Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

[Chris E.]

Ok, so I heard lots of good things about Vinny @ Pampered Corvettes for rebuilding my fan clutch. I called him and told him about my clutch. He agreed to do the work.

So, I packed it up with payment and a letter asking him to do a complete cosmetic and mechanical restoration on it.

I just got the box back and he wrote on there that he doesn't want to do business with people like me............

He instructed me not to call him, so.....I guess....I won't call?

He's reacting to the following directions I wrote in the letter:

"You'll note that this fan clutch has a date stamp on it. Please take care to not disturb or remove the date in any way. This is the one that came with my car from the factory."

He highlighted that section, and in all capitals wrote the following:

I DO NOT APPRECIATE WHAT YOU PUT IN THE HIGHLIGHTED AREA. I'M NOT SOME IDIOT THAT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING! I HAVE RESTORED OVER 300 OF THESE SO FAR. I KNOW MORE ABOUT FAN CLUTCHES THAN ANYONE OUT THERE! I WILL NOT DO ANYMORE FOR YOU! (editorial, this is the first clutch I have ever sent him) DON'T BOTHER CALLING ME. I DON'T NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU.

................................wow. I'm dumbfounded. I didn't figure that request I made about the date (with using "please") would cause such a dramatic response. Had I have known that, I wouldn't have put that in there, and just included the payment in the box with my contact info. I think had I done that, he'd be working on my fan clutch right now.

So now I'm stuck. I want to judge the car again at Joplin in April, and I hear that the only other source for fan clutches is Fred Oliva and he takes over a year. If there isn't another source for fan clutch rebuilding, I guess I'll have to give up this one point.

Thoughts?

Signed, a very puzzled North Central NCRS Chapter member.....

P.S. Vinny, if you're reading this, know this. All I wanted was for you to do (what it turns out) you do anyway. That is to say, take good care of an original part, restore it, and return it to the owner. Not all vendors do that by default. To convince yourself of that, read about any number of members who have had their engine blocks decked after specifically asking the vendor not to. I was ready to be another satisfied customer of yours, like you appear to have many of already. I guess I'll have to take my business elsewhere.

[Jim D.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Check lower right ad on page 107 of the latest Driveline.

Jim

[Chris E.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Thanks Jim.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Chris I have a "restored by machining and gluing", now leaking fan clutch, so I would be interested to see what you find out from this third source.

Given that, my 2 cents is that reply to you from source #2 was, well ouch!

[Jack H.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

The + one year backlog for Fred Oliva is 'old' skinney. The last chat I had with Fred, he was down to a 6-month backlog and continuing to make progress.

On why you 'wizzed off' your restorer, it's pretty clear to me. You nailed his feet to the floor and then asked him to walk around and jump through hoops!

How/why? Well, you told him to execute a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration but NOT to touch this/that. Sometimes, in order to do this/that aspect of a given job right, a part has to be replaced using an equivalent from a donor.

If the date you're referring to is that stamped on the flange of the clutch's drive shaft and the shaft is so badly worn that it can't be safely sleeved with a fresh bearing/seal (won't know until the clutch is disassembled and inspected), one alternative is to replace the shaft.

A good guy can either restamp the flange from a donor shaft (not all were dated), 'transplant' the lower portion of the shaft onto an unworn upper shaft, or 'transplant' just the flange. Bottom line, I think he heard you telling him how to do his job vs. what you expected from the finished product.

BTW, a count of 300 fan clutch restorations is a real drop in the bucket compared to the cumulative work of Fred Oliva and his father over the years...

[Dennis S.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Chris
Hard to believe how people are willing to blow off business. I received my clutch back from Fred last fall. Took 14 months and the bill was way more than I expected. I should have asked first. All I can say is that I wish that I had the knowledge, tools and materials to restore fan clutches. For a sideline business, talk about a captive audience and limited competition! I'm self-employed and both the downturn in the economy and increased competition have pretty much destroyed a 15 year career. Some people just don't realize how lucky they are to have any business at all.

[Robert B.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Chris,

I got my clutch fan for my '60 270 horse back in the mail today from Fred Oliva. Got it back in 6 months just as promised at the price he quoted when I first inquired. There were no surprises and I am pleased . Link to picture attached below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45221381@N00/5353575654/

[Russ S.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Chris I have a "restored by machining and gluing", now leaking fan clutch, so I would be interested to see what you find out from this third source.

Given that, my 2 cents is that reply to you from source #2 was, well ouch!

Ronald, Who rebuilt your leaking clutch? RS

[Chris E.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

On why you 'wizzed off' your restorer, it's pretty clear to me. You nailed his feet to the floor and then asked him to walk around and jump through hoops!

How/why? Well, you told him to execute a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration but NOT to touch this/that. Sometimes, in order to do this/that aspect of a given job right, a part has to be replaced using an equivalent from a donor.

If the date you're referring to is that stamped on the flange of the clutch's drive shaft and the shaft is so badly worn that it can't be safely sleeved with a fresh bearing/seal (won't know until the clutch is disassembled and inspected), one alternative is to replace the shaft.

A good guy can either restamp the flange from a donor shaft (not all were dated), 'transplant' the lower portion of the shaft onto an unworn upper shaft, or 'transplant' just the flange. Bottom line, I think he heard you telling him how to do his job vs. what you expected from the finished product.

BTW, a count of 300 fan clutch restorations is a real drop in the bucket compared to the cumulative work of Fred Oliva and his father over the years...

Ok, understood, now that you explain it to me. But, I didn't know any of that going in. Had I have known that, I would have asked more questions instead of (apparently) demanding something that was hard for him to do.

I think the response I got was in pretty poor taste.

[Scott S.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

On why you 'wizzed off' your restorer, it's pretty clear to me. You nailed his feet to the floor and then asked him to walk around and jump through hoops!

Hi Jack,

Why is the following NOT an acceptable request?
"You'll note that this fan clutch has a date stamp on it. Please take care to not disturb or remove the date in any way. This is the one that came with my car from the factory."

Doesn't nearly everything about this TDB revolve around the details of a correct restoration, thousands of "Do's" and thousands of "Don't Ever's"? A good portion of which emphasizes the importance of originality and correct dates and preservation of same, to the extent possible?

How/why? Well, you told him to execute a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration but NOT to touch this/that. Sometimes, in order to do this/that aspect of a given job right, a part has to be replaced using an equivalent from a donor... (edited portion out for sake of continuity of point) ...Bottom line, I think he heard you telling him how to do his job vs. what you expected from the finished product.

Can someone please explain how a person can properly instruct someone not to destroy one of the primary reasons for restoring your part in the first place (i.e., the originality of the part, verified by the date), during the process of restoring or rebuilding it (from an engine pad to a fan clutch and anything in between)? How do you do that in such a way that nobody gets offended? Because I see this admonition frequently, that you don't EVER want to tell (for example, an engine builder) how to do his job, yet if we DON'T take care to give very specific instructions, when disaster strikes, there are well-intentioned people on this Board who will be quick (and correct) to point out "You should have specified this" or "it's your job to manage your engine rebuild" or "you need to take responsibility for making yourself clear", etc., etc. How does a person do that, exactly, without running afoul of being perceived as "telling him how to do his job"?

[Domenic T.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Hey ,
I don't care what any one says about what I am about to say BUT how can that guy treat a customer like that? There was a better way to handle that and he proved to be somewhat of what he said he wasn't.

He could have said that he needed to look at it first and then given a decent reply.
I think and KNOW that you had a reasonable request, especially for one that is having it done the first time.
If his work is the same as his business ethics I think you are probably better off.
I wonder if he has any requests when he orders food or go's to a doctor and lets the doc do what he pleases.

I had a history of getting things back all screwed up because they said "you didn't tell me that when you sent it". Now I do everything in my shop with very few exceptions, and yes, I do tell myself how I want it done also.
Fan clutches would be a good business to get into.

DOM

[Ronald L.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Russ,

I avoided that detail in the initial post in this public forum. Send me an email and we can talk.

[Scott S.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Chris, You are a gentleman, we sat together with your Dad
(the original owner of the '67) at the Heartland Regional last year.
I hope that my tire tub customers and are treated in a fair and
professional manner.
All the best, CU in Novi.
Scott

[Mark D.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Hey Scott,

If you would restore my C3 tub, I would be able to give you an opinion on that.

Mark

[Pat M.]

Re: Fan clutch rebuild - suggestions on a THIRD source?

Chris, I think your polite request was perfectly reasonable, and I think the rebuilder's rude response was totally uncalled for.