They probably would get nothing at all frankly. Just as many of us got nothing from MSD when they went belly up. I still have a pile of that BK paperwork in my office...

Todd, Al thanks for your input. Actual info I was looking for. Sorry I ruffled your feathers Todd. This will be my last post. Maybe my PR perspective was a little too direct. But no info was being put out on number of blocks or where they were going. The guys that have waited for years after putting hard earned money out. Are very frustrated. After being lied to by Ken for so long. Then being assured of a block in a matter of weeks. That was six months ago. So please don't be angry at these guys. Just put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would feel. Its tough not to point fingers at some of the comments on here. But I won't because these derogatory posts would just continue.

Most of you think that a contract is a way to force someone to do what you want. That isn't exactly true. The purpose of a contract is to spell out what you expect and to enumerate the consequences should the contractor fail to meet the spec. There's a big difference between the two.

Thank God that some good people pooled their resources and kept the KB doors open. A simple filing of Chapter 7 bankruptcy would have erased any "owing" if blocks because there were probably some other groups that were first in line for any payback.
As I see it, besides the land there wasn't a whole lot of worth to be purchased. Every penny had to come from somewhere and the new owners are on the hook for it, with quite a bit of risk involved. As far as reducing the sale price by the amount of blocks "owed", it's a nice idea but when you're paying money for something that is practically worthless there's no way to reduce the cost. In my mind, they are producing those "owed" blocks for free. That's a pretty righteous thing to do. Why didn't they do them all first? Reasons are in Sasquatch's letter, plus there has to be some cash flow to pay the bills. No way around it.

For those who say they would have done it better, WHY DIDN'T YOU?
There was every indication that the enterprise was failing. If you have the business sense to take over other failing businesses, why did you let this opportunity pass by? So now you take shots at the people who put THEIR rear ends on the line. Bah!

To the new owners, Thanks for saving an important part of our history. I may never own a Keith Black block, but it is a good feeling to know that they are still being made. Dreams are necessary to our mental health.

R.

^^^^^ So true. Easy to be an arm chair quarterback.

I do have a dog in this fight. All I can say is, the lies continue, the poop is getting even deeper. Now for all the cheerleaders, why don't you send me $6000 dollars. I'm going to tell you that I'll pay you back in 3 months. What's your attitude going to be towards me four years later when I still haven't paid you back? I believe all you cheerleaders would have a very different attitude if the shoe was on your foot. Remember, Ken Black and his mother sold 40% of the company. Not all of it, so the new owners are partners, not completely new ownership. It's not a new company, just restructured through a change in management. That fact seams to keep getting covered up and forgotten. Basically a change in management and a influence of cash transpired. The number of armchair expert business men, and attorneys on here is very comical.

I'm kinda surprised anyone would get into a quagmire like this for less than controlling interest. Seems you are digging people out of a hole they dug and sullying your name with the aggrieved...for what exactly? Biz was dead in the water so should've been an easy negotiation.

I agree. This is NOT a new company period. It is the same company with some new partners and an influx of cash. Some of the new cash people had a vested interest in seeing the good promised delivered. Seems they have been taken care of in q much quicker order than those who have been waiting years in some cases. Not sure why some here seem to think that is fine and dandy but passed obligations well that's the past and we will get to it when we get to it. I'm all for them buying INTO the business and providing it with a much needed(apparently)influx of cash and maybe a bit of a new perspective. But the fact remains the obligations and people owed money are just that. Still owed monies for goods that have been paid for. Obligations which were there when they decided to put up their money to buy into an existing business.

As I stated earlier I wish KB and the new investors all the best. IMO this has been handled very poorly from a PR perspective for sure. People who put money in apparently have gotten some of their money back in short with new blocks, while others who have been waiting for extended periods of time are still waiting. I just don't see why many here see no problem with this, or at least the appearance of a problem. I also don't understand why there would be ANY secrecy regarding those who have already received blocks that were owed blocks. Seems to me I would be trumpeting those who have received the goods they paid for. After all according to what I am reading here they are owed nothing.....

Do you guys know how many people lose 10's of thousands of dollars everyday with NOTHING done about it. Businesses change their name daily to rob people of their money. I would like to see all the communications between the parties that are still waiting as communication is a lost art today. Slowly some of the people that were out thousands of dollars are getting their blocks. Last year we couldn't say that and we can only hope next year we will not be having this discussion. At least now there is HOPE. Would I be pissed??? Your dog-gone right I would be pissed. But hope goes a long way and touching it when it finally arrived would be far better than touching nothing.

Seems business as well as personal integrity is sorely lacking all over these days....

Yes it is but it also goes both ways. I used to try to port about 7-8 sets of heads over the Winter months. Friends and locals only as I didn't want to get into shipping heads so I would tell people drop them off the end of October asap and no cash was needed till picked up. i told them I started on my stuff late February so get it here. Guess when guys would text to see if I could do their work. If you guessed late March you are in the ballpark. Like I said I would like to hear BOTH sides of the story as some guys have a habit of changing their mind mid-stream multiple times.

Seems like it could have been laid out fairly plainly from early on.

One block to someone who is "owed" a block for every "x" number of blocks produced, with the back ordered blocks being delivered in order of those who paid first, get theirs first.
Once the production levels had become somewhat known(x number of finished blocks being delivered per month), then a schedule for filling the back orders could be established, along with projected delivery dates for each of the people waiting.
Then it's just a matter of letting them know when their block is projected to be done.

AS I say this was not handled well from a PR standpoint at all. I understand there was also a lack of good solid record keeping, or at least what I was told within KB itself which has muddled up things as well.

As for integrity goes with race car customers. I have not deal with very many that DONT wait til the last minute to get things done. Seems the norm more than the exception. And yes they change their minds often to be sure. I have been in the auto business most of my life and trust me I understand.

I probably shouldn't say anything since I don't know what is going on but my guess is that KB was a big mess. And if it was big mess on the mechanical side it was probably a big mess on the paperwork side also. It could be that the new team is having trouble even figuring out who paid for what and when.

I really doubt that KB ran a perfect set of books but a lousy manufacturing process. People just aren't that way. If their manufacturing is messy then their books are messy......

How do you know so well who has and who hasn't got their blocks in the order they were paid for?
When did you last sit down with either Ken, Darren ,or Tim?
I can tell you ,you may think you know what's going on but truly dont.
Not saying I do but I can tell you I have had talks with Tim on the subject. They are taking care of paid customers

You talk a lot of bull turds and do lots of ASSuming.

Maybe you should purchase or partner up on HP blocks and show the mopar world how it is done.
My understanding he owes lots of blocks to people and could use help like yours.
Can't wait to see how your PR skills work !!

Monitors, it's time to put an end to this thread!!!

We all have an opinion...I base mine on what I know about people who have been affected.

I agree it is probably a good place to end this but wont be by me as I am one involved. God forbid anyone accuses me of closing a topic I am involved in...

Lay with dogs, ya get fleas.

People just need to boycott KB until the company squares the books.

People that paid for block should go pick there new block up, there sitting, waiting.

The only people that the new KB owes any communication with is the people that have paid deposits for block. Verifying who ordered what, how much they paid and when is probably going to be an entirely different problem than producing a racing block and may even be more difficult.

Why close it?

At least some on both sides can feel better blowing off steam. Nobody's been insutled.

I'd be pissed too. But I have known since at least the late 1990's that KB was in the poop. So I didn't ever put my money, or a customers money into a situation like that. The folks who rolled the dice and hoped to not get burned and did also have some responsibility in this. You gambled.

Lemmy said "you win some you lose some it's all the same to me" and that seems to fit here. For all you who are not Motörhead fans that's from The Ace of Spades.

I doubt that the investors are as flush with cash as you think there are. So I suspect (as I have no skin in this game...I'm not a gambler) that they are making enough money to keep going and filling back orders when they can to keep from saying screw it and walking away. I personally wouldn't take garbage like this on the web too long before I said screw it and just walked away. So be thankful I didn't invest in KB. I'd have bought the tooling and let the rest of it rot.

In the end, the margins are very tight on this stuff. These aren't chevies we are talking about where they can sell 100 or more blocks a week. I'd be surprised if they sold 200 blocks a year unless they are selling to fuel teams.

Like I say...it could have been worse.

So you expect everyone to work for nothing, or worse yet, pay to work until the back orders are filled?

That just isn't how real life works. You force someone to work for nothing and most of us just won't do it.