Two Engine failures from Southern Automotive

[turnpike boy]

Glad you took the time to rebut. That there is something going on here is obvious - just not certain we can all derive the actual events.

Since SA did ship another motor and pay for a re-install, there is an impression of a mea culpa to be found. It is tacit acknowledgement that the first engine bought the farm; however, they did this on your say-so since they didn't have the engine to see what failed. Why do that if it isn't necessary? - good business practice, certainly, but kind of over-the-top to send you an entire engine without the failed one back first.

On the other hand, what was the "failure" that gave rise to replacing the engine to begin with? As you state "replacing a 427 without [engine compartment] damage in a cobra is a chore". Also, if "both failures were diagnosed and the motors were both shut down before major warranty damage occured", couldn't the first one have been made right without having to pull the motor?

It also appears that you saw lots wrong with the replacement engine prior to the install, as "We did not need a "crystal ball" to tell that the replacement motor had never been run because we became very familiar with the replacement motor and its condition when it arrived as we spent much time moving around parts and hardware.". And then "the replacement motor with ridiculously low miles failed on the dyno - then I was pissed!".

Huh.

Look...I do understand your frustration - and I don't fault you for same. It's just that there seem to be so many disconnects here, both with SA's version and yours, that being able to come to a conclusion just isn't possible.

Hopefully all is well now, and hopefully it will stop raining sometime in your lifetime. Enjoy the car as best you can - they really are an awful lot of fun.


-Roger