OUCH!! Hope everything else is alright and that it was a fluke thing.
1961 Biscayne project in Fargo ND
- Thread starter real61ss
- Start date
Son of a B! 
I'm sure you already are but I would be livid!
You guys are over re-acting. That guy , by his own words, is responsible for most of the aftermarket parts offered today for 409s. We all owe him so much, cut him a little slack.
I know what I'm about to say might be unpopular on here right now especially in light of things that have been said in the past, but why don't we all wait and see if they offer any assistance and/or take responsibility before we slaughter them on here?
For what it's worth, I'd be saying the same thing no matter who this was about. Everyone makes mistakes. Some people step up, admit it and take care of their mistakes.....some don't. That's what seperates the men from the boys in my opinion. This looks like a good opportunity (albeit a very unfortunate one for Brian!!!) for that company to show that they can take care of a customer.
That being said, if this were my build I'd be HOT......but looking at it from a 2nd party perspective....it's easier for me to say I am going to wait and see how it's handled. I am not on anyone's "bandwagon" so I hope none of you think I have any agenda to what I said.
Also....that was not directed at you Ronnie. The comment you posted on was offensive to a lot of people (yourself included) who have done a lot for this engine since they were new. (EDIT: The comment Ronnie is referring to, not something he said.) It was also offensive to those of us who know that is the case. I feel like I "owe" much more to all of you who have helped me out with solid advice and information much more.
I can also step back and look at the comment as coming from a son who is proud of his daddy's accomplishments. Should it have been said? No....but I can see it from that angle. I bet most all of your sons would brag about ya'll given the chance as it would be WELL DESERVED. It's just too bad that in doing so he managed to alienate a lot of people.
For what it's worth, I'd be saying the same thing no matter who this was about. Everyone makes mistakes. Some people step up, admit it and take care of their mistakes.....some don't. That's what seperates the men from the boys in my opinion. This looks like a good opportunity (albeit a very unfortunate one for Brian!!!) for that company to show that they can take care of a customer.
That being said, if this were my build I'd be HOT......but looking at it from a 2nd party perspective....it's easier for me to say I am going to wait and see how it's handled. I am not on anyone's "bandwagon" so I hope none of you think I have any agenda to what I said.
Also....that was not directed at you Ronnie. The comment you posted on was offensive to a lot of people (yourself included) who have done a lot for this engine since they were new. (EDIT: The comment Ronnie is referring to, not something he said.) It was also offensive to those of us who know that is the case. I feel like I "owe" much more to all of you who have helped me out with solid advice and information much more.
I can also step back and look at the comment as coming from a son who is proud of his daddy's accomplishments. Should it have been said? No....but I can see it from that angle. I bet most all of your sons would brag about ya'll given the chance as it would be WELL DESERVED. It's just too bad that in doing so he managed to alienate a lot of people.
Sorry for any confusion. Ronnie and I were talking about a comment that was made some time ago by someone who works for the company that built the Z11 heads that just had a seat come apart on this awesome engine. It was something to the effect that W motor enthusiasts "owe" a debt of gratitude to their company for being solely responsible for ALL of the aftermarket parts that are being built for 409's.
Rightfully so, it was not taken very well by all of us who recognize that there are several people who have contributed greatly to the following and aftermarket support besides them. Including a lot of our great members on here.
I hope I didn't come off as supporting said company.....just saying that before crucifying them...I'd wait and see how they take care of Brian in this situation. I remember reading a very good report from one of their customers on here about how they took excellent care of him after an engine failure some time back. I HOPE that they do the same in this situation.
( Nothing')
Nothing as in they are going to do nothing?
That sucks. The damage is clearly not from anything you or your machinest did.....and they were brand new heads. Should not have came apart like that.
droptop62ss
Well Known Member
Brian that sucks .... they should do something they get a premium price for that setup .
Boy that just doesn't seem right. I'm surprised they wouldn't want to take care of this since it is obviously a fault of their parts. Things happen but need to make it right when your product fails. With as many 409 enthusiasts there are on this web forum alone think of what that could do to hurt their future business. Brian hope you get it sorted out and back together quickly.
I for one am not surprised to hear any of this. I have heard enough bad experiences from people who have used their product to know that the quality control is not there. I have also heard enough to know their attitude is, "Up yours, we are perfect". They are arrogant beyond compare.
Brian, you are not the only one who has had problems with those heads. Don't let it slide. They do more than "W" engines and I am sure many would be interested in your story. Go on the bullet and let the world know!
P.S. We don't owe him a thing. There are many who have sub 11 second cars that use NOTHING from him. Not one single bolt or piece of advice. If this is the way he treats customers, the only think he is owed is a big cactus shoved you know where.
Brian, you are not the only one who has had problems with those heads. Don't let it slide. They do more than "W" engines and I am sure many would be interested in your story. Go on the bullet and let the world know!
P.S. We don't owe him a thing. There are many who have sub 11 second cars that use NOTHING from him. Not one single bolt or piece of advice. If this is the way he treats customers, the only think he is owed is a big cactus shoved you know where.
Dan, I'm afraid my attempt at sarcasm failed. To be clear, I consider Brian to be a close personal friend,,, the Waldens? not so much. Having said that, I am surprised that Walden did not make some , at least minimal compensation. Maybe Rob will reappear here and clearify. After all, Rob said they build 75+ 409s per year,,, maybe he is just busy. His last post here was in May. If you re-visit old thread, I did apologize and Rob made a few posts afterwards so I don't think it is all my fault he has not visited here lately. We all know what those heads cost and the heads are useless without the intake manifold , so , the total cost is quite large. A company's integrity is directly tied to customer satisfaction. I will be shocked if Walden doesn't make Brian's problem right.
Ronnie, I completely got your sarcasm and agree with you for posting it. I was just saying to everyone that I thought we should wait and see what they did for Brian in this situation before we condemned them. I was HOPING that everyone who was bashing them before we heard from them.....would be wrong and that they would take care of Brian's engine. NOW: From what Brian said above....it looks like it is time to condemn away. Anyone who builds 75+ 409's a year (besides all the LS1 stuff they are involved in) should step up and take care of a problem that is obviously due to their product.
Although I have not met any of you in person, I consider ya'll to be friends and I'm proud to be a member of this group. There is not a better organization of car guys anywhere in my opinion. Ya'll treat everyone (who doesn't make an a$$ of themselves) like family. If I offended ANYONE on here I apologize as it was not my intention at all.
Also want to say sorry for cluttering up your thread with all this Brian. Hope you get it put back together and bulletproof!!