tom nelson

[bulldogchevy]

so whats the word on tom nelson i have him building me a twin turbo its been allmost 15 mounths and getting the run a round.

[c.schulz]

Some of the guys here will chime in for sure on Mr. Nelson.Has a little trouble finishing his motors on a timely fashion. :willy: :willy: :willy:

Chris

[jonny51]

24s bitch :D

Sorry had too.

Many people complain about Nelson being slowwwwwwwwww.

[Stuart Adams]

15 mo. Wow.

[camcojb]

That is the knock on Mr. Nelson. Very talented but he's left some very high profile car builders hanging, so what will he do to us regular guys?

Jody

[907rs]

Thats funny..... I was explaining that very same thing to the Misses as we watched him pull it off for the camera on American Hot Rod.

[camcojb]

Thats funny..... I was explaining that very same thing to the Misses as we watched him pull it off for the camera on American Hot Rod.


Then again according to the "camera" that car was built in 7 weeks; we know that's not even close.

Again, very talented, will build you a nice engine, just need to have a lot of time.

Jody

[trapin]

I'm sure Nelson snaps together a fine engine, and if you don't have any other builders around you I would just let him finish it. Whereabouts do you live? Check to see if there are any other builders in your area and do some research on them. See for me....having a guy like Nelson build me an engine makes no sense. He's way over on the other side of the country in California. Here in Michigan we have a plethora of spectacular race shops who have been in business for over 30 years. Hell, just up the road is Vince Impastato at Impastato Racing where they held last years PHR Engine Master's Challenge. Angelluci Racing is another that's been around forever. They get so much business that Andy doesn't even list his number in the phone book. Check your local area...you might be surprised at what you'll find.

[Steve Chryssos]

The custom engine business sux. Engine builders are always waiting on one custom part or another. Smart engine builders are on top of their scheduling and invest in inventory to minimize delays. And a good businessman will never lie to you about a delivery date. If you have been jerked for an unreasonable 15 months, it's time to act.
Start with the obvious: Ask him what parts are in stock and what parts he is still waiting on. Compare that value against your deposit. Armed with that knowledge, you can then decide if you want to pull the job.

The main problem is that Nelson may have spent your deposit on another customer's parts--not yours. 15 months is too long!!!!

[TwinSting]

Tom was very good with me on all matters of building my engine. I know he is super busy and has a backlog of motors to build. He is a very truthful and decent person to deal with from my experience with him.

[trapin]

I don't know how to ask this without sounding condescending, but do you think the fact that your car was going to be on American Hot Rod and it would mean TV exposure for him might have played a part in you receiving your engine on a timely manner? I'm not accusing Tom of such...but one has to wonder why this guy would have to wait 15 months for an engine and you got yours right away. I'm not suggesting that thats what happened, I'm just trying to get a clearer picture of the events is all. I'll give Tom the benefit of the doubt, but I gotta be honest with you....theres not much I'd wait 15 months to receive after paying for. Especially an engine.

[camcojb]

I know of an engine that took nearly 2 years to get, and it was for someone who gets a lot of press.

Jody

[trapin]

That's why I'm saying, I'll give Tom the benefit of the doubt. It could be that this guy is asking for an engine that a lot of parts have to be developed for. That would probably explain the 15 months of waiting. I only asked about the American Hot Rod thing because I know it's the first thing people are going to think of when they read that response. Not accusing anyone of anything...just curious as to what he thinks is all.

[bulldogchevy]

i just wanted to say thank you to everyone for giving their input on my situation concerning my twin turbo that nelson is building for me. we spoke today and everything seems to be on track, for the time being. i never doubted him as being a trustworthy guy and i understand that he's a very busy guy, which is a testament to his talent--but i'm just ready to be get on with my project for which i am having the engine built as well as others that have been held up as a result of having to wait for this one......
i'll be sure to post pictures of the my 69 camaro as it is being built so you can all see what i've been talking about.

[bulldogchevy]

just to clarify, the specs on my motor are the same as the motor seen on boyd's build up of the sting ray....

[trapin]

Hey....if you're happy. We're happy. ;)

[camcojb]

just to clarify, the specs on my motor are the same as the motor seen on boyd's build up of the sting ray....


Didn't that make about 1500 HP? :morepower

Jody

[907rs]

Didn't that make about 1500 HP? :morepower

Jody

If memory serves me right, it did Jody.

Bulldogchevy, welcome to the forum. :) You know we're going to need to see dyno video as well, right? :D

I hope it works out for you in a timely manner.

[TwinSting]

Trapin. Yes I understand that Tom pushed to finish my motor a little quicker due to the AHR show. I did cut the deal with him almost 2 years ago and gave him a deposit about a year and a half ago. This was well before Boyd even had a tv show. I was just trying to let others know that I thought he was a good guy and just really busy. He doesn't have a bunch of other people building his motors. His hands are on each one of them. That is all.

[trapin]

Good enough. :cool:

I can't say I blame Tom for doing it. If I owned a business like that and was trying to make a name for myself outside California, I would have done the same. That's just business. I wonder if he's starting to turn work away at this point. I guess that would be every business owners dream. To be so busy that you have to actually turn people away.

[Steve Chryssos]

No matter. 15 months is too long. It's just bad business to hang on to someone's money and parts for that long. Poor customer service.

The world is full of talented engine builders. The hard part is finding one who is also a good businessman.

[harshman]

1500 hp?!!!?

I’m not trying to be an ass. It is just an observation.

What in God’s green earth would you be able to do with that much power? Hooking up would be a joke and breaking things along the way will happen. It would be a shame that a 500-600 hp car would theoretically spank you while you are still at the light spinning your wheels. I don’t get it. Please, again – I’m trying to understand this, what’s with all the power?

[camcojb]

1500 hp?!!!?

I’m not trying to be an ass. It is just an observation.

What in God’s green earth would you be able to do with that much power? Hooking up would be a joke and breaking things along the way will happen. It would be a shame that a 500-600 hp car would theoretically spank you while you are still at the light spinning your wheels. I don’t get it. Please, again – I’m trying to understand this, what’s with all the power?


The nice thing about a turbo car is the ability to control the boost so easily either through a mechanical control in the car or computerized controller. So you can easily drive around at basically any power level you want, ramp the power according to traction/gear, etc. You do not have to be making 1500 hp everytime you put your foot down.

Jody

[TwinSting]

Camcojb is exactly correct.

[XcYZ]

Shaun, not to change the subject, but what's going on with your avatar? Looks like we need to tweak it. :)

[camcojb]

Camcojb is exactly correct.


Thanks Shaun, it's the beauty of turbos for sure. Very easily controlled as you want them. :thumbsup:

Jody

[Ummgawa]

I think another good reason for turbo's and Big Horsepower is because we can. 600 HP doesn't sound nearly as good as, lets say, 1100 hp.

1100 Horse power. Now that sounds good. Even feels good typing it. To use a Jody line :morepower is good.

[harshman]

Adjustable or not, has anyone been able to get traction when using let’s say 800 hp? I guess all I’m pointing out is that if you can spin your tires at 100 mph (utilizing that amount of hp) you just became an uncontrollable car that could harm you. Again, I feel like an ass pointing this out, if you can’t get traction all the hp in the world wouldn’t help you. I assume you are using 17” or greater wheels and the design of the tires are not ideal for drag racing type grip (little sidewall flex).

We all know that the Boyd types will never use their cars to their full potential and I suppose that they can get away with installing a mega hp motor in a 2500 lb car. But our cars are built with our sweat and blood and we will push the envelope in order to achieve that all important grin while watching our passenger peel his/her face off the window.

I say this all the while I have a little 400 hp motor and I can’t get any grip through first and second so I can just imagine the insane issues you guys might have.

This is just an issue that has stuck in my head. I hear the hp numbers you guys are generating and I’m very impressed and somewhat honored that I can call you guys my companions. However, on the same note, I am also concerned about the safety of these exotic cars we are building. I have yet to see any super exotic car (Italian, German etc.) that have more than 600 hp (if there is one I think you still get my point). There is a fine line between being fast and being unsafe.

I’m sorry about “hijacking” this thread but I thought it needed to be brought up. Moderators, you can move my comments elsewhere if you desire.

[camcojb]

Actually I have. The yellow car would spin the tires in 1st through 3rd gears at any speed or mph if you floored it. But once in 4th gear it loaded the car enough even with the 17" tires that at 50 mph you could mat the throttle and not spin. Car pulled like a freight train in that condition.

That car was all about excess, mostly built for sheer power and to prove you could make that power on 91 octane and no intercooling while retaining a/c, etc. Not real practical for track use but a lot of fun anyway.

Now with turbos I can run virtually no boost in the lower gears, or ramp it up in any fashion I choose. Find the limits of traction and you'd have a car that was capable of accelerating as fast as the chassis and tires could handle. It would also have breathtaking power up top. Of course the higher the power the quicker it could bite you, but turbos with big power can still be quite driveable if the boost is managed properly.

You have several valid points. Very few cars are set up to handle that kind of power. And by the time you could unleash 1500 hp you'd be a very high speed where aerodynamics and other factors may turn your car into a plane. :eek:

Jody

[clill]

On the Mules Dyno run Kurt said at 12 lbs boost it started spinning the tires at 120 mph. That could get scary.....

[907rs]

On the Mules Dyno run Kurt said at 12 lbs boost it started spinning the tires at 120 mph. That could get scary.....

Sure, but it'd be fun at lower speeds. :thumbsup:

[TwinSting]

Harshman- My car was not built for the best track times or to be an effecient race car. I built it for sheer fun and excitement on the streets. It is an exercise in excess and extremes. Just fun and the awe factor. :morepower I agree with you that these cars can get dangerous but fwd imports with souped up motors or even 400hp cars in the hands of the inexperienced can be dangerous.

[Steve Chryssos]

and God Bless America :patriot: