I am going to call them tomorrow and see what's up, if I assemble them I know all the clearances would be right, same with ring gaps and so on, if they offer a warranty at all I would be forced to let them assemble it.

Ok Dude I get it... so much for a friends recommendation.. 5 years of bulls**t ! totally turned me off offshore boating... lost mt ass on that boat Beware NEAL VANCE !!!

Tim, take it over to the Brookpark machine shop, you'll save so much more money because you won't be boating for two seasons......

this happens a lot around here does this tell us something

Yep such A fukking hack, I am tempted to drive there myself, Dave I am not upset with you at all, not your fault bud.

Man that would make me kill people too!

Yes, it's hard to trust anyone...

Just an fyi for folks following this thread, oil color has nothing to do with its condition, nor the engines. It tells you nothing. The only way to evaluate condition is through the use of a UOA(used oil analysis).

Also, it's not impossible to build a marine engine that will live if you are a DIY kinda person with the proper tools, knowledge, parts and patience. The notion that this is some kind of magical thing is absurd. If I didn't have the time to build my engine or whatever, I do know who would do it for me, MARK RINDA of MER.

Please don't misconstrue this as taking away from these very talented builders in the industry as that is not my aim at all. I just don't buy the scare tactics that get thrown around here sometimes regarding home built engines. And in closing I think we are beyond fortunate to have truly talented folks here like MER, Raylar and others who take time out of their busy day to provide invaluable knowledge to those of us who choose the DIY route. It's what makes this sport/hobby truly exceptional.

That was a little rough, maybe I shouldn't have posted that?

Things go wrong even when you pay people that supposedly do this for a living. Buddy had new NA 489's built this spring. One motor would never build oil temp. Builder blamed sticking oil thermostat. Nope. How about no valve or plug in the filter pad bypass. From dyno to about 5 hours of in boat run time one motor had nothing in that hole. Which is nice...