Marco/Magnus = Bad Guy?

I'll be brief...

A number of years ago, I paid Marco $600 to have my head ported, while it was off the car, at his shop.

It's right on the invoice, I still have it.

Today, the intake was off, and the head looked stock.
So I pulled the exhaust manifold off... stock too.
No porting.

Guess he thought I'd never see it...

Guess that makes me the sucker.

I think you should 'kindly' bring it back to him and try to sort it out. It might not be 'Marco.' It might be an old mechanic and maybe he'll try to help you out for what you paid for.

No point.
The work is only about 3500km old, but it was over 4 years ago.

It was definite, and it was Marco.
It was "supossedly gone to the porting shop" for about a week and a half.

So, either he did it, or the porting shop did it, but in either case, he was the guy in charge.

It's sad.
Because the intake was off to have welds of Marco's repaired when I saw it, and the same thing now with the exhaust housing and wastegate. (WG physically dropped off the car, due to "pretty" but insufficient weld)

Again, I agree, right thing is to take it to him to fix... but that's not going to happen.
People just need to be aware, unfortunately.

Hey, on a lighter note... when you real think about it, I did get "ported"...

That really sucks. That's basically the number one reason I never give my car anyone to work on.

I always have 2 DSMs on the fleet so when one goes down, I drive the other until I fix the primary one.

I said that a long time ago for the same kinda less than professional work. A shop with a fast track car keeps all the wannabees lined up with no questions asked....you dont always get what you paid for. Once the schmuck figures it out it doesnt matter because there are two more waiting.

I suppose that makes me the schmuck.

Well, at the very least, Marco owes me the $600 I guess...

Hey join the club I took the ride as well but it was only a clutch. I only get burned once so hopefully others will either be demanding aholes to get what they pay for or find a shop that values their customers.

Listen here, Andrew

Just because you cannot distinguish a ported head from a stock one, don't come on here saying I ripped you off.

The head was ported by Canadian Speed and machine.

You can Ask Arnel, he installed it.

I've had enough of Mister Club DSM Canada trying to destroy my business, and I won't tolerate these unsubstantiated attacks.

And Jerry that goes for yousrelf as well, in this situation I may give Andrew a little leeway becuase he is definetely not a professional and probably couldn't tell the diference. But you are an asshole, with no social skills, who jumps at any chance defame my company.

That is my rebuttal. If you have any further problems with me, maybe you could behave like real men, and you could take it up with myself personally, instead of the rest of the internet.

Marco that what you get when you screw a customer...bad press. Thats okay you have some more schmucks lined up.

I took it up with you personally and paid to have your sloppy unprofessional work redone by a professional. I PAID for the right to say what I have to say so if you dont like it then do good work. Period.

Your mech made a greasy mess of my car, installed the throwout that I supplied without lubricating it (pocketed the one from the kit), didnt machine the flywheel (because you dont have to do that when you install a 2100), and left all the clamps off of the intake hose. Those are the things that I know for sure and cant prove that he f#cked the rear seal.

Wrong, you don't pay for the right to complain, nor do you have the right to complain about your experience with me everytime someone says "Magnus"

You are what we like to call in the industry a problem customer, as we can see by your ability to post on the same subject countless times.

You say I am unprofesional, yet I have been in business over ten years. Magnus, and myself are a recognised industry leader in my field, which just happens to be your "hobby". So if you could, please, look at the irony in your statement. The way you continue to handle your little personal vendetta with Magnus online, is the epitome of 'unprofessional'


I really don't have the time for this but I would like to prove how little you know about cars once and for all, that way anybody who hears your little rants can make their own decision.

You say my mechanic installed the throwout bearing you supplied without lubricating it, yet he pocketed it? hmmm, I'm not from CSI, but how could it be installed if it was in his pocket.

I'm sure a internet keyboard e-mechanic hobbyist like youself can tell me when or when not to machine a flywheel, in my experience, I'll bet you couldn't.

Your clamps were missing? Not my problem.

And finally how in the hell do we ruin the rear main seal if we didn't remove the flywheel?

I can attest to the work and the service that I received from Magnus. One time, I bought a motor from Marco, with Marco only as a middle man, and the head was bad. The seller couldn't provide a replacement head, and Marco looked around for me. He couldn't come up with one, so HE gave me the money to get it replaced on my own, because the transaction went through him and he felt responsible for it.

I have had a lot of work done there, and I have never been ripped off. If something wasn't right, it was fixed, right then and there. When custom/performance work is done, sometimes it's a trial and error process. We all know that, it happens, even when we do the work ourselves. There are a lot of guys, the majority, on this board and other boards who are quite satisfied with the work and service received from Magnus. You can't always make everyone happy though. For me, when things occasionally go bad, I like to deal with the guy I gave the money to, personally. Marco's not the type of guy who will kick you out of his shop and tell you to fcuk off. There's always something to work out before we go off on internet rants. At least, that's the way I like to deal with things, and low and behold, I don't feel like I've ever been ripped off. Co-incidence?

Marco I bought a OEM throwout from Team Chrysler and brought it with me, the clamps where there but not tightened as in your mech forgot to.

So a stock flywheel with 170K on it that has outlived several clutches is to spec for an ACT 2100, ok then YOU are the pro. How did the mech put it "nah it looks ok".

Rear seal..said I couldnt prove it but hey if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then, well , you know.

You do business on the internet, and get business from the internet. I am guessing you dont say hey did you hear good things about me from the internet so I cant take your money. Well an informed consumer will take the good and bad and make their own decision right. Thats their choice but if someone asks me I will not send them your way...thats how it works my friend. I talked to you personally as soon as I got home from your shop. The rest was found soon after. when the car was on the hoist.

I have also posted in your support but I guess you dont read those ones eh. No ranting here Micheal, you can check other posts for that.

Well I did bring my Elantra (4g63) there a few years back and BROKE Marco's balls to put in my AEM cam gears. (I was a car ROOKIE) After telling me 23694 times that he is busy and has no time for it, Marco took some time on a saturday and asked me to come in on a saturday morning.

That saturday monring Marco did what he told me and that was to bring in my car. We talked and joked around for a while. and shoot the #$%@.

I was glad he did do some work on my car and talked to him a few times at the track.

Cool guy in my books!!!

Also before I was on this site, I was looking for small parts for my 4g63.
Marco took time and went to look around for me and found what I needed. (free parts)

HOPE IS STILL HAS MY LIC.PLATE IN THE FRONT DOOR

*4G63 PWR*

Oh P.S this isnt a hobby for me. I have been driving and maintaining my Talons for 14+ years, a few more years than you have been around. These cars have been and are year round daily drivers with hundreds of thousands of k's combined.

I dont care about my E.T.s, flow rates, hp from stickers or if I can rebuild a head because I take care of my car and enjoy driving it. I have also spent lots of hard earned cash keeping it in good shape so if my comments save someone else some cash and or headaches then its all good so get used to it. I have as much right to state my opinion when, where and however often I like as you do to deny on the internet....its serious business you know.

Instead of internet bitching, call him up. Explain the situation and see if you can show him what you are trying to question. Marco's resonable but I'd be pissed off too if you started a bad guy post before you spoke with me.

I've never had a bad experience with Magnus. That's how it goes for me.

I will leave this thread unlocked because Marco is replying (Andy can unlock it to reply).

But the rest of you turkeys...this is not a thread you can all gangbang on with good or bad. If you have a gg/bg post for someone, start a new thread.

Mark, I see your point. BUT, if this isn't a subject to be discussed, why did Andrew post it here?

Jerry,

I don't conduct business on the internet, I am not an E-shop, as you have incorrectly stated. I conduct business behind 4 walls, my address and contact details are stated clearly on my website.

You can cry forever (which you do on here any chance you get) but unfortunately sir you are wrong. A flywheel with no runout after 170,000kms is a testament to good driver. But in this case you insist that because you "read it on the internet" we are not qualified to work on YOUR talon or make these judgment calls.


Let me put it to you bluntly, because you are severely testing my patience:
-You are not a mechanic, you are a hobbyist
-Driving your own car does not make you an expert on cars.
-Your "opinion" vs that of an qualified mechanic holds no weight anywhere.
-Therefore you comments are not accurate nor are they appreciated.
-Your claims are unsubstantiated.


" A shop with a fast track car keeps all the wannabees lined up with no questions asked....you dont always get what you paid for. Once the schmuck figures it out it doesnt matter because there are two more waiting. "

This is not the way I run my business, and I resent the fact that you would even post this on a public forum. I race my car for my personal pleasure with my personal money.

The fact that you come and voice your "opinion" on an internet forum, in order to defame me and my business, instead of facing me man to man shows what kind of low life you really are.


If a customer has a complaint they come settle it with me before they take it to the forums. If you chose to handle it in your silly form of street justice, expect no sympathy from me. A man knows how communicate with people and come to an agreement when there is a discrepency. Children settle it differently, they will go out and tell all their friends not to hang with that guy at lunchtime.

I never post in response to these things, because if someone didn't take it up with me first and came straight to here in hope of a response from me, then they handled wrong and they don't deserve my response. But in your case Jerry I cannot stand to listen to you any longer. Every few months I get an email informing me that you are flapping your lips in the wind again.

Unfortunately your childlike behaviour warrants that you be treated like one, Had you behaved like a human being and not thrown around accusations like you are doing on this forum repeatedly. I am sure any of my employees, or myself would have been more than happy to help sort out your complaints, as I have many times before and as people have mentioned in this thread.

I chose to not respond to your allegations previously online because that is not how I do business. But I have had enough of your whining, and am asking you to immediately do us all a favour and quit your whining, before It gets very ugly. Finally before you get all excited and want to type something back split up into 3 posts, prefaced with a PS or maybe even a PSS, I will refer you to paragraph three of this post, read it to yourself slowly five times then resist the kneejerk reaction to wildly flail away on the keyboard.

Andrew,

Are you able to compare your head to a nonported one or are you just 'eyeballing' it?

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!

I think Andrew should take a trip to the shop and have a word with Marco.

This is what first got me checking.


This is exactly what my intake side of the head looks like.

I looked twice at it, and did some comparative measurements, aligning bolts, to ports, to holes, etc.
Mine is just like this.

The exhaust side, was more obvious, as the 2G manifold is ported. So there were lovely black rings (carbon deposits) around each port, measuring 1/4"-3/8" of an inch, all the way around the opening.

And yes Marco, I understan that a 2G head doesn't look like a 1G head, and that I shouldn't expect it to... but I also shouldn't expect it to come up looking as stock either.

I'll get out the bore gauges again, if you'd like...

I think people may be misunderstanding here.
I'm not angry, I'm actually quite sad.
Disappointed.

I've bit my tongue, and swallowed hard, on a lot of things over the years, but I just couldn't leave this one alone.

Rick, there is no point.
It was 4 or 5 years ago.
I'm just discovering it now.

Marco doesn't want to see me, and frankly I'm not sure I want to see him either.

People just deserve to know, and that's what this forum is for.

1.050 high, 2.150 long (intake)

exhaust side is similar, but slightly taller, and a bit narrower.

anyone else have a stock one they can measure?

You do have a point Andrew.

This Topic is good/bad guy

And if you think he is a bad guy then yo have all the rights to post here

Intake is back on now though, so it will be harder to double check.
But those are the numbers I wrote down.

Exhaust side is still off, having the manifold shaved flat.

I`m not an expert on porting heads by any means,but maybe the angles were cleaned up. The reason why the ports were not opened up is to retain a smooth constant velocity of airflow.

Bore gauges went home with Dad last night, but can get them back again, if more accuracy is needed.

Marco is now (very nicely) explaining porting theory to me by ICQ...

So, maybe I am wrong to expect to see any visible changes on the openins of the ports.

But every before and after shot I have ever seen, leads me to believe otherwise.

You guys tell me.

Eric... I hear you.

But if that were the case, how is the airflow smooth and undisturbed, if it goes from an oversize sheet metal intake runner, and then hits a sharp, hard, corner step, before it can go into the head?

Ok, I have come up with one possibility.

If the porting shop, thought the car was going to have stock intake manifold, and stock exhaust manifold on it, then the result makes some amount of sense. (ie: the bowls, angles, etc. -- the stuff you can't readily see, may have been dealt with, and they left the rest to match components that were expected to be connected)

Neither was the case, and both manifolds were on hand, in the shop, at the time.

So, perhaps there was a mis-communication between magnus and the porting shop.

bring the head to the machine shop and ask them

Rick, your posts are getting really annoying...

Michael, my opinion is if it didn't deserve a gg/bg post at the time, why jump in now?

Shop problems have gone on for years. People need to do a search to find all posts, good or bad.

well this is a post no?

your asking him to do a search and this is one

Talked to two perf shops, and one machine shop now today, and all agree that the ports on the head, should be matched at the very least to the device being attached to the head (manifolds), and the gasket involved.

Since those two items were available, and were both very much larger than what is there, we can draw only one of two conclusions:

1. Nothing was done.
2. Internal porting was done, but the actual ports were left untouched, as stumbling blocks, and bottlenecks.

Either way, it's just wrong.
I'm going to have it fixed.

I had a beef with Marco once about my pedal assembly, i paid 400 bucks to replace the worn parts with new ones and have it welded so it doesnt wear out. When i picked the car up it wasnt welded, by the time i got home it was worn out again.
I called Marco and he blamed it on crankwalk, i said bull****, he said unless you get a jdm engine from me and have it replaced i aint replacing that pedal assembly.
You call that being reasonable?

That's not true. Parting out the manifolds and head surfaces to match the gasket simply creates a bubble. It goes from runner size to a larger openeing for thge gasket, back to runner size. This will actually slow it down.

For the intake port, the manifold opening should be the same size as, or slightly smaller than the the port in the head. The opposite is true for the exhaust. This way at each transition the area of the port steps up a tiny bit. This helps to prevent reversion of the flow.

Agreed Nick... absolutely.
However, what we had here was a large manifold runner on the intake, meeting a physical STEP (as in square corner, not tapered, or cut at all) as it entered the head.

Exit side, same thing, but at least there it was stepping up to a larger space, and it wouldn't be as damaging.

Hey, it's nothing personal, it just wasn't done right.
That's the bottom line.

Ya.. and $600 later you got what exacly? Remind me never to pay $600 for not getting a port job.
:rolleyes:

Yes, that is also true.
I paid $600, and I'm not sure if I really got anything for it, or a mild internal porting, if I trust what is said 100%.

The one thing I have not heard back on, is the measured dimensions. Magnus has been very quiet since I sent those dimensions...

I'm not saying that in itself is any admission of anything, but does anyone out there have access to a stock 2G head, that could take some quick measurements?

Then we'd know, once and for all.

I talked to Marco at CSCS about this whole thread. He wasnt too impressed. Ive always known him to be a great guy to deal with. Never had any problems. Thumbs up from me!!

Did you expect him to be impressed?

Is it possible that they just smoothed/removed the casting marks/ridges inside the mani?
Different "levels" of porting get diffrent "levels" of porting...

I've known Marco for a approx. 10 years and although he is not cheap...everthing that he has ever done to my car has been of good quality and never have had to been replaced.

If I could just stop having other drivers stop writing off my cars I could test the longevity of the parts installed...

Again, 600 dollers later...

Like I said he isn't cheap.

By the time you charge labour for removal/reinstall(if that was done), return shipping to/from the shop, the cost of the porting labour itself...
$600 doesn't sound that bad, does it???

Although I have absolutly no idea what a "Basic", "Mid" and "Extreme" porting job costs...

I've said what I wanted to say, I will step back for now.

Yeah, and his coffee is bad too and he's always out of smokes.

Just so no one thinks the Moderators are ganging up on Marco here I have had several dealings with Magnus and have been pleased with the results.

Magnus has a business to run, and Magnus doesn't live by the computer.

Just mentioning that I have been quiet means nothing, and just by mentioning it you are insinuating something. You could have easily left that out of your post. Bienhaus, you and I don't talk for good reason, as you have shown here in this post.

YOU STILL HAVE NO CLUE WHAT A PORTED HEAD LOOKS LIKE, YET YOU ARE STILL CHIRPING.

The mechanical ineptitude of the people on this board is staggering. Most if not all of you have no idea what porting involves. If you think that "hogging" out a port is the only way to make power then you are all as lost as your fearless leader.

The reason people come to me is because I have the experience and the answers. Look at all you pathetic sheep jumping on Andy's bandwagon, yet you guys couldn't tell the difference between your asshole from an elbow in this situation. None of you have an inkling of the facts at ALL, but you ASSUME that I ripped Andy off, because it is not what you "IMAGINED".

Why don't you guys go and build your fast cars with your imagination, and I'll go back to work on real machines, making real hp, with real measured gains, like a true professional.

Andrew, why would you not just go to marco and talk to him 1on1 about it in the frist place? Im sure he would help you out. But by posting **** about him was not gonna help you out now.

I been to Magnus before and hes been helping me out on my car.

If i had a problem with him, I would frist talk to him about it and not post **** on this "bad guy topic" like most dumbes on this site.

Its just funny how everyone tags along with everyone else not even knowing the full story or the person at all.

"Its just funny how everyone tags along with everyone else not even knowing the full story or the person at all."

Could be said for either side here, don't you think?

Which is EXACTLY why we only want people who are directly involved posting here.

Something a LOT of people seem to have overlooked.

Marco: if you're done I'll just lock it.

"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!"

"I think Andrew should take a trip to the shop and have a word with Marco."

"You do have a point Andrew.

This Topic is good/bad guy

And if you think he is a bad guy then yo have all the rights to post here"

"bring the head to the machine shop and ask them"

"well this is a post no?

your asking him to do a search and this is one"

We get it already Rick :rolleyes: . Please, you've stated your opinion and a couple past experiences, now move on.

YES SIRRRRRRRR

next time ill just ****ing read and not post.

SORRY MISTER

Thanks. We appreciate it.

Marco I had nothing good to say about you. Bought products and you gave me good deals and followup on warrenty repairs. Now I have to say you are rude. Generalizations and blanket statements go nowhere fast. I am sure you and Andy can work this out off the board. I can see how you would be frustrated and I usually keep my opinions to myself but dont come and call us sheep or mechanically inepit. Once again I say all my experience with you has been great. Keep up good work and good luck getting everything sorted out.

I agree with you Nathan, this guy is rude as hell. How does this guy run a business with that kind of attitude?

"...like a true professional."


Uh huh. ok.

Ok, well, at this point, there is no point Marco.
You're not going to cough up the $600, and I'm certainly NOT paying you to Re&Re the head, yet again.

And for those who compared $$$ to $$$... that $600 was in addition to the re&re.
All in all, that visit to Marco's shop cost me some $6500.

And, true to the advice I try and pass on here, it was well detailed, and documented ahead of time. It still went $2k over, and the words I got on the phone when it was done were (and I quote):
"It's done, come get your f*cking car, I'm tired of it taking up space in my shop."

Now, anyone who knows Marco, can take that with a grain of salt, and laugh it off.

However, the LAST word anyone would ever use is "professional". I think other words used here like "rude", pretty well summ it up.


I still have no word from Marco on the actual size I should be seeing at the ports, even under his magically-scientific-dyno-special port job.

And, that's NOT to poke fun... but come up with the numbers Marco. I think every PRO out there will agree, that there should not be a 1/4" STEP DOWN (as in 90-degree, sharp corner step) from the intake manifold runner, into the head.

Magic special port or not, that's just wrong.
Plain wrong.
3 different tuners/shops now, with more years in this game than you, agree. (but who will not post, because they are afraid of feeling the rant of Marco)

-shrug-

Hey, when I am wrong, I'm happy to admit it.
I said, I could be wrong.
But no proof yet seems to surface that I am.
My facts seem to stand...

You guys want to talk about history?
I've got lots.

Things marco did for the car, and the long-term result (good and bad):

- 3" exhaust - sweet job, only melted front gaskets, but I fixed that.
- custom o2 housing, with ext wg mount -very pretty welds, but the whole thing dropped off the car (inferior weld, engineer certified)
- koni shocks, good.
- rear strut tower bar, good, although I had to put the covers back on
- Apexi SuperITC, install ok, but twisted together wires, wrapped in black electrical tape seemed to suffice, rather than crimps, or solder.
- magnus sheet metal intake, leaked like a sieve, had no place to mount half the stuff, and had a 1/4" plate for the TB end, whose threads were stripped. (prototype, alpha test, to be sure) he offered to fix, at my cost of re&re.
- timing belt job, done very nicely. one seal leaked badly, and after some pressure, he changed it out with no charge.
- aem rotors, very nice, but abs stopped working. was willing to look at, for $$$.
- fmic, good install, one of the first things marco did, and it's still on there
- port head, to go with magnus intake and well ported exhaust manifold, well that you know.
- install 20G, worked ok, after some adjustments, and welding on the outlet
- probably a few other minor things...
- rescued me from a dead engine fuse, all the way out in Cambridge.

The last one, was the one that got me started. That was the Marco of the good heart.
There are two or three sides to Marco, and I wish I saw more of that one from many moons ago.
Many of us do...

But, I'm sorry Marco, I will not just shut up, like everyone else. I will not bash words around, like the "arrogant asshole" you keep labelling me as... but I also will not roll over and just lie here silently.


I spent the last 45 mins answering emails from people who just want me to ban you for your arrogance and rudeness. I have refused, and instead suggested they list their own stories here.
I think too many people have wanted to stay your friend, rather than get a fair shake.

And before you assume you'll never get it on here... look around. Read some of the other posts in here. The IAC one comes to mind... we heard one side, and then the other, and it seems like the truth lies somewhere imbetween.

Here, all we've heard is arrogance, suggesting that you are all knowing, and all seeing... infoulable to the end. That we know nothing, and are all idiots, because we don't choose to work on cars for a living.
That, simply isn't the case.
And, you aren't the only game in town, either.

You may not like that the internet is here, and I am posting this. But, you've got some business from here, I am sure... so...

'he who lives by the sword...'

Nicely done. Marco is starting to sound like IAC (International Automotive and Customs). Well now theres two shops off my list.

Things we can learn about porting:

1. Research the topic, confirm what you're looking to accomplish, and that the shop doing the porting, understands this.
2. Ask to inspect the head upon return from porting.
3. Confirm that the head has been properly flushed, or that it's part of the re&re. (another member lost a turbo, likely due to extrude hone abrasive left in oil passages)
4. Provide parts and/or gaskets that will mate up to head ports.
5. Always use new gaskets, and new bolts (where stretch fit is required, ie: torque spec is XX ft-lbs, plus YY degrees aditional)
6. Inquire as to warranty, what it covers, and what it does not.

I'll never understand retailors who attack thier customers with generalizations and rude comments. Do you realize these are the people that buy your product? Not so professional.

Use common sence when you post, these are the people that will bring thier cars to you, these people aren't far away and are never going to utilize your services, they are your service customer base.

Read the posts before you jump to reply, what you responded to the person complaing about the clutch job was not coherant in the least, it's obvious you diden't even read the post, you must have been too busy getting out the Thesaurus to form your ever so "professional" responces.

You've lost more then one customer becasue of your poor attitude and rudeness. I'll avoid lecturing you on business paractices but step back from your ego and take a page from the most basic of business texts; customer service sells products.

Jesse, you are not adding anything to the conversation please stop posting in this thread.

Guys it's not that hard.

I'm sorry you never approached me on this subject right off the bat regardiong this matter instead of taking it to YOUR forum.

You should know me well enough that if we get into a war of words I am not going to back down.

If this was a problem with my business you should have taken it up with Magnus. Instead by looking at your last post it is obvious that you are taking this to a personal level. As you know I am a busy guy I have no more time for this he said she said stuff, there is no more evidence to your accusations now then there were before. I am a busy guy I'm going to work.

Magnus is Marco. Marco is Magnus.
I should drive an hour and a half, to be laughed at and called an idiot?


For facts, I thought this was quite clear...
Nothing personal, except that you controlled every part of the transaction and the work, personally. So, that does make you personally responsible, no?

And hey, not MY forum.
And I wasn't looking for a war of words, you created that.
I presented facts, and you called us all idiots.
I presented possibilities, and you told us we didn't know what we were talking about.
I made suggestions to check, and you called me an arrogant asshole.

-shrug-

Seems pretty one-sided to me.

"I'll be brief..."
The first words of the first post of this thread.....

The way I see it:
There are 3 angles here - Andrew, the engine head (only if it could talk) and Magnus/Marco.

Andrew, you should have brought the head to Magnus. Walked in and asked Marco on the spot if it was ported or not. I'm sure Marco would have given you a honest answer. With either answer, you would have the facts for all parties involved and could have taken it from there.

Slamming each other in a public form doesn't solve anything..

For now you guys have to agree to disagree. There is too much **** going on in this world for all this negavity.

Disclaimer: I have no beef against Andrew and Marco has always been honest with me.

Yup Doug, I wish I could believe that were true.

And, I wish the head were off the car, and then I would indeed be standing on his doorstep.

But, it's not coming off now, I don't have the time, and I'm NOT taking my freshly reassembled, cleaned, polished and detailed car to sit in his smoke-filled shop again, until the snow flies, and paying him to re&re it.

So, all I can do, is go by pictures and carefully taken measurements, and the words of other professionals in the industry, and my fellow club member's experience.

The last of which, I truly believe, collectively, has more experience than any mechanic. No, most of us aren't rocket scientists like Marco, individually, but collective experience, beats one person's opinion, just about every time.

I know Marco has done well by you, but you're also close by him. It's easy to just drop in for adjustments, ask questions, or check on progress through a project. And he knows that.

The last time I picked it up, I had to take a trailer to haul it home.
The time before that, I took a BUS all the way there from Hamilton, only to find it wasn't ready. (even though I was assured it was)

Frankly, I'd get no where going to see him.
We both know that.
We both know Marco hates me at his core, for private reasons that don't need discussing here. There are things he blames me for, that are simply a result of his own poor management, and have no more to do with me, than you do.

For those reasons, I stopped trying to get Marco to fix things, years ago, and just resigned myself to fixing things myself.
Frankly, that's part of the reason the car was off the road for 3.5 years.
This was just the icing on the cake...
I had always had suspicians about this or that, but always wrote them off as just "how marco does business", and accepted it as a "known factor" if you go to him.

But this, struck me as the first time I really felt like I had been blatantly ripped off.

I still have no evidence to the contrary, other than his rather "inelequent" word.


Hey Doug, I appreciate you stepping up, and giving him props, but maybe it's better if you put that in a fresh "Marco = Good Guy" post.


I'm not here to alienate anyone, just to either prove me wrong, or help others watch out in the future.
It's the same as any other good-guy, bad-guy posting.


Last thought... I'd LOVE TO BE PROVEN wrong.
As sure as I am sitting here.
I was just confessing that to Steve an hour ago.
If I am wrong, I have a good ported head on my DSM, and I am happy.
But if I am right, I've got some incorrectly matched head, or a head that isn't ported at all... and I LOSE OUT.

I really REALLY REALLY don't WANT to be right.
Someone, please prove me wrong...

I think its time to close the thread guys. This is going no were.
Maybe you should look at the head on a flow bench, and you should have done this BEFORE saying its not ported. That will decide once and for all if it is ported.

Ugh.
Please, people, stay out... or at least read through the facts first.

The thread will be closed, I guess, at this point, when we get firm confirmation of stock 2G port sizes.

You know what?
This whole thread has me so upset, I just yelled at my Son.

That's not right.

I've had it.
I don't want any money.
I never wanted compensation Marco.
I don't want anything more from anyone, except the facts.


I want to know if I need to remove my head again this winter, and have it ported properly.
Any measurements that can help in this regard, would be appreciated.

Good call on closing the thread, its getting lengthy and pointless.
Re-opening it once final measurements, etc...are done needs to be done.
I think its important for both parties involved to have the results posted to clear this up.

It's only a car...go apologize to your son! I am confident someone will get those sizes eventually...and in the meantime there is nothing more to be done anyways...

Facts in Review:
---------------

I've now got some hard numbers, from a stock 2G head.
While they aren't a perfect match to mine (some are slightly larger, some are slightly smaller), the tolerances on the measuring technique, put them close enough to say that my ports were not touched at the flanges -- intake or exhaust.
Casting marks from the factory around the inside of the flange edges, support this fact as well.

---

The manifolds that mate to these surfaces, that were onhand and available at the time of porting, do NOT mate to these ports.
- a well ported 2G exhaust manifold, and a magnus sheet metal intake
- manifold openings are larger in all aspects, as much as 1/4" difference/radius in some cases
ie: the holes in the head, were SMALLER.

---

Professional shops, (who prefer to remain unnamed, but are at the level of a Buschur, Magnus or Sheppard in the DSM/import community), all indicate that in addtion to any internal flow/velocity porting, head ports should match the devices being attached to them, OR AT LEAST should not introduce a hard step down in size in the airflow.
(as very clearly absolutely without question happened here)

---

Magnus Motorsports reports, in no uncertain terms, that the head was indeed sent out and ported.
Additionally, they have suggested that proper porting does not always require touching the flange areas, and is mostly internal.

---

The Logic:
---------

Since I do trust Magnus at their word, there is only one common set of conclusions we can logically draw:

1a. The sub-contract port shop were not instructed correctly on the parts they were porting for, and were not given manifolds or gaskets.

--or--

1b. The sub-contract port shop was so instructed, but did not do it correctly.

---and---

2a. Magnus Motorsports did not check the ported head correctly for component/port match, before final assembly.

--or--

2b. Magnus Motorsports believes that mis-matched ports are the correct way to put an engine together.

----

Conclusions:
-----------
Responsibility for sub-contracted work, falls to the company delivering the final product, therefore any blame on the port shop from here, is moot.
The bottom line word from Magnus is that some porting was indeed done, but we can see that it was not done correctly.
Magnus Motorsports either made a mistake, or was simply incorrect in an engine assembly technique.


I don't believe there are any other variables to consider. I shouldn't be the one closing this case, but with all of the possible variables covered, logic seems to speak for itself.

So, let's leave it alone.
Any further comments should be directed to either myself or one of the moderators, and we will happily entertain any other missing pieces of data.

If and when the actual head in question is ever removed from the car, I will provide a written report, from a reputable machine&port shop.

Again, just to help another club member in the future, and avoid a similar headache:

Things we can learn about porting:

1. Research the topic, confirm what you're looking to accomplish, and that the shop doing the porting, understands this.
2. Ask to inspect the head upon return from porting.
3. Confirm that the head has been properly flushed, or that it's part of the re&re. (another member lost a turbo, likely due to extrude hone abrasive left in oil passages)
4. Provide parts and/or gaskets that will mate up to head ports.
5. Always use new gaskets, and new bolts (where stretch fit is required, ie: torque spec is XX ft-lbs, plus YY degrees aditional)
6. Inquire as to warranty, what it covers, and what it does not.