If i did send it to them they would find something to charge me for and if i dont pay they got the engine...thats what i have to lose. And i dont know if what they repair would be the right way.

X2
Seen this happen with cars and bikes for 50 years.
Not addressing MM specifically, but in the past once a shop has the engine back, the clock stops - it won't get any work unless they stop booking new work - the same reason it didn't get done on time. They'll find something wrong that's your fault and you have to ransom the engine back.

I noticed that MM's remarks didn't address all the issues you raised - like 150 psi at 12:1 CR...

It's a shame that bad news travel so fast when there are so many variables in performance motors. I would buy it and have it fixed if I didn't have so many motors already. I have a hemi built by Muscle motor and a wedge built by Best machine and a couple of others that are all good motors. Things can happen to any of these motor due to the variables. Most the time with any of these reputable builder they are fine when the leave. I would sure HATE to be a builder and have somebody put a motor in their car with the issues that can arise like oil, filter, timing, fuel, fuel systems, crank thrust from spacing the convertor wrong and so on!

Guess the point is the motor had less oil pressure than you think it should have, but was that something talked about during the build? I agree I might want a bit more but that does not mean necessarily it is bad. I do agree the valve issue certainly needs fixing, should not have happened but perhaps it is something that got overlooked, or could be a parts issue. Assuming you have not had it torn down to determine the exact cause of course, as I did not see that it had been. But you yourself admit you have not run it at all much really, and while we can all speculate and be skeptical about the power numbers is made you do not have anything to show different. Just trying to play a little devils advocate here..

All I want is for Mr. Edwards to be enjoying his car. That being said, you don't buy something from Home Depot, have an issue and take it to Lowes to have it fixed and send Home Depot the bill. Obviously We are under a micro scope and it is in our best interest to bring this situation to a speedy conclusion. For the record: I, Michael Ware, owner of Muscle Motors will bring the engine back here, replace the bent valve, verify and adjust guide clearance if necessary.

I suspect that the lifters may have excessive clearance causieng the low oil pressure at idle. We will completely disassemble the engine and using a BHJ fixture install lifter bushings and hone for correct sizing again no charge. Mr Edwards also wanted a different type of retainer, We will change those at no cost to Mr Edwards. We will then have the engine shipped back to Mr Edwards and we will absorb the shipping charges. I believe this a fair and amicable offer.

At a boy Mike !
Tell Eric thanks for the service last week on pushrods springs and oil pump !

Sounds fair.

I have no dog in this fight at all but I don't know what else Mike and MM can do to try and make this right honestly.

Yep, that offer is more then fair and should be taken up. Great offer Mike. Don't know what else you can do. Mr Edwards, Id take it if I were you.

More than fair.

More than fair offer. Just do it and get on with enjoying your engine.

I definately sympathize with the OP feeling uncomfortable with sending the motor back to someone who displayed shoddy workmanship and created the problem in the first place.
It's always much more respectable to do the right thing the first time, until having to when peer pressure forces your hand.
Kinda like having a dentist appointment to get a tooth pulled that is bad and they pull the wrong one, novocaine wears off at home and you notice you still have the toothache......
You probably go to another dentist next time.

Now that is what I call standing up. Way to go Mike. If the op doesn't take that offer, hate to say it, he is an a-hole.

I agree plus your not talking about a couple bucks here. That is a lot of money in my book for it not to be done correctly the first time. Trust is a major issue here from what I see.

well they did a predator head motor for me that couldn't fall out of a tree. the back yard mechanic of me tore it down and found the valves hitting the pistons and the pistons hitting the head. after alot of help from boat racer I had some one else notch the pistons and cutting them for clearance on the head. put it back together myself and it picked up 6 miles an hour in the 1/8. mike offered for me to send it back but after everything I had been through just to get it hell no they had there chance. I had bought a ton of stuff through them before this.

I know what ur sayin. Not makin excuses, everyone makes mistakes. I bet engine builders on this site make mistakes too. The main thing is makin it right. I have been building Allison transmissions for 17 yrs & sometimes catch myself goofing up. Chit happens.

There is not an engine builder alive, that hasn't at one time or another, let something slip through the cracks........... So let them fix it for free and move on, or don't, then take a huge loss parting it out, or PAY someone else to fix it. Seems to be your choices. I think I would try the FREE one first.

Stuff happens. I built a motor for a member on this board. Took me WAY too long to get it done, but when it was, I ran it on the dyno and it make good power, was sealed up good, made good vacumn, no blowby. He gets it in the car, makes a few passes and it is oiling a plug....BAD. Checks the usual things, so we narrow it to the rings. I send him some rings for that hole, puts it back together, no change. Now by this time, he is pretty darned upset with me. I offered to have it shipped down at my cost and have a look, but he elects to have somebody else look at it. I tell him, if it is something I did wrong, we will TALK about the bill, but I won't guarantee anything...........Well turns out the head developed a crack where it was ported so thin, by another VERY well known and VERY respected Mopar guy on a previous build and was oiling the cylinder. So as I said, ANYTHING can happen to ANYBODY.

Money no object.... I "might" consider taking it somewhere else, but reading the post from Mike, I'd send it back his way. Two things he has to gain: you being happy, and him showing MM customer service. I'm betting there will be very well documented data before it leaves there. I would have been ecstatic if that old small block mopar "guru" would have addressed my leaky ported W5 head after the second time it leaked when he "repaired" it. He77, I didn't even lay blame as I knew/heard all the prospective issues on those heads..... but suddenly I couldn't get ahold of him anymore and no calls ever returned. Hope you give them a shot.

....and when I sold 30 years of mopar crap to subsidize my R3/W8 build, I was very comfortable with putting it in hands that had previous experience with those pieces. I certainly wasn't there to reinvent the wheel.

Mike, Im very apprehensive about this but I will give your offer some thought. If you bush lifter bores it will also require diff pushrods without restricters. I would also like to know how you will address the low cylinder pressure issue. My thinking is to spec out a custom cam. I've used Scott Brown before and know he's really good at pump gas cams.

No worse than selling someone a car that is not 100% to their expectations. You offer for them to bring it back so you can determine what the issues are and they have already decided the trust is not there.

I'm not sure why you seem so concerned about the cylinder pressure issue. Not sure where you think it needs to be, but this is a big motor, with a very efficient head, that is going to run on pump gas. Lots of pumping pounds will NOT be your friend