Jeff M Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Nice to be missed, been out of town for 10 days taking wife to Bar Harbor Maine, just got back, easy to not reply to people when you are not on line, too bad a few guys here inserted foot too quickly, others understand and thanks guys! Anyways, just a little dabble of info on what keeps my clock going 18 to 20 hours a day (sometimes 2 to 3 days in a row no sleep) and keeps me from such things as replying quickly to each of the 50 to 150 average TGP emails I get a week and the postings on this and Waskie’s Message Board. And for the few kids here (Malib), if you don’t want to believe it, or have some poor board manners please spare the rest here from the garbage, just PM me if its that important to you. So, for some but most have heard examples and understand the word and benefits of "Busy", just take the last few weeks before I went out of town as an example, and like was said by some grownups here, the info here does not include a real life if I had one. Had to prep a yacht for a party trip for 40 employees of my wife that she wanted to treat for all the hard work they did on a large project. For that boat trip I spent a few hours burning great party tunes, bought and borrowed a few CDs to round out the repertoire. Then spend a day cleaning up the boat (big boat), hauling out more chairs, filling the gas tanks (two gas slurping 454 engines), then another day buying and delivering the treats; 12 cases of assorted beers, 12 six packs of wine coolers, many cases of assorted pops, then all kinds of food, plates etc, decorations, 200 lbs of ice, a few coolers, signs for people to follow to get to the boat, then finally drive them around in the big ass boat for 5 hours (no beers for me). Another day to clean up that mess made for a few days down the drain. Just before that had a Pace Car TGP with 180,000 miles (YES, 180K miles on original tranny running a McLaren Performance Pace Car Chip since day one!!!) come to me for a tranny rebuild along with crossover etc, and replace the badly rusted subframe, AC conversion, chip tweaks and some other fixes while it was here, took some time to find a good condition subframe in MN, get it out of the salvage yard and hauled to the tranny shop, pick up from a few different dealers all the subframe cushion mounts and bolts, clean the subframe and swap the sway bar over, order up all the hard parts and rebuild parts for the tranny (way more than any one has talk of so far!), get 14 quarts of fluid, then pull the crossover pipe out for the tranny guy (did not want him to take the time to learn what I have done several dozen times) then walk the tranny guy through a performance rebuild for a TGP 4T60, watch over the rebuild to make sure it is followed properly. While all this work was being done for this TGP Pace Car had one TGP I was using for transportation develop a bad starter/no go at the tranny shop but finally get it back to my garage but before I can get to fixing it my other TGP looses its alternator while at the tranny shop too (blamed the owner’s bad luck on 2 TGPs dying in his lot), finally fixed both but also do the brakes on one as they are about gone. Get the Pace Car TGP done during this and the owner on his way at the wee hour of the morning. Now swap out 2 TGP turbos for performance rebuild, strip them bare, inspect and chase all the threads clean, swap another TGP performance turbo for port work here, then run some back pressure tests, also use the 100 degree weather to get extreme weather testing done for the upgraded head/turbo/injectors chip’d TGP I have here, run some pretty intense tests for chips including boost gauges before and after the intercooler as well as dual recording temp probes on the intercooler, then pressure gauges before and after the turbo to record back pressure values, at the same time running custom Wide-Band o2 Diacom program and using camera to record all the pressure and temp gauges for later play back. Those are just a few projects that are always going on, along with the tons of long emails etc, and parts and pipes to work on, orders to fill, which can be a real challenge, like when you are one day away from leaving on a 10 day trip with no time at all to spare and at the last minute a TGP owner wants a complete poster, pipe and chip/custom air filter package even though he was told there was no time for me to get this all made up boxed and shipped, still sends money to PayPal so drop everything and kill an hour on the road picking the pipe up from the welders, another hour to do the last work to it (an hour of work before it goes to the welders too) before its ready, open up a new MEMCAL and swap new burned chip, open new K&N and modify with new custom Crank Case Breather tube, gather up all the rest of the pieces and print all the documents, label up the pipe bag and box the pipe and all, label and box up the chip and air filter/breather kit and carefully warp up poster and deliver all to shippers. All this time trying to get just one answered cleared up that has been asked several times of this TGP owner, how fast is all this to be shipped?!?!? “ASAP†I am told at minutes before deliver departure, Next Day or 2-Day but for what, all of it or just the pipe since the TGP is at a service garage, not able to be here for a reply so send pipe next day and chip/air filter 2-day, then when back from shipping still no reply but send email with the tracking numbers on all these items, real fun and after 11 days still no reply to those questions or that it was nice to get it all there on such short notice, more joys for running full speed all the time. Good rewards are else where as this TGP with heads, turbo and larger injectors is ready to send to it's owner Kevin Hieder in SoCal, just need to get another TGP performance turbo done to swap in and get mine back, while waiting plan to get my loaned G-tech Pro meter back to me to run hp, torque and et's on this new killer TGP. Right up next is to fix up and sell 2 cars to lessen the load of working on 8 to 15 cars here, then swap performance turbo to a stock engine TGP and test with stock injectors/old fuel pump, then new fuel pump then depending on how well that went, upgrade to larger injectors, and at the same time do the same performance heads and turbo and larger injectors of Kevin’s to my TSTE for continued tweaking and testing, still plan to finish work to my TGP that has not seen more than a few miles in the last 5 YEARS, there is a Typhoon that has been waiting for 3 years too that I would like to enjoy!! Thanks for listening, all you are going to get for a while!! Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1badtgp Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Man, and I thought I was busy!!!! But hey, no rushing perfection. You do great work, and if people are to arogant to accept that it takes time and you do indeed need time for YOURSELF, then I guess they can try to do what you do, even for a day. Good work bro, and keep the good stuff coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted September 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Thanks Rob (also nice to see a real name/not afraid to tell us who you are/called). Busy crazy all the time, typical like this morning, up till 4am finishing some emails and having to post on the message board. Its funny, I just took a look at my emails and as an example like many, one TGP owner I recently have been talking to has gotten 31 emails from me ranging from 9k in size to 19k in size, a lot of troubleshooting and the learning curve that is more times the biggest challenge but everyone starts somewhere, there was a pipe/chip purchase that followed but a lot of times not, or at least that is what I am told in the first email that they want to buy but need tons of help first . 80% of emails to me are from TGP owners or those wanting to own (etc) that have never been to this or other TGP message boards Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 And for the few kids here (Malib), if you don’t want to believe it, or have some poor board manners please spare the rest here from the garbage, just PM me if its that important to you. whavever. if 27 means i'm still a kid i'll take that as a compliment. joshua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted September 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Sure Mali, whatever keeps things going smoothly here on the board, I am still young at heart and am in my 40s so who's your daddy Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Jefferson, you're one of the only forum members here that can really crack me up sometimes so i have a problem with your prices, yes, and suggested the guy gets a crossover pipe from somewhere else....then some people get all pissy about it. why should anyone pay more & wait longer if they don't have to? ignoring emails for buisness isn't exactly good for your reputation if you want to sell stuff. if you can't handle the critisism, then why are you in the buisness of selling custom TGP stuff anyway? joshua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted September 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 It is not worth getting into a pissing match about my pipes and yours or others (40 step process, 5 new pieces on every pipe, 9 page extensive removal/install proceedures, stocked o2 sensors and special high-temp turbo oil drain lines, new EGR bungs, new EGR tubes, whatever it takes to take care of the customer, and everyone who has gotten one had little to say about the price, why not knock GM for theirs at $1,400+ if you gotta have something to bash at). 90% of people don’t mind waiting for well tested and built items for their time and money, if I only did pipes then life would be easier, but I have such a list of products and services I am trying to get out to people it takes a lot more time. If pipes or whatever was so easy to do and cheap, then why has not someone come out with these and everything else people want, I find many people don’t want to, can’t do it and would rather pay someone who has done it and gone to great lengths to ensure all the bases are covered. As for a few getting pissy at you, if you treat people well and with respect and do a good job/build a good product, well then loyalty is what comes about from that, I see that as an indicator my efforts are being well received and take it as a compliment. Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 cool, let's just let it go at that then. joshua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4PASNU Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Jeff, I bow down to you man! I would be a jellified glob of crap sitting in a sewer if I had to go through what you described above. I think I speak for ALMOST everyone when I say "good job and keep up the fantastic work" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no1kicker Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 hey when yousay that the car had a pace car chip, is it one of yours, or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted September 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 No1kicker, it was a custom one-off chip McLaren’s lead programmer did for the TGP Pace Cars only back in 1989 and 1990. This Pace Car is one of 5 that were also used in the movie Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise, obviously the owner will never part with this car. AND to the testament of this “old carâ€Â, running a McLaren Performance chip since day one and only now needed a tranny having 180,000 miles on it shows the potential of this TGP 4T60 in lasting if its given a chance. Over the years this chip started to have some issues with the miles and changes that occur to an engine/turbo/etc so needed some fixing and some tweaking that I did, the owner was so happy on his way back to Chicago he called 3 times on his cel to tell me how much better the new chip was working and performing during his drive, nice to hear feedback like that, keeps me going! Gotta go. Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted September 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 4PASNU, thanks for the respectful words, it is crazy here and those projects and things I stated are only a small sample of things going on here that I am doing, making and testing. Something that is not to sound or be disrespectful and I accept best I can handle the load is when I talk to an owner about his or hear TGP (mainly since 1996 but actually since 1995 when I first got on the net), to buy something from me or not, I get them for life, thousands of emails are shared each year with all these owner/friends and many are not short or simple to think out and type in emails. I even get guys who think buying a pipe and/or chip means they get a warranty on anything else that might go wrong with their 13-14 year old car, part of doing business but not the most fun part. One juicy challenge I need to get to as I need the cash is I have to do a huge job to undo the current trend of thinking that stroking is the only thing to do to an engine for power, it is only the trend right now but there is a long time standing group of professional racers and engine builders that de-stroke an engine, without getting too involved and having no time to explain why, I have billet cranks from Ryan Falconer racing that are short stroke pieces made by some of the best pro companies in Cali, and these would be great pieces for custom engine builds, those also like Curtis Walker who have a big cam and big flowing heads and big turbo that want to/need to run some 6-7,000 rpms or more, a short throw crank is perfect for this application and others, but guys have to know what they are doing to build up such a setup. I also have a new crated Chevy 60 Degree V6 4-Bolt Aluminum Racing Block I need to sell, wish I could keep it but since I never work on my TGPs, it would be years before I would be able to build with it. I got a good price on it and since winter is coming up when most take their cars off line for work, is the perfect time to find a good owner. Retail on this beast is over 4 grand, I can sell it for a lot less, and its just pure amazing its still available from the dealer, specially since the call for it was only in the late 70s to mid 80s, those racers and race categories this block ran in are long gone! Thanks again, I am out of here! Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkorinko Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Man Jeff- I would really like to know where the hell people get off telling you that you charge to much and that they are pissed because you dont respond to your emails. I mean, people have to understand that allow 99% of your life probably revolves around the TGP that you do have other things to do! I am writing this to make sure you dont get to discouraged because to my knowledge you are the only guy who does anything like this for our cars, and i would hate to see that go, please keep moving along and dont let any dumbass people bother you. Oh, I am the guy with Mike Gardners old TGP, I did an intercooler upgrade, and there is more to come. I emailed you about a little chip i found in the car, it says "HICAM 20" and then below that it has "92 Octane", i was wondering what this is??? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90TGP Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Dude, go get some sleep or something. I also fixed my boost problem, yippie! Switched the bad DSM bov for a Blitz BOV. Holy shit what a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Man Jeff- I would really like to know where the hell people get off telling you that you charge to much and that they are pissed because you dont respond to your emails. I mean, people have to understand that allow 99% of your life probably revolves around the TGP that you do have other things to do! ! You can usually tell when Jeff is out of town because the posts about no response to emails usually start popping up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
god910 Posted September 10, 2003 Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 I've only got one question. Why would someone hook up umpteen sensors and camera's to watch the sensor's, but then use a G-Tech to get numbers instead of a dyno? I've got no problems w/ anyone, but I understand not having money. I also have been know to rather go the route Jeff does and do everything myself, I'm just not trying to make a living out of it. I like to do everything myself, and would rather spend money on equipment and tools than send it to someone else. Jeff keep up the good work, I have to appreciate it my car has you x-over in it. (But thank God I didn't have to pay for it. ) If people can't respect how busy you are (the guy that made you ship his product) FUCK 'EM. They'll learn. I'm just in it for the love of the car, I've seen people that take a small niche market and let it get the best of them (Cadillac Performance) Next thing you know you hate everyone and the car that you loved for soooo long. Keep it real, and don't forget to DRIVE the damn thing every once in awhile. That's makes you remember why you hooked up all the gauges, and the cameras. Peace, Love, and hair grease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted September 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 That “dyno†hp brings up a long topic discussed before when guys got some outrageous numbers and could not understand why, but I don’t want to get too long into dyno results but, you need to be in 3rd gear (1:1 ratio) to truly read the hp and torque curves of an engine, and I don’t know many dyno shops that like you spinning you car’s tires up to 130 mph :yikes: . Granted there are some calcs you can do with the lower gears/1st and 2nd but the dyno tuning is already done, its just some simple ets the G-Tech Pro gives you along with it’s hp and torque graph that is handy and requires no scheduling to acquire, final real-road tuning is the best to check as well as initial dyno tuning. And not sure if you are thinking of the first/older G-Tech or the new powerhouse version they have now, that I snatched. Hope that clears up my preferences for ya, like you said we all got our own . As for my pipe, glad too you got one already, a few lately on the other TGP Forum have complained about how much work it is to take off the first time, once the threads are coated with anti-size, and doing the job is no longer a 1st time, the work is not so bad. AND you got a pipe that has been showing its life with over 400 sold since 1996 and no failures, pricey indeed but break down all the costs and when it adds up make more sense; inconel bellows with T-409 liner and T409 metal braid and robotic couple welds, new custom flange clamps, new EGR bung (when needed), milled turbo flange plate (when needed) or new (when needed, $65 for those), 10 weld joints (not just for the bellows) and a list of mods and refurbishing and tools that get used; $10 for 3/8†TiN drills that last for 5 pipes, 8†stainless steel wire wheels that last for 20 pipes, 2 3/8 wire wheel, leather gloves etc, supplies have to be figured into this as well, and I include a bag of high-temp stainless steel turbo/pipe nuts and bolts, that GM likes to charge $3 to $4 each for. When all is said and done, the 2 hours I spend on the pipes nets me $75, if that is profit ok but I like to think of it as somewhat of an income :? . You have great intuition and foresight, the miles on me are lessening my interest in working on my own TGPs, I work on so many TGPs here and virtually off emails I have little motivation for messing with mine, damn observant of you to think of this, maybe that will help me keep things better in perspective for me down the road, thanks ! Take care Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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