories of poor craftsmanship and out right deception. He was not to touch my car again for obvious reasons.
I had a local friend tear the engine down and rebuild it for me. He found that the head gaskets were different not correct for that motor, there was one bolt holding the starter on, several bolts were the wrong size and were stripped 2 of which were on the water pump, the ring gap was way to wide and not proper for the engine set up. The machining on the crank was porous and the bearings were fried.
Eric agreed to pay half of the $3000 bill..... It has been over 3 months and I havnt received a dime. Now my phone calls to him are going unanswered.
For you new guys out there, do your home work and reach out to car owners. There are long time car owners available to you that can offer great advice. Remember, the guys who have a brand new car/engine will generally have stellar reviews. Dig deeper as many problems will come to the surface over time. This post was not easy for me to write, but I feel it is my responsibility to help all of you who are about to fulfill your dream of owning the greatest car ever made.
I am 300 miles into my new motor and enjoying every minute of it with confidence and peace of mind!
Performance Engineering
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