Projects Summit crate 350 - nightmare

Unless I missed something nothing I saw in those videos would stop me from partially dissasembling the engine, pulling the pistons, give everything a good clean then reassemble and run that. Maybe $500 with gaskets oil etc etc.

 

I know we all get burned at some point buying from overseas. My point is that a crated engine is crated for obvious reasons. It’s going to be shipped. If the packaging is not fit for that purpose, I’d argue that’s on the seller, not the buyer.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

This is clearly NOT Summit's fault. They bought it from GM. GM shipped it to them. They re-shipped it to the customer requested destination. It then went through lots of different hands before it arrived to striper. I'm sorry for his loss but I ran a distribution company for a long time and there is no way we would have covered this.

Personally, Summit is my favorite vendor. They have a great website, ship quickly, package well, have very competitive prices and free freight. Also, they have one of the best, most liberal return policies I've ever seen. I will continue doing business with them.

 

The crate is most probably sped'd to leave a wharehouse, go straight into a freight truck then into a workshop. Anything else is probably not 'fit for purpose'. In my opinion you have been pretty unfair to Summit but that's just my view.

Anyway no point arguing semantics, personally I would just let it go now. You can continue to get frustrated and be pissed off which impacts you and your family's well being or run the motor after a quick refresh, even see it as an oppurtunity for a cam swap and move on. Take the opputunity option.

 

Yeah, I have to agree. It all looks like surface rust to me which will clean off. I'd fully disassemble it and keep track of what went where, but all I really see is a bunch of PITA hand labor. The only place I might have concerns would be the cam and lifters if there's pitting that may have damaged the hardened surfaces.

 

Maybe he could buy these off Summit

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/lun-10120101lk

 

Man, that blows! I know it sucks but you are in a tough spot. If that happened to me, and I lived in Australia, I would spend a weekend pulling it apart, cleaning, inspecting, replacing what is necessary, and reassembling. Sorry for your loss bro. Good luck

 

Haha! Yeah, or maybe someone else.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

No, I’m not getting upset anymore. I’m over it. I’m going to rebuild it and move on.

I just can’t seem to have a win though lately. I seem to be battling with everyone from Summit, to my internet provider. I feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down. Got an order from Brothers Trucks yesterday... a number of items missing. That’s another story.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Looks to me like a 5 gallon bucket. Looks like 1/2 way filled.

Okay, old FH V8 sat under a walnut tree out back for 40+ years, no carb...still had the intake though...was covered my a sheet of bent tin.

About 4-5 years ago I beat it apart, yes, stuck pistons, etc...but, looked better than what the OP posted.

Now I'd think (just me) if I were to slice open a bag of anything, and I'd hope I'd notice wetness in the bag.

So crate looks good, bag (assume) was dry. Kinda discounts the flood/out in the rain? thing, right?

I feel for the OP, but I think shenanigans have been afoot.

What do I know though.

 

I doubt Summit ever saw that engine. It was likely drop shipped from Texas to No Cal.

 

How much time from purchase to you receiving?

Ben

 

Most likely, If Summit would ship overseas, may have been cost prohibitive, but If I bought an engine through Summit, and paid them to ship it to me, I'd expect them to be on the hook for anything I came across.

Now, that said, if I paid Summit, and my buddy picked it up, took it to another place, who loaded it up and sent it to me...I probably did that to save some bucks...but then the end game is my problem, no Summit, GM or SD.

I feel bad for the OP, but when trying to save money, sometimes it's a big bite in the ass.

He has no recourse, he said who picked it up, sent it there, etc. Pretty obvious he did not contract with Summit to deliver him the engine...assume if he did(or could have) it might have been 3 times the cost of what he paid.

I don't see why Summit, GM or SD should do a thing...they were not contracted to deliver the product door to door

 

I would think the seller would have crated the motor sufficiently for shipping out of the country. If there was no visible damage on the crate then it was not properly packaged. Unless it was vandalized.
No matter what, it is a sad story.


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

sorry to hear of the troubles..........

 

I would bet that summit packaged it well enough for their part of the trip

 

This just plain blows. Really don’t give shit about who don’its. They did not deliver what was advertised and should make it right. I couldn’t believe how much water was in the engine. Never really had trust in summit but have bought small stuff from them, no bitch. Sorry for your end game and respect time to move on but have a long memory

 

Summit’s chain of custody ends when your buddy accepted delivery in NoCal, at the latest.

Normal shipping contracts call for whoever accepts delivery, in this case your buddy, to sign off confirming there is no shipping damage. The shipper used by Summit, or Skoggins, depending on their marketing relationship, certainly had your buddy sign verifying that the shipment met his requirements.

From there on, everything is between you, your buddy, and the broker who arranged the container and in transit storage at the docks. Everything including that the packaging is robust enough to survive in transit storage.

Sorry, but that’s how it works, and that’s why your buddy signed for the package.

 

You are very probably right, according to the law. That doesn’t change the fact that the engine was packaged at GM (I assume) and that packaging was not removed until it reached me. If it had been taken out of the crate and plastic and repackaged or transported without packaging, sure, my problem. GM/Summit may be well within their rights to ignore me, but this is still their stuff up. But yes, I understand, it’s my problem.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

On a lighter note... never heard of this happening with an engine made by Ford!

 

No one buys a Ford ...

 

2.5 gallons of water weighs about 20 pounds. Any of the paperwork from the different places it shipped have any weights listed? At least you might find out where the water was "added."

 

Yeah I guess you're right; Fords just keep going or are so valuable that they get rebuilt!

 

Yeah but how much is 351 to T350 adaptor? [emoji6]


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Getting really forensic now. I don’t think that is a rabbit hole I need to go down. I’ve written off any recourse. Dropped the boat anchor off at the engine rebuilder this afternoon. Movin’ on.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

If it makes you feel any better, I have cleaned up an run motors that looked way worse than that.

White vinegar soaked paper towels on rusty surfaces will remove rust. I have cleaned up and re-honed bores too.

See what the crank looks like. It might not be as bad as you think.

Yeah, it sucks, but I think you can make it work.

 

Summit are setup on their website to service international.
When you buy stuff, the shipping comes up with a list of 5 or six options, least to most expensive. For small things it's the 'global shipping program' or whatever that is, then a couple of Fedex and UPS. All trackable to your door.
I have recently bought 5 x Goodyear Super Cushions and a Walker radiator through them and Fedex was the cheapest option.
I'm sure many items are drop shipped and some go via a Summit hub.

My rad came in the usual big foam filled Walker box, the tyres loose. (4 taped in pairs, whitewall inwards, the 5th just on its own with the Goodyear wrap on it.
Being Fedex, these came via air.

By the time you do the dance, exchange rate, shipping etc, many times you can buy the same cheaper from a local supplier. These things for me were borderline cheaper. (not the tyres, they are not available locally, but the Coker range is, and I didn't want them)

Oh, and I have seen Summit ads on TV here while watching local drag racing. They know we exist.

 

You made two major mistakes and an assumption that isn't true. One, when your buddy acted as your agent and signed for it, he released Summit and GM both from any claims of this sort. If he had practiced due diligence and actually checked the contents, if the problem existed at that point you would have been covered. Two, it also should have been inspected by your US-to-Australia shipper prior to shipping. Because of this lack, Summit/GM and he can point at each other. Three, you're assuming that the contents weren't opened/examined at any point, which they almost certainly were. Very likely checked at export to make sure you're not smuggling something prohibited out of the US, and likely the same when it arrived in Australia, only they're looking for something to keep out. I could see this opened for an inspector who for one reason or another was a day or two late looking, get some heavy dew or a short rainstorm before the crate gets closed up and you've got a rusty motor. Or even a ship crew searching for something to steal; it rains at sea too.

Or think about this; I'm sure GM doesn't ship these prepared for a sea voyage if going to a domestic address. And if it was shipped in a container, those things are notorious for sweating. A month or two inside a high-humidity box would rust just about anything unless it's completely sealed against the elements. Throw in an inspection along the way and any factory seal will be gone. To tell the truth, I think this is probably what happened in this case. Packaging that would be more than adequate for truck freight wouldn't be for those conditions. If you shipped the way you did to save money, these were the corners you cut...

 

I don't know about Striper, but when I received my Good Wrench engine, the engine was totally wrapped in plastic and then the whole crate was wrapped also plus any openings came with bungs or well taped seals.
I was very impressed with the degree protection provided, hence that is why I suggest sabotage some where anlong the food change...

 

Yes, one wonders if Summit even had contact with this engine, possibly took the order and then ordered it from GM and had it shipped to you as stipulated.