I feel terrible...

project74

project74

Trying to find my weed and
Hey 'nuts. I have to get this off my chest and thought there might be others here who have experienced something similar.

Earlier this summer I sold the /6 out of my Dart to a 19 yr. old guy in Pennsylvania. I had run this motor regularly for almost two years without even a hiccup. With the motor went a 904 trans that worked beautiful. On a Saturday afternoon in June, he and his dad made the trip to Ontario and after loading the engine and trans into thier trailer the $200 cash transaction was made. Everyone was feeling rather swell.

This young college student was able with not to much difficulty to horn the 225 and 904 into his 66 Valiant. Everything was fine for a few days when suddenly the engine blowed up. Turned out to be a spun bearing in the bottom end. The engine was torn down and the crank was redone along with new bearings. He just informed me earlier today of the goings on there which I asked him to do when he picked up the engine/trans cause his project interested me...a Mopar project of course!

Now I feel like a total shit. I've profusely apologized to him on the /6 board we both belong to and also made clear the fact the money disappeared long ago into bills and back to school clothes for the kids. I really believed this engine was as tight as they come but I still can't shake this sick feeling in my gut. I'll get over it but what a crappy feeling. I asked him what I could do to smooth things over a bit but obviously not much what with living off the overdraft right now. He wasn't accusatory in his PM, just let me in on the gory details. Anyone else ever have a situation like this?

Thanks for listening to me whine. :(
 
Yeah, actually... I sold my Slant Six 4-speed '80 Aspen to a kid that just HAD to have it. I'd told him repeatedly that it wasn't for sale, but he just kept upping the offer until it was up to two grand, which was about five times what I'd paid for the car.

A week later, he got stuck in a snowbank and blew the engine trying to get it unstuck.

Of course, in my case I laughed in his face for being a dumbass since he'd overrevved it and all the damage was his fault. He then dumped a grand into having the engine replaced and a new clutch installed, but when he couldn't come up with the money the mechanic kept the car, later selling it for $700. I almost bought it back. :D

Anyhow, I would suggest maybe offering to send the kid some money back--how much is totally up to you, but I'd probably think $100. A good 904 and a core tilt six have got to be worth something, after all. Tell him that with family obligations and the like, you'd have to send a little here, a little there--maybe $25/week or something--but that you feel badly about the whole deal and you'd like to make things right by him.

He might just overwhelmed with gratitude; at least you're making the effort. He'll know you're not a crook, anyhow.
 
I think Doc has hit the nail on the head here, offer to send whatever you can when you can, and take it from there. Maybe if he sees you're willing to meet him 1/2 way, he might just say forget it. b'sides the trans has to be worth something too....
 
Thanks guys. I was thinking along those lines. Just another benefit of the 'nut house...therapy :)
 
More than fair I'd say. You can't know what they did between picking it up and blowing up. Bounced it off the balancer, anything.
 
a12bee said:
More than fair I'd say. You can't know what they did between picking it up and blowing up. Bounced it off the balancer, anything.
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Total agreeance here. They could have forgot to put in oil when they put it in for all you know and now taking it out on you. Just my 2 cents.
 
Doesn't sound like they're taking anything out on him-according to him, they're not accusatory at all, and only told him the gory details because he wanted them to. I have a similar story-I sold a /6 in (apparently) perfectly good running order to a mailman that was temporarily running the route my house is on while another one recuperated from some illness. We got to talking, and it turned out he needed a /6 for his '76 dodge truck to replace one that had gone bad in some way or another, I don't remember. I sold him one out of a '74 duster for $400, which I now realize was too much money even then. As it turned out, it was not oiling the top end properly, and it messed some stuff up. I guess it was rocker arms and such. He told me about it in a non-accusatory fashion, and I've felt bad ever since. This has kinda jogged my memory of the whole thing, so I may try to give him a couple hundred dollars to make it right. He's never asked for anything, and I think he knows that I truly had no idea anything was wrong, but I still feel bad.
 
I think "everything was fine for a few days" should make ya feel a little better. Too many variables from leaving your place to it's spun state.

Worst I ever did was to take a complete A/C system from a Buick nova and put it into a Pontiac nova for a friend. He'd pay 50 bucks for the part car and I'd get the rest after changing the leaf springs and the A/C.
Got it all changed over and took it back to the guy told him he'd need to take it to the service station and have it evacuated and charged. This was when freon was cheap so only 75 bucks worth of freon and labor were wasted on a blown out evaporator. :( he did get his leaf springs, I was broke, he was broke He's still driving the 64/65 f100 I traded him for wiring the garage (and with the previous incident in mind) I was at though. I think Dave even cut him some slack.
 
The guy contacted me earlier today saying he wasn't after money and all is fixed now so no problems :). I'm glad he's not pissed at me personally but I still feel like a bit of a rat's ass. Told him if he's ever up this way again I'll pick up the bar tab. Still gotta find out if it got dropped or something, if for no other reason than to satisfy my own curiosity.

Must be a /6 thing eh, v8440? :hmmm:
 
project74 said:
I still feel like a bit of a rat's ass.
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Which bit would you like?
There's the left rump and some tail left.
xl already took the chocolate starfish.


[smilie=f:

Good that things are squared away. Just the fact that you were worried about it shows that you're a stand-up guy.
 
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