DaveP

Rule #1 - You never judge a book by it's cover.

Sterling was the king of horsepower for many years while Mercury was sitting on the sidelines figuring out what they wanted to build?

Go to Outerlimits today and look inside the engine compartments. 80% of the powerplants are MERCURY RACING.

Why? The have the deepest pockets, have done the most research and their stuff LASTS!!!!! Plus, if it doesn't last and it is under warranty they can have a new complete motor shipped to you in 48hrs.

There is definately a place in the world for all builders: Sterling, Gellner, Cobra, KE, ZUL, JC PERF etc.... and many of them do very good work but none of them can stand behind their products like Mercury Racing can.

Lucididee

Yup yup! It's amazing how people are impressed but what a shop looks like. Just cause it looks all pretty does not mean a darn thing.

Personally, if the shop looks toooooo pretty, I wouldn't be impressed.


YO GELLNER!!!!!!!!!!! When will you be here? I need to fit you in my sch'd. I'm a busy person these days.

Racegirl3

Hey you know what ... Ive been to Gellners shop and it SMELLS great. Smells like lots of horse power to me I mean ... if we can judge it on looks, we can judge it on smell too right?

Panther

Nothing like the smell of race fuel in the morning!!!!

My first time to Zul's shop I thought he had a squeeky fan running in the back of the shop......but it was a PSI blower, then they spooled up the 1300 hp motor that was on the dyno and I smelled the race fuel and nearly busted my ear drums!!!...

fantastixvoyage

iTrader: (1)

I can't completely agree with everything here. Personally I feel a clean shop is a representation of how the motors will be built...with care and cleanliness. One of the main things I learned at Sterling is for a motor to last you must capitalize on the basics and that begins with clean parts and assembly!!! Hell, brand new parts got washed 3 times before they saw the insides of a Sterling motor and all cleaning was done on the opposite end of the building than assembly.

The two guys that are at Champion are two of the best in the biz. Ed Michael was one of the orginals there with 10 years as head engine builder at Sterling and was manager over blower and N/A projects. Joe Soller was a lead engine builder at Sterling then moved on to Ilmor Engineering where he was instrumental in the V10 marine project as well as the Busch program and several other projects. He also owned and operated Soller Racing Engines. Together they have joined forces, purchased some of the newest and best equipment out there and are open for business. Check 'em out here: http://www.champion-performance.com/default.htm

Racegirl3

Well now see .... Ive been to Gellners shop so I know its reasonably clean and organized so I didnt get that that was what Jigsaw was referring too .... but maybe thats what he meant ... dont know since he didnt clarify

Panther

You can have a clean shop whether there's bling or not... Personally, I think a nice shiney floor is a hazard, even if there's silica embedded in the paint... It's great for a show room but working every day....get a little oil on the floor and you're going for a ride and possibly a broken hip/leg/neck...

IMHO, cleanliness is one thing, bling is another....

Lucididee

Jeeez, all I meant was just cause of what a shop looks like does not mean you should go ahead and single out the "other guy" and put him down and imply that his work may be inferior. Seems like an alterior motive.

My Bro has 1 guy at his Marina that has Sterling, and no issues. And there are 2 NJPPC members have had their motors done by Gellner, and no issues. Both are pretty darn good at what they do.

RumRunner

Actually even though there a pain to keep clean the lighter color floors can actually be better for most shops for multiple reasons.
- Easier to see when something has spilled...
- Increases the visibility in the shop exponentially since the light reflects off of the lighter floor colors...
- Brighter place becomes a happier work environment...

Pain in the butt to deal with though. We wind up having to redo the floors a 3 to 4 times per year which isn't even enough.

As far as judging a place by it's appearance Dean and Sam build some of the best pieces around.

Panther

The old shop I worked in we painted the floor OSHA grey and used OSHA yellow with silica embedded in danger areas. I can't count the number of times I almost slipped and fell on my azz. When the floor was dry it was fine but as soon as something spilled, and lord knows that's bound to happen, it became a big hazzard.

Later on down the road, to get rid of shadows I installed flourecent lights on the wall in my end of the shop. Talk about a well lit room!

Less nail polish please! I guess it's just a matter of personal preference.