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  My Speedster has been in the capable hands of Special Edition these past 10 or so weeks having a Subaru Engine conversion done. During the shake down drives Carey has found the newly rebuilt Transaxle to be bad. It keeps popping out of 3rd gear. My first thought was to take delivery of the car with the transaxle as is and live with it until winter time and take the car back to have the bad transaxle switched out. I gave it some hard thought and decided to delay my gratification a bit longer and leave the car with Carey and wait for a new transaxle to be made. ( 2 weeks promised) That will hopefully have me getting my car sometime around the end of Oct.  It is hard to act like a grown up and wait, but I am certain it is the correct choice. If only we lived in a perfect world.

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We've all been there, Jim, and what you're doing is the right thing to do.  It's a big deal to pull the engine, then the transaxle, ship it or take it somewhere, get it back and re-install everything just as Carey had it.  Never having pulled/replaced a Subaru engine, I'm sure there's a lot more involved than pulling an aircooled so that's a consideration, too.

Carey's done this a lot - it's what they DO!  Let him make it right for you before it ships and you both will breathe a lot easier in the end.

I am patiently waiting and am glad I decided to wait to have this done right. I will have two transaxle (swing axle style) for sale. One is a rebuilt unit with stock gearing (500miles on it) the other is a 3.44 R&P pro street with a Super Diff. HD side cover and welded 3rd and 4th gear. It less than 50 miles on it and needs work. 3rd gear pops out during de-acceleration. I would entertain any reasonable offers.  Both transaxles are at Special Edition for the next few weeks.

UPDATE ON MY CONVERSION.

Carey informed me the new Rancho transaxle was shipped Friday and will arrive to Special Edition later this coming week. If all goes well I should be able to pick up my Car the week of the 15th. Rancho built the Pro-Suby transaxle in one week. The transaxle will be much better than what I was going to use. It is built with a new Rhino Case special for Subaru power band weddle gearing , super diff. HD Axles, chrome moly nut and dual heavy duty side plates . This is the transaxle that Special edition recommends to use with Subaru engines. It has a 3.88 R&P and .82 4th. Should cruise well in 4th. Carey is going to replace my  junk Scat drag shifter with a Vintage speed shifter.  One more week of waiting. Hopefully I will have some southern Indiana fall days of driving left this year. The hot water heat should help with the cool morning drives to work.

Transaxle still in transit. Didn't actually ship until Tuesday. Trucking website has an estimated arrival to Special Edition on Monday. The journey to have this conversion done has been an adventure. I joked with Carey about the longer my car is with him the more things I find to have him fix, upgrade, change or modify. I should have a very nice ride when finished. The latest change is having the amber colored front turn signal lights switched out for the clear type used on the Beck cars. Other than the Subaru engine conversion here are some of the things that have been done to my car while at Special Edition: Rear drum brakes converted to discs with 5 lug Porsche pattern rotors. Front rotors switched to 5 lug pattern. Heater core and blower assembly. Tachometer mover to the center location. Full tonneau  cover installed. Doors drilled and new side curtains installed. Rear butt sag defeating supports installed. New vintage speed shifter installed. Black rubber type dash knobs replaced with Beck white plastic knobs. Amber turn signal light assemblies switch to Beck style clear type. I am sure there are more things but I cant bring to mind now.

 Just passing the time while I wait for my Speedster to be finished....The  anticipation feels like Christmas when I was 5 but it keeps being postponed 2 weeks at a time.

UPDATE on my Subaru conversion saga. The newly build Rancho transaxle arrived to Special Edition yesterday late morning. Carey removed the engine and bad transaxle last night. He pulled the transaxle drain plug and it had all kinds of large shavings attached to it. The engine has been in and out during this conversion no less than 4 times maybe 5. I think Carey just whistles and it jumps out at this point...lol.. Kidding aside. My lesson learned on the transaxle is you usually get what you pay for. I bought a supposedly completely rebuilt  "Pro Street Freeway Flyer transaxle with a new 3.44 R&P Super Diff, Welded hubs 3rd and 4th and HD side covers from a Samba advertisement. The price with core charge was $1725.00. The supplier is a guy named Lenin Castillo. Beware if you ever see an ad from this guy. He is not reputable. The transaxle wouldn't stay in 3rd gear and has all types of junk in the gear oil after less then 100 miles of use. I contacted Lenin to return this for a refund. Guess how that went. Anyway, I now have a Rancho trans purpose built for the Subaru conversion all newly built using a rhino case. Carey should have my Speedster back together and running in the next day or so.  Thank you Carey and Mike for your hard work and dedication to doing the job right.  Hope to pick the Speedster up within the next week.

 

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Jimmy V. posted:

UPDATE on my Subaru conversion saga. The newly build Rancho transaxle arrived to Special Edition yesterday late morning. Carey removed the engine and bad transaxle last night. He pulled the transaxle drain plug and it had all kinds of large shavings attached to it. The engine has been in and out during this conversion no less than 4 times maybe 5. I think Carey just whistles and it jumps out at this point...lol.. Kidding aside. My lesson learned on the transaxle is you usually get what you pay for. I bought a supposedly completely rebuilt  "Pro Street Freeway Flyer transaxle with a new 3.44 R&P Super Diff, Welded hubs 3rd and 4th and HD side covers from a Samba advertisement. The price with core charge was $1725.00. The supplier is a guy named Lenin Castillo. Beware if you ever see an ad from this guy. He is not reputable. The transaxle wouldn't stay in 3rd gear and has all types of junk in the gear oil after less then 100 miles of use. I contacted Lenin to return this for a refund. Guess how that went. Anyway, I now have a Rancho trans purpose built for the Subaru conversion all newly built using a rhino case. Carey should have my Speedster back together and running in the next day or so.  Thank you Carey and Mike for your hard work and dedication to doing the job right.  Hope to pick the Speedster up within the next week.

 

I don't know if I'd agree with your statement, "......you usually get what you pay for.". You paid serious coin for what should have been a really nice transmission. I would tell Mr. Castillo a refund is in order or a small claims lawsuit will follow as well as complaints to the Better Business Bureau, especially if he is a member but I'm guessing he probably isn't. I'd also post an honest, but scathing, review on The Samba. The transaxle he built was put in the car by a more than competent shop and road tested; which failed miserably. Some form of recompense is in order.

Last edited by Robert M

I did all of the above. I informed him of the issue and asked for a full refund and I would return the transaxle. He refused. I could take him to small claims court and it will cost me more than it is worth. He is in California and I am in Indiana. I have been down this road before. I could get a judgment against a guy who will claim he has no money as well. Then all you have is a judgment.  I did send it in to the Judge Judy show website. Maybe I can get an all expense paid trip to Hollywood. Believe it or not I was on the Judge Joe Brown show about 8 years ago. I had a renter sue me and they asked if we wanted to go on the show. The show's like these actually pay whatever the judgment is so there is no risk that you can loose. You would think people wouldn't get so worked up when they do loose. The show was taped in a huge warehouse in Burbank and Judge Judy's set was right next to Judge Joe's. Both sets are really kind of dirty looking in person. The people in the audience are paid extras FYI..

 In the end the transaxle I need is one that is built by skilled professionals with quality parts. The new Rancho transaxle I have now and really need cost's $4500.00. That is a long way from $1725.00. So I indeed got what I paid for, a piece of crap transaxle built and sold by a crook who will not stand behind his work.  He did tell me to send it back to him for repair but wont pay the freight back or back to me. I have zero faith that after spending $350.00 in Freight costs to send it back that he will send back a reliable transaxle or send anything back at all. He would probably sell the junk transaxle to another sucker. I was worried about the quality after it took him over 6 weeks to ship when he promised 2 weeks. I placed a warning to not buy review on Samba.  His Samba user name is Lenincas

Last edited by Jimmy V.

Jimmy V, Sounds like you may have wandered down the legal road before, but I'll state a few reminders for anyone else that may encounter your circumstances.

When a contract is entered into, there may be two sites with jurisdiction, i.e., the county and state of each party to the contract.  That could be Monterey County, CA for the purchaser, and Cook County, IL for the seller.  That means that if one party decides to sue in small claims court, either county could have jurisdiction to file the claim in their small claims court.  In the example above, the buyer would sue in Monterey County, CA, while the seller would choose Cook County, IL.  The greater the distance between the two sites with jurisdiction, the less likely the other party will appear to defend the action.

In addition to the jurisdiction requirement, states have differing amounts for which relief can be sought.  You can reduce your claim to fall within the maximum allowable for the county/state of your jurisdiction.  For example, County X in Indiana may have a $5000 maximum amount for which a claimant can seek relief.  Even if you feel you are owed $5500, you can reduce the amount of restitution you seek to comply with the requirements of your jurisdiction.

Of course, if you do serve the respondent/debtor in his/her jurisdiction and they fail to appear, you will likely be given a default judgement. That default judgement can be perfected to a default with little effort.  Then the real work begins.  Most states in the US are parties to the Sister State Judgement Act, which allows an award from one state to be collected in another state.  There are, naturally, additional processes to do this. 

Then, once the default/debtor is served in his/her jurisdiction, they may still ignore the judgement.  There are additional procedures a claimant can make to collect, such as garnishment, liens, etc., which will affect the credit rating of a business and/or individual.

We all need to remember that we are the squares, the guys who mostly paint inside the lines.  Debtors are sometimes in a different category.  They are comfortable with others chasing them.  Many of them are judgement-proof, which basically means that a judgement isn't really worth much to someone who is determined not to pay.  The US gave up debtor's prison long ago.

I urge everyone to think long and hard prior to instituting any kind of legal action, irrespective of the honorable nature of your case.  The process is long, arduous, painful, and costly.  Righteous indignation can trap you in the briar patch.  For those courageous souls who insist on their day in court, most counties in every state have small claims advisors to help the layman avoid the minefield associated with litigation.  If not, your local law library is open to the public.  Another excellent legal source is Nolo Press, which publishes legal texts for laypeople on almost every legal subject.

Caveat: The above is not legal advice and some of the info may have changed in the last few years.  Do your own research from many sources, then proceed accordingly.

Last edited by Jim Kelly

In essence, Jim is saying "What is RIGHT and what is LAW are two infinitely separate universes". Litigation in these situations (interstate variances, assumption of collecting on a judgement from unscrupulous a$$-hat, time off from work, travel and court fees) is throwing good money after bad. I have a hunch that you already know this.

Glad you have a healthy perspective on this fiasco, Jimmy! Life is short. Here's wishing you many miles of top-down enjoyment in your re-powered Speedster, my brutha!

@Jimmy V. 

Jimmy V. posted:

Yes, I know when it is time to cut my losses and move on.  Who knows you may see me on Judge Judy LOL...

 Carey emailed this morning that I may be able to pick my car up Friday. That would be awesome. The 10 plus hour round trip isn't awesome. Indiana is a long state and we are as far apart as you can possible get and still be in the same state.

10 hrs? Jimmy you have a Subaru now.  Step on it😂

This sort of thing really gets me going. Been to sm. claims ct. several times. Collected money most of the time but not because of any special skills on my part.  Just on what is right and just.  I will be back in LA area in January. I could file the claim for you and go to court for you if you like. No charge. I just like to see these kind of people fry in their own greed or irresponsibility.  My guess is that you would have to send me a letter of some sort stating that I am representing you because of a financial hardship for you to be there yourself. In my experience it will probably take 2 trips to court. The second to get a judgment forcing him to pay you. It just irks me to see these jerks get away with this kind stunt.   let me know Jim.....................Bruce

PS. The shipping should be included as well.

 

 

What a wonderful offer Bruce. Let me know when you would need the info. from me. I just wonder if we would have trouble because I still have the transaxle. Would the judge rule that I should have sent it back for him to repair? I have no need for that now or have any faith in this guy's work or ethics. I believe he slapped a 3.44 R&P into a used trans and hoped for the best. If he even did that. I would need to ask Carey if the trans. drove like it had a 3.44 R&P, and get a letter from Carey describing the trans. issues. Would they accept a letter from Carey or would they say he needed to be there to testify in person ( which is not going to happen)?  PM me going forward Bruce.

Last edited by Jimmy V.
Jimmy V. posted:

Yes, I know when it is time to cut my losses and move on.  Who knows you may see me on Judge Judy LOL...

 Carey emailed this morning that I may be able to pick my car up Friday. That would be awesome. The 10 plus hour round trip isn't awesome. Indiana is a long state and we are as far apart as you can possible get and still be in the same state.

Yeah, I’m closer to Carey in Detroit than you are 😂

David Stroud posted:
Jimmy V. posted:

 

 . The 10 plus hour round trip isn't awesome. Indiana is a long state and we are as far apart as you can possible get and still be in the same state.

Phuck me ! Yer moaning about a 10 hour round trip. It took me a 5 hour flight and 12 days to drive mine home.  Sheesh....

But you WILL LOVE that Soob conversion and Carey will have done it right.

I am heading out in the morning to go get myKimber .45 & Money Fiberfab/Subaru Speedster. Carey has given it his blessing to go. They got the coolant system sorted out and drove it some, placed it back up on the lift and torqued and marked everything. The weather looks to be good ,so I will be on the road by 5am.  I will take pics of the pick up and a couple short videos if I remember.  Catch you all late tomorrow.  I had to crack open my piggy bank.. I asked Kevin if cash would be ok for the payment. LOL...( To all would be thieves, I have a lifetime concealed carry permit and a pocket cannon and I know how to use it..)

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Last edited by Jimmy V.

Jimmy V,

Carey is a Subi expert, but for your own peace of mind, you may want to Google "how to remove air from Subaru cooling system" or something similar.  There are a few basic ways that have proven successful, including a special funnel that elevates the inlet coolant height to well above the radiator. 

There are also several youtube videos that document the procedure. 

Stan Galat posted:

As a refrigeration guy, I’ve always wondered why they don’t draw a vacuum on the system and suck coolant in through a hose. 

Might be hard to do on the roadside with little equipment on hand ?  I have bleeders now on every high spot. The filler reservoir, the heater, the top of the water manifold and on each side of the rad hoses where they rise up to clear the front suspension cross tubes. Bleeders are only used on initial fill up. Bulletproof now. 

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  • Speedster cooling diagram with stat and Tom Shiels' adapter November 2014
Last edited by David Stroud IM Roadster D
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