“with the K-series, the clutch bearing was a freak sudden failure and the big ends was probably due to oil on minimum, high G bend in Zandvoort and no baffled sump”
Thanks Mark … now I can sleep … phew !!
“AS I said I don’t believe a word you say anymore DVA…”
That’s a nice convenient way to ignore the facts you dont like Simon, rather than running away for 3 months.
But frankly Simon, I’m past caring…
And for the record the feeling is mutual…
And again for the record there are an awful lot of people that you deal with professionally who feel exactly the same about you.
I neither need, nor seek your approval.
But I will of courses respond in a sensible way to genuine questions from interested parties.
Dave
By saying certain …I certainly don’t want to see anyone racing on a trackday!
Excellent point, very well made.
D’OH ! Beat me to it.
D’OH ! Beat me to it.
Just proves there’s life in the old dog yet
Despite all your invective Simon, the measurements relate to the Goetze liners I have here. I dont actually have any GKN liners so to have any measured would be impossible.
You mention Simon Thornley, he was only here last week arranging for some head work and bottom end work for his next engine which by all accounts should be very interesting. Funny that he should come to me given your mention of his views.
I’ll have a chat with him and get his real views. I don’t think he thinks my head work is poor… having won his championship with one. However he certainly expressed some strong views about you while he was here including some from your claimed ‘contacts’.
I also had a good chat with Paul Ivey, his view of your conversation was rather different from yours. He also expressed some strong views about you, but asked me to keep him out of it which I will so do. As far as he is concerned all he knows about me is that I buy his valves and am a good customer who pays well, why would he know any more than that?
Don’t know who Ian Arnold is nor why he would know anyhting about me.
I will be talking to Fred Hadley next week and will canvas him for his views.
However whether those persons you mention view me as an engine builder is of little concern really…
You say you have 6 heads there which are poor? I have worked on over 300 K series heads Simon and many are atop some of the most powerful K series engines, some of them championship winning (and tunerGP winning) engines. I have many, many , many, many satisfied customers who are delighted with both their engines and heads and most of my work comes from recommendations from satisfied customers. There can be no better barometer than that.
Incicentally you did the majority of the porting work on Mark’s head. And on quite a few heads some of which you butchered, a couple to the point of making holes through to waterways… ho-hum…
AFAIK engines and heads prepared by me hold the K power records at Emerald for 1700, 1800 and 1900cc. If I realy was such a bodger do you think that it would be so?
I have a long, long, long, list of very happy customers who have my cylinderheads or conversions, sure one or two are bound to end up in grief due to all sorts of circumstances. But statistically speaking 6 heads is pretty insignificant.
I have also seen many heads waved at me that claim to be done by me, most are just people who have followed my instructions on my website and called them ‘DVA’ heads and then flogged them.
I do a few quick and dirty ports for people who dont want to pay a lot but want most of the results. I have to admit that these dont get the 100% care and attention to detail of the more expensive ones and are done to a price. But then you get what you pay for.
There are many people out there who use the Scholar conversion, not just me. I will be talking with Scholar about your comments and seeing what they have to say, similarly I will talking with AE about the liners once I have seen the liners you are going on about. Until I have I will reserve judgement. Perhaps they can comment on the ‘Naan bread’ vs ‘Sauerkraut’ liners. In the meantime if you have measurements from your Scholar engines and AE liners the sensible and productive thing to do would be to take them up with the manufacturers rather than playing the blame card.
You say that ‘I blame K’ … not true Simon.
In truth Simon I have always defended you when faced with criticisms about you and your attitude/activities, expalining that your motives were good. However as ever, you push things too far. I recently heard you described by a well known K series figure as a Kn*bshiner, I’m beginning to think that it might be an accurate description.
Dave
Simon,
Just as an aside.
If your stated aim to to change working practices then you are going about it the wrong way. Surely the most sensible thing to do is to get the offending liners/blocks to me and I will have them professionally measured. The results will then be compared and if they are found wanting then I will take it up with the suppliers (God knows how many times I have to repeat this).
The AE liners I have here are virtually dimensionally identical to the Rover OE ones I also have here which is why I find all your comments about poor quality control and dimensional innacuracy as yet unproven.
If you have ones which are as bad as you (keep on) saying then let’s see them and measure them. If they are as bad as you say and can be proven to be consistently worse than the Goetze liners then I for one don’t want to use them.
Similarly with the Scholar stuff, lets see it and measure it, if it is as bad as you say then you will have an ally in putting it right.
Otherwise you are just p*ssing into the wind.
Either put up or shut up please.
Dave
Right, that’s it, I’m sick of the pair of you. I will not be reading this thread any more and I suggest that others don’t either. The thread has lost all technical merit.
One day I will have my K rebuilt. If there is anyone out there who can give me an honest and independant appraisal of either of these two at that time then I may ask one of them to do the work but for the moment forget it. There is no point in reading any more.
David, you really ought to bar the pair of them.
Bye… see you on another thread.
Wow, just saw how this thread got along.
What could I say in order to avoid being sucked into a slagging match, ala Seloc (the very reason I stopped going there, sucks the life out of you).
Ok, I’ll repeat, I’m only a happy customer. I don’t promote any product and can only say Thank you to Simon Erland. My car is now what it should ha been originally and if you look at it closely the only changes it has internally are 1mm over intake valves, cams and some porting.
It produces close to 220 BHP and can now outdrag most things in the uphill straight at KH. No way before.
It has been a testbed for some exhausts and has been ragged all the time. Not as many miles as I’d wanted yet, only 7K, but I driven whenever I can (some people have to work too).
So, I’m happy and I’m also happy with Simon personally. I think he’s a straight guy and certainly can show passion for the K. I would not want to give my engine to someone that was not passionate about it.
On Randy’s comments: I thought you were a bit more centered.
I went to look for you and give you some laps in my car because you ad shown an interest earlier. At the time you commented it was the best K-car you had ever been in, but you still preferred your Honda. Fair enough, let’s leave it at that. You also know that it was running a bit less power than it should have, and in fact, I was again having to change at 7.2K as opposed to 8.4.
Track day + fun, it was all ok.
Now the negative comments? And the Tuner GP. It seems you have been acquiring some of the traits I always criticized from Scruffman: you read what you want to read.
Read again my earlier posts. I wanted to, could not go.
Just as well then, by your friends remarks after the event, how good it was, a day amongst mates, how he wanted to slaughter King K and me, etc. (now, was I going to be well received? or be the target?)
Whatever. I thought most here were Ok, but some of you are bringing Seloc over here. DOn’t like that.
I’m happy with my car, and if I ever rebuild it again (yes, it will wear) I’ll go K again (but probably 1.9)
Im sorry that I lost a little of my normal cool. The actual additional content on the thread is minimal, I will try to rein in any personal comments in future. I tend to get upset when people distort the truth.
Dave
Right, that’s it, I’m sick of the pair of you. I will not be reading this thread any more and I suggest that others don’t either. The thread has lost all technical merit.
One day I will have my K rebuilt. If there is anyone out there who can give me an honest and independant appraisal of either of these two at that time then I may ask one of them to do the work but for the moment forget it. There is no point in reading any more.
David, you really ought to bar the pair of them.
Bye… see you on another thread.
Mike, I fully appreciate where you’re coming from. However, the trouble, as far as I see it, is that DVA runs a commercial business doing this work, & his integrity is being questioned in no uncertain terms. In the circumstances, I believe his responses have been (almost 100%) appropriate ie challenging “alleged fact” with “alleged fact”.
As someone who is now 100% put off about EVER, repeat EVER, returning my car to Rover K Series, I’m quite happy to see this debate continue. Others may well disagree, & I’d have no problem with that either
Rob, seconded
As I run a DVA K’series, I can’t complain about his work at all and as I will never ever put a riced up engine into me car I don’t mind DVA defending himself.He has all the right to do so. On the other hand, it is very childish to drag on this thread to the beloved Seloc community, innit
laterz,
Pesky, is right here I think.
I can understand Mike’s comment, its exact how I was beggining to feel but given the last few posts I changed my mind actually.
Simon is really challanging one of THE respected K series engine builders in very strong terms, If it were me having that thrown at me I would have been banned long ago … I admire Dave’s responses, especially to keep saying that he wants to see the parts Simon has to come to a conclusion.
So, if this thread is stopped we dont get answers and I think we need them -
I for one would also like to see that conclusion, as I’m sure many others with “K” series would.
My estimation of Simon would leap if he took up that challange - having met Dave I know already what a genuine bloke he is.
Simon, if you really cared for the “K” you would now take that challnage and help us “k doubters” make our decision for the next rebuild or replacement, as it is you push us to the replacement route because its the sensible, safe, most cost effective option. I’m sure if you sit back and think you will realise that.
Oh, and where we came in … the reason I have not gone Honda just yet is the originality issue - the fact you can reverse engineer makes it EVEN MORE sensible to change to Honda while your K is still living.
Right, that’s it, I’m sick of the pair of you. I will not be reading this thread any more and I suggest that others don’t either. The thread has lost all technical merit.
David, you really ought to bar the pair of them.
I made a similar comment some 6 pages ago (or 3 days, if you prefer ).
While i still read the thread what really amazes me is how either of the 2 main contributers find the time to build any engines
Tim.
I too see that Simon is questioning Dave in some areas, as as the last few posters, would like to see the issues clarified.
I am sure if Dave and Simon can stay focused in the technical bits without getting personal, we’ll all benefit from a good debate. And I’m sure they can do it, being well educated.
Now, the Honda promoters do something good: letting others drive some Honda demo car. If somebody trying to make up their minds were to drive my car there would be some more people in favour of the K.
But I don’t run a business and can’t risk others driving my pride and joy
Besides, other things like overall handling can shift an impression as well and I need to sort that out.
And like Pesky, some would not even pax with me on track because I don’t have hrnesses! or maybe they’re scared?
I’ve driven Brooke K’s Honda engined S2 Elise. While it was undoubtedly fast, subjectively faster than my Exige, I didn’t feel the engine was right for my car.
Going back to the source of this thread - part of the character of the S1 for me is the VHPD…
It depends what you want to do with your car ultimately.
I’ve been fascinated by Dave and Simon’s debate - I’ve learned a lot through the technical arguments. Like everybody else though, I’m a little bored of the personal attacks (which all seem to be in one direction btw!).
Great thread, but might be time to can it! (seeing as I started it!)
I am sure if Dave and Simon can stay focused in the technical bits without getting personal, we’ll all benefit from a good debate. And I’m sure they can do it, being well educated.
Well, Dave can but wheter Simon can is at least questionable.
I know Dave. He is a top bloke
laterz,
Bruno
]
But to hell with this merrygo round. You know I am deliberately entering a car in the 24hr endurance race next - specifically to beat scuffham.
Let it be settled on track
simon
[color:“red”] Nobody seemed to pick up on these comments by Simon…I would like to know which race and when? [/color]
Steve
I imagine he’s talking about the Britcar 24hr on 15th-17th September 2006, at Silverstone. No doubt I will be corrected, if I’m wrong
You guys seem have lost a grip on reality here. Dave Andrews has built hundreds of K series engines, he has done 300 + heads. He’s been doing them for years, we worked on mine together in 1998. His engines hold many power records and championships.
And yet you take seriously the criticism of a guy who has built just a few, only two of which we actually have any data for and that had to be extracted under duress. OK, so he talks the talk and claims to know the right people etc, but for me it’s results that count.
When Simon has built 10% of the number of engines that Dave has and they are all running nicely with published spectacular power curves, then, and only then does he have the right say other people don’t know what they are doing.
I’m not saying Simon can’t achieve the results he aspires to, given time he might, but so far there is no data. And he never comes up with it, only “next year” “in the book” etc etc.
Why do let him get away with it ? Why don’t you ask him to publish, on here, the performance of all (or even some) of the engines he’s done ?
I can see I’m going to get banned
Bernard