For a newbie I certainly have my issues. My last post I stated that I had a dead battery. Spoke to the mechanic earlier today for a progress report, he stated that the alternator is NOT supplying enough charge for the battery. He said I have a wiring issue.

I figured I had some sort of wiring issue because the passenger side power window does not work, the drivers side does not go all the way up and the horn does not work.

I have not worked on cars for 30 years, I am totally ignorant as far as this goes. The car is a 64 resto-mod with a new 427 hi performance GM motor.

I purchased this car from a reputable classic car dealer in NC. I know I purchased it "as is", so I just want to be "schooled" in what to be aware of.
This dealer road tested my car for about 40+ miles and I know he could not have missed some of the issues I have had so far. But again I just want to know from the experts out there, what could be causing the lack of a full charge besides a bad alternator.

And as far as the FAST EFI, I do not think he has diagnosed that problem yet.

 

Could be really bad hack job of spicing wires like a rats nest. You might be better of rewiring the whole car and start fresh.

 

If not a new harness then you (or somebody) will have to spend time chasing down individual circuits and wiring and that could be challenging on a restomod. I went through this scenario with a '67 Chevelle I sold last year. Every time I turned around a different wiring gremlin cropped up. First thing though I'd take a real hard look at the fuse panel and make dang sure you don't have rusty spring clips, etc. that hold the fuses. Some folks never replace those and it can cause a multitude of problems. Also its always a good idea to make sure the two large bulkhead electrical connectors near the master cylinder are clean and tight.

 

Thanks for the info. It was my understanding that the car was re-wired. I will talk to the mechanic today.

 

Just got back from a visit with my mechanic. There is NO harness to the alternator. So much for thinking that the car was re-wired! Also, my steering column is loose, it is loose because if it was tightened it will hit the headers.

The large classic car dealer I bought the car from said "we thoroughly check every car before we buy it AND when it goes out the door to the customer".

Let"s see how thorough they were: Car bottoms out, no power windows, no horn, no harness to alternator, steering column loose, car stalling. And mechanic needs to correct the wire/alternator problem before he looks at EFI and my A/C.

It appears to me that the dealer was just a little dishonest. I understand it is a "buyer beware" world. I also understand that is a used car and I was prepared to sink more money into the car but I can't stand dishonest people.

Well, I just received a return phone call from the dealer. It was a pleasant conversation and he seemed really concerned. Told him the issues I know about so far. I was on the phone for about 25 minutes and he really "seemed" to want some kind of resolution. He stressed that it was a new build and there might be issues, especially with the EFI because I am at "sea level and the dealer is over 550 above sea level". It was all going good til the end when he told me that they "knew that the horn did not work but I never questioned them so they did not say anything". Now I am convinced that they knew about these other issues and sold me the car anyway! So much for personal integrity!

 

How does being at sea level effect EFI? Last I checked the ECM updates the fuel/ air ratio over a 100 times a min.

 

I don't know either but this is why he told me the EFI was probably not working properly.

 

Wow - between you and the Utah guy that turned his '61 purchase back in I remind all "Buyer Beware"!

 

Yeah, I certainly let my guard down. But I figured this was a reputable dealer and car was a 6 figure car. I believed all their "fluff" about their high standards. They told me that some trade-ins they take are not worthy so they sell them to a different dealer down the road.

No one to blame but myself. I figured I would put more $ into car but not sure I want to see bill from my mechanic: ack:

 

Well - you'll have to spend some bucks but it doesn't sound like anything insurmountable. Both my '61 and '63, as nice as they were when I bought them, still had me going for the first few months of ownership. Both cars had sat for several years and needed things that I, fortunately, can do myself.

 

All too common when a conflict of interest (money changing hands) is involved. They tell you what you want to hear while conveniently leaving out other details you should know about, unless pressed. Due diligence and an objective mindset goes a long way when dealing with others we don't know. It's easy to be too trusting of others. I have certainly done it, and got burned along the way. Mistakes end up costing us.

If you can do some or most of the work on your own that might be required to get the car where it needs to be, that will at least limit some of the damage.

 

Please share some pictures of your new car.

 

And also please share the details of the classic car dealer (if they are not a CF vendor). Maybe it will save a future buyer who does a search on the dealers name on the internet.

How long ago did you buy it? Maybe talk to the salesguy (even though it was as-is) and let him know you're a little unsatisfied that they thoroughly check each vehicle, which appears to be a flat out lie and see if they can help fix some things they should've fixed in the first place. If they decline, just say no problem, I'll blog my buying experience with your dealership so others can be informed.

 

[ ***+*spoiler][/spoiler].

 

This is a picture of my car. I will need to take more when I get car back. For some reason I could not download other pictures I took. I am not too computer literate. Sorry.

 

[QUOTE=bluestreak63;1586462509]

And also please share the details of the classic car dealer (if they are not a CF vendor). Maybe it will save a future buyer who does a search on the dealers name on the internet.

How long ago did you buy it? Maybe talk to the salesguy (even though it was as-is) and let him know you're a little unsatisfied that they thoroughly check each vehicle, which appears to be a flat out lie and see if they can help fix some things they should've fixed in the first place. If they decline, just say no problem, I'll blog my buying experience with your dealership so others can be informed.[/QUOTE



I took delivery last Friday, it was apparent immediately that the car was stalling and bottoming out. I was not too concerned, a little research about coil-over shocks, fixed that problem. Stalling, I figured I would take it to my mechanic and let him go over the whole car anyway. But the list started to grow and when I was shown how the steering shaft was loose and why, I started to get pissed.

I bought the car from RK Motors in Charlotte (as far as I could see, that are not a listed vendor). If listing their name is a violation of the board rules feel free to delete.

I did speak with the dealer yesterday, as stated, "seemed" to want a resolution. But the final minutes of the conversation really summed up their attitude. When he threw in the "well you bought the car as is", I knew nothing would get resolved. He also stated that he "knew the horn did not work but I did not say anything" so they did nothing. After that statement I am convinced that they knew about all the issues. How could they not?

I understand I bought the car "as is" but for them to sell anyone a car with a known safety issue (steering column) is wrong. I am sure they would not sell a car with a safety issue like that to a member of their own family.

At this point it is not about the money, luckily I have the funds to repair my car. I am just glad I did not buy a more expensive car that I had my eye on .

The dealer did take my mechanics phone #. He said they would call him and can supply the parts needed to repair car. Lets see if they "man up" and do the right thing and supply all the parts at no cost. I will keep you posted.

 

I sure hate hearing these stories; more ammunition than ever for thorough car inspections; before I knew much about Chevys in general (I was a Ford guy) and Corvettes in particular I paid for two professional inspections:

1) A '61 Corvette in Ft. Lauderdale, and,
2) A '69 Z-28 Camaro in Sarasota

In both cases the inspections were several hundred dollars and, in both cases, there was enough wrong with the cars that I passed on the purchases (and felt I got full value from the inspection cost).

In buying my '61 and '63 Corvettes I personally took airplane flights to So. Carolina and Ohio respectively and examined the cars myself. The inspections took several hours including 'rack time' underneath the cars and extensive test drives along with proctological examines of frame/birdccage with my gooseneck inspection camera.

All of the cars' systems were exercised and functionality verified - all significant part numbers were checked for correctness and against the VIN where possible.

Did I miss some things ? Well of course, was any of it major? Not really. Generally, all stuff I could do myself in the garage and actually enjoyed doing.

Point is, I didn't completely buy off on any of the seller's claims be they a dealer, or private individual - in the case of the '63 I actually knew the owner -- but business is business.

 

This must be it
http://www.rkmotorscharlotte.com/sal...tingray/134162

 

62Jeff. Yes, that is the one. Are you familiar with it?

 

No I am not, but thought if we could get a link to the for-sale listing the membership could have a better appreciation for what the car is. By all appearances it's a high caliber build but it sounds like it wasn't fully sorted out before being sold (or put on consignment) with that dealer.