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the adventures of
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here are hundreds,
if not thousands, of engine builders in this
country. In some cases,
you can find a great “do
everything” shop; one that does all
the machine work perfectly, selects
all the correct parts, then assembles, dynos, and even puts the new
motor in your car and fires it up for
you. There are a lot of shops like
that—and even more that claim to
be that way.
When I had my own shop, Fisher Racing Engines, we did almost
everything. I am proud to say my
record shows that I did, in fact, do
everything we did the right way.
Because I always had to work for
anything I wanted, I tried to keep
that in my mind when de aling
with customers. As a firm believer
in providing “the most bang for
the buck,” I tried to keep all my
prices as low as I could and still
pay all the bills. I always tried to
spend someone else’s money just
like it was mine. Then I retired
from the engine building business,
sold all my equipment, and started
teaching college-level automotive
classes. As such, I then became the
customer instead of the provider.
What I soon became aware of is
that every shop in the area did basically very good work. I also found
out that some shops seemed to
specialize or just do a better job at
certain things. One place did an extremely good job on balancing, but
I wasn’t crazy about
their head work. Another shop insisted
on a honing process
with stones that I
didn’t care for, while
another did a great
job with a Bridgeport
if I needed something
milled. So I ended up
having my machine
work done at three
different shops in the
area while I continued with the
parts selection and assembly myself. It’s not that any of them did
bad work; it was just that I felt in
certain areas, each shop was just a
little better at certain things.
Now that may have just been
because I wanted things done the
way I wanted them done—not the
way somebody else thought was
the best way. In their applications,
maybe their ideas were better, but
all I know is that if my stuff ran
a little quicker and lived, then I
must be doing something right.
The other thing I found out
about was the personalities of the
people I had to deal with. If anybody came into my shop, regardless of whether they wanted to
spend a lot of money or purchase
just a $5 part, they were kings in
my place of business. Now, most
shops I noticed were pretty good
at dealing with people, but I have
seen several where the representative at the counter should not
PRESENTED BY
tom fisher
be allowed to talk to
another human being. I have seen some
that make you feel
like you are bothering
them and others that
if you want something done a specific
way and they don’t
agree, will imply that
you are stupid instead of just explaining the reasoning for
their ideas.
The best advice I could give if
you are just beginning in this sport,
moving to a new location, or for
any other reason to choose a machine shop, would be to do a lot of
research. Talk to direct customers
if you can; see who is doing well
at the track, who is really quick;
and ask questions. Find out what
brands of equipment they sell and
the type of machines they have on
hand to do the job. Personally visit
as many shops as you can. Most
places will allow a potential new
customer to see what their shop
looks like. They should not have
anything to hide. See how clean
and organized the shop is, pay attention to how you are treated,
then check on pricing and make
sure they can stick to timelines if
you have a window to work within.
Remember, it is your money they
will be spending.
If your new shop recommends
something, don’t be afraid to ask
questions. Many of the truly bigname engine builders will answer
a few questions if you call and
usually are willing to offer at least
a little advice. I remember many
years ago talking with my all-time
Pro Stock hero Lee Shepherd from
Reher, Morrison and Shepherd for
an hour at Bristol one year and he
told me to call anytime if I wanted
some advice.
I guess the bottom line is the
customer is not always right, but
then, neither is every engine builder. While everybody has their own
ideas, most agree on basics. It is
the little things and attention to
detail that separates those that are
the best. Although they may sometimes be referred to as “tricks,” Every bit of horsepower pulled from
any engine is a result of using
something called “common sense.”
Gains are a result of someone examining something and saying to
themselves, “How can I make this
better?” I guess the difference really stems from who asked the most
questions and looked the hardest
at something. It’s all in the details
as they say.
So find the place you are most
comfortable with that has fair
pricing and a good reputation. If
you’re like me, you may need to get
different work done at different
places to feel satisfied. That’s okay.
The extra travel just might make
the difference in how long your
stuff lasts and how quick it runs.
THE PLACE TO SHOP, SWAP & SELL YOUR RACING RV
CONSIGNMENT • WE BUY RVS • FULL SERVICE REPAIR • RENTALS
CONTACT:
Joe Fisher
(419) 236-1328
[email protected]
2008 SILVER CROWN
4 SLIDES, 26/9 SIDE GARAGE
58 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
2008 UNITED COLUMBIA
2 SLIDES
Issue 109