HEADS-UP Inept Shops

There are only a handful of proven and well-established go-to shops for Modular Engine services. Additionally, various second and third-tier shops offer attractions such as proximity and lower pricing, albeit with less top-tier experience and corresponding efficacy. Modular engines are both demanding and expensive to build, which means the guys who do it right are not going to be cheap or necessarily close by. I can count the number of this caliber of shop and builders on one hand with a few fingers missing. The shop at the top of my list is L&M Engines in Hatboro, PA ( lmengines.com ), and the man (literally) is Michael Rauscher. It simply does not get any better than Michael. Michael is as good as it gets! Is he cheap? — No! Is he good — no, he is excellent and then some. Will you be happy? I would not bet against that under any circumstance.

Your battle with your Florida service provider will quickly become expensive and potentially cause him to file a Chapter 11 or 7 bankruptcy before you can recover any compensation for damages. Right after that, he will just go down the street and reopen under a slightly different name and start the charade all over again. That's just the way it is with these small businesses. They do not have significant staying power and can fold up pretty easily, so even having a lawyer and a good argument on your side, they will typically leave you holding the bag. If I were you, I would gather up my stuff, call Michael, tell him what you want to do, ask for his help and participation, and put this experience behind you before it gets more expensive, but ... remember it for future events.

For your background knowledge, there are two types of Bankruptcy, Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a reorganization, and the entity continues. The Chapter 7 filing is different.

Here is the essence of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy;

• In Chapter 7, a bankruptcy trustee is appointed to take control of the debtor’s non-exempt assets, sell (liquidate) them, and distribute the proceeds to creditors.
• Most unsecured debts (like credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans) are then discharged (wiped out), giving the debtor a “fresh start.”
• Certain debts—such as child support, alimony, most taxes, and student loans (except in rare cases)—are not dischargeable.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy profiles as follows;

Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a form of bankruptcy under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code primarily used by businesses (though individuals can file in rare cases). It is often called a “reorganization bankruptcy.”

• Unlike Chapter 7 (liquidation), Chapter 11 allows a company to continue operating while restructuring its debts under court supervision.
• The debtor usually remains in control as a “debtor in possession” (DIP) but must follow strict reporting and oversight rules.
• The goal is to reorganize operations, renegotiate debts, and emerge financially stable.

Notice the words renegotiate debts. That means your claim, whatever it may amount to, will likely receive a substantial hair cut.

The process plays out like this;

• A Petition is Filed → Business (or creditors in some cases) in bankruptcy court.
• There is an Automatic Stay → Creditors must immediately stop collection, foreclosure, or lawsuits.
• Debtor in Possession (DIP) → The Owner/Management (usually one in the same) manages day-to-day operations but under court oversight.

At the end of the day, a typical settlement for creditors usually amounts to somewhere between 10¢ and 20¢ (at the high end) on the dollar. This is inadequate to cover your legal fees, which is why many creditors simply walk away or wait for whatever crumbs the court will dole out to the creditors.

In the end, the bottom line is to go to the proven shops for Modular engine builds and skip over the 'really good guy' your buddy just told you about, if you do not want to repeat this performance again. I recommend that you lick your wounds, treat this as a learning experience, and contact Michael Rauscher at L&M at (215) 675-8485.

Yep, I feel your pain. The days of taking parts across town to have it done and done right are pretty much gone. A lot of shops say they can do it to suck you in but fail in the end. My issues are well documented with Livernois and MPR bending me over for a bunch of $$$..

ks

Yeah this definitely sucks since this will be the fourth time this engine will come out because of the ARP studs and previous head gasket leaks even with Cometic head gaskets. I'm on board with what Ed says and bring it to L&M in PA. I got my Diamond, skirted and dome coated pistons from Michael and should have brought the whole engine there to have him build it. Lesson well learned at this point. Thanks guys-----

If it helps with the distance I had TKM in N.Carolina do my last block and they nailed the tolerances required for these motors.

No matter who does the work for you plan on tearing it apart and cleaning every single cavity with solvent and high pressure. Even if the shop assembles it I would take it all apart and clean and check it all then reassemble it. My parts were machined then I assembled them and I checked all the dimensions to make sure things were on target but I found a BUNCH of metal that would have killed the motor on startup that wasn't cleaned out good. Don't assume that the shop cleaned parts as good as you would have.

ks

Thanks Kevin-- will bear that in mind as my engine and Trans are destined to be removed here shortly again---