Opti doctor
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,197
Likes: 1,321
From: LeClaire Iowa
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 4,648
Likes: 1,059
From: N.E. Ohio OH
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
I sent an email to Brad (I have his personal email, I don't share it). Brad has a lot going on in his life right now and having dealt with some dipsh***ts that tried to blame their car issues on him, he decided that for the foreseeable future, he is not interested in reviving his business. He said maybe, I repeat maybe, he might after he retires from his day job he might start up again, but it is iffy.
He didn't say whether the jerks were from eBay or from CF, but you could tell that there was a really bad taste in his mouth and he doesn't want to deal with it again.
You know how people are. Especially when they are throwing parts at a problem and the $600.00 rebuild doesn't cure the issue and they want to blame Brad for not rebuilding the Opti correctly. Blame it on your fellow (whether eBay of CF) C4 Corvette owners or the other PUDS that own the other types of cars with LT1 engines in them. So let's say, blame it on LT1 engine owners.
So Petris Enterprises is probably the best bet. Or
http://www.torqhead.com/index.html
However, do not throw away the OEM units, as you never know and you never know what you can accomplish with them yourself.
Back when he was solidly in business, I bought one from him just to keep on the shelf. If I ever get enough $$$ to go the Torquehead route, I will sell at least the extra one.
He didn't say whether the jerks were from eBay or from CF, but you could tell that there was a really bad taste in his mouth and he doesn't want to deal with it again.
You know how people are. Especially when they are throwing parts at a problem and the $600.00 rebuild doesn't cure the issue and they want to blame Brad for not rebuilding the Opti correctly. Blame it on your fellow (whether eBay of CF) C4 Corvette owners or the other PUDS that own the other types of cars with LT1 engines in them. So let's say, blame it on LT1 engine owners.
So Petris Enterprises is probably the best bet. Or
http://www.torqhead.com/index.html
However, do not throw away the OEM units, as you never know and you never know what you can accomplish with them yourself.
Back when he was solidly in business, I bought one from him just to keep on the shelf. If I ever get enough $$$ to go the Torquehead route, I will sell at least the extra one.
Last edited by drcook; Jun 2, 2023 at 08:30 AM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,199
Likes: 449
From: NJ
That is really unfortunate to hear. Businesses like this get started on the basis of a true passion for these cars and a certain skill set that’s developed from having the guts to dive in to something others fear. Someone in his position can’t be held responsible or even expected to assist with diagnosing someone’s car. You want the opti rebuilt, you pay for the service and that’s it, period. If a rebuilt and I’m sure quality tested unit doesn’t fix the car it’s certainly not his fault. I am by no means an diagnostic expert on these cars but if I were having an issue, I’d make damn sure the opti was the problem before throwing $600 at it.
Anyway, I’m not currently having an issue that I can directly attribute to the opti, but I will have the opti out and timing cover off to do a complete reseal. So my opinion is that I MAY want to start at zero with the opti instead of 73k miles and take it apart once. I really like doing things once. This is a big job for me and my time is limited. So to have a failure occur and have to do another tear down doesn’t make any sense to me. I’d like to at least be able to talk to him to see exactly what I should look for and some preventative maintenance stuff I can do if I choose to just reinstall it. I know I should probably clean it, listen to the bearings and check for shaft play (how much play I do not know), install a high quality cap and rotor, check the vent system for function and cracks in the vacuum lines. Loctite the rotor bolts. I might just replace the vent system with a new one or see if I can mock one up myself. That’s about all I know. It would be nice to hear from an expert.
Anyway, I’m not currently having an issue that I can directly attribute to the opti, but I will have the opti out and timing cover off to do a complete reseal. So my opinion is that I MAY want to start at zero with the opti instead of 73k miles and take it apart once. I really like doing things once. This is a big job for me and my time is limited. So to have a failure occur and have to do another tear down doesn’t make any sense to me. I’d like to at least be able to talk to him to see exactly what I should look for and some preventative maintenance stuff I can do if I choose to just reinstall it. I know I should probably clean it, listen to the bearings and check for shaft play (how much play I do not know), install a high quality cap and rotor, check the vent system for function and cracks in the vacuum lines. Loctite the rotor bolts. I might just replace the vent system with a new one or see if I can mock one up myself. That’s about all I know. It would be nice to hear from an expert.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,024
Likes: 363
From: Central Alabama
That is really unfortunate to hear. Businesses like this get started on the basis of a true passion for these cars and a certain skill set that’s developed from having the guts to dive in to something others fear. Someone in his position can’t be held responsible or even expected to assist with diagnosing someone’s car. You want the opti rebuilt, you pay for the service and that’s it, period. If a rebuilt and I’m sure quality tested unit doesn’t fix the car it’s certainly not his fault. I am by no means an diagnostic expert on these cars but if I were having an issue, I’d make damn sure the opti was the problem before throwing $600 at it.
Anyway, I’m not currently having an issue that I can directly attribute to the opti, but I will have the opti out and timing cover off to do a complete reseal. So my opinion is that I MAY want to start at zero with the opti instead of 73k miles and take it apart once. I really like doing things once. This is a big job for me and my time is limited. So to have a failure occur and have to do another tear down doesn’t make any sense to me. I’d like to at least be able to talk to him to see exactly what I should look for and some preventative maintenance stuff I can do if I choose to just reinstall it. I know I should probably clean it, listen to the bearings and check for shaft play (how much play I do not know), install a high quality cap and rotor, check the vent system for function and cracks in the vacuum lines. Loctite the rotor bolts. I might just replace the vent system with a new one or see if I can mock one up myself. That’s about all I know. It would be nice to hear from an expert.
Anyway, I’m not currently having an issue that I can directly attribute to the opti, but I will have the opti out and timing cover off to do a complete reseal. So my opinion is that I MAY want to start at zero with the opti instead of 73k miles and take it apart once. I really like doing things once. This is a big job for me and my time is limited. So to have a failure occur and have to do another tear down doesn’t make any sense to me. I’d like to at least be able to talk to him to see exactly what I should look for and some preventative maintenance stuff I can do if I choose to just reinstall it. I know I should probably clean it, listen to the bearings and check for shaft play (how much play I do not know), install a high quality cap and rotor, check the vent system for function and cracks in the vacuum lines. Loctite the rotor bolts. I might just replace the vent system with a new one or see if I can mock one up myself. That’s about all I know. It would be nice to hear from an expert.
