Fraud Warning: Chicago Corvette

[Matthew # 33902]

Buyers Beware!

Wow... I have not had a chance to check back in quite a few hours and I am amazed at how many people have had similar dealings with this guy.

He may be a "power seller" but you can bet that there are good reasons why he has received negative feedback on 11 transactions in the last year. If he gets another one before the end of December, he'll have averaged 1 very unsatisfied customer per month during 2006. (Not to mention the 45 total negative transactions he's accumulated.) Obviously there are many more that haven't purchased items from him through eBay. Sometimes it easy for people who sell thousands of items on eBay to somewhat mask their bad reputation with a 99% positive feedback. The more positive transactions he registers, the less each negative transaction impacts his positive feedback percent score.

I think it sends a huge red flag when this many people have had negative dealings with this guy and not one person has posted in his favor...

CCS truly gives new meaning to the term "buyers beware".

[Matthew # 33902]

Re: Fraud Warning: Chicago Corvette

Kevin,

That is correct... both the dates and part numbers would be under the valve covers when the heads were installed.

The warranty stampings that Jacob was referring to were on the head symbols at either end of each head. Apparently when some shops rebuild heads they stamp warranty numbers into the head symbols. I made it absolutely clear to AL that I did not want the heads if there were any non-original stampings or markings on them. Needless to say the stampings on the heads mangled the head symbols.

Not my idea of a well spent 3-grand.

[Kevin M.]

[William C.]

Re: Fraud Warning: Chicago Corvette

Many shops leave an ID mark on heads when they do a rebuild unless you specifically ask them not to. On 50 year engine parts it's pretty common. On most engines the stamps seem to face the firewall for some reason. Just by accident I'm sure...

[Dennis C.]

Interesting thread... After reading through it...

...I noticed the occasional use of CC to describe Chicago Corvette Supply. Many posters, including myself, often use CC as a short description of Corvette Central. Confusing the two companies would be unfortunate. Just my (barely) 2 cents worth. DC

[Matthew # 33902]

Re: Fraud Warning: Chicago Corvette

Kevin,

Yes, you could definitely see the stamp if I were to have installed these heads. Since the ID or Warranty stamps were on both the head symbols facing the firewall and the front of the engine, you would instantly be able to see that the head symbols were mangled. It appeared that each side was stamped twice and the stamps were fresh. Anyway, long story short, I wasn't going shell out $3Gs to put something that looked like that in my engine.

Also, see Bill's post above...

Matt

[Joe L.]

Re: Fraud Warning: Chicago Corvette

Jacob------

First of all, in the vast majority of circimstances, it's against federal law for someone to charge a credit or debit card prior to shipping the item for which the charge was to be made. It used to be that such practices were quite common, but when the federal law was passed quite a few years ago, most sellers ceased that practice fairly quickly. In today's world, it's VERY uncommon for that to occur. Sometimes, it does occur for items which are "drop shipped". This occurs when you order the item from one source, but the item is shipped from another source (like from a manufacturer's stock). Even in these cases, though, there is usually only a few days between the charge and the payment.

The 3740997 cylinder heads are quite rare. However, the only discernable difference between these heads and other small block heads is the casting symbol ("single rectangular peak") on the ends of the heads and the casting number and dates. As Kevin noted, the casting number and dates cannot be seen with the valve covers installed on the engine.

$3000 is a lot of money to pay for the above. Could I afford to pay that kind of money for a set of heads like these? Yes, I could. Would I pay that kind of money for a set of heads like these? Not on your life.

[Joe L.]

Addendum

One other thing that I should have mentioned because it's VERY important. The discussion of these '997' heads is about purchasing USED heads. Purchasing USED parts is always a "crap-shoot", to one degree or another. In the case of used cylinder heads, there are all sorts of problems which they could suffer from. These heads are 50 years old. They've probably been owned by who knows how many people over that time and subjected to who knows what sort of abuse and general deterioration.

In my mind, paying $3,000 for an NOS set of these heads would be unwise given the few discernable differences that exist between these heads and others. However, I suppose if one wanted them badly enough, it would be worth it. The important point is that one would be getting NEW heads and not USED heads.

I don't think that ANY set of USED heads is worth anywhere near $3,000.

[Jacob A.]

Re: Addendum

Joe,

Thanks a bunch for your reply.

I actually can't even afford the stupid 3000 dollar heads... but like I said, it is my first body off restoration and I want the car to be perfect! I am already in debt anyways.... what's a little more? OUCH! Did I really just say that?

I pray that someone with deep pockets will respect that I have gone through all the trouble to make the car APPEAR original. Next summer will be the car's 50th anniversary and it is indeed an Original Venetian Red, 270 horse dual quad car, with its original engine..... she deserved a full resto.

I guess in retrospect, (financially speaking) I had NO business doing a body off restoration on a 57 Corvette, as I am going to have soooo much money tied up into her when I am finished that most likely I will have to sell her so I can afford to continue restoring my other Corvettes. I guess I could have just patched her up like Bubba has done over the years.... but again she deserved so much more.

LIVE and LEARN

I am indeed in shock of a 3000 dollar purchase to make the car more correct, but how else do you prepare for a Top Flight? My hands were tied up against the wall! The 539 Fuelie Heads, that are totally rebuilt and already assembled and installed on the totally rebuilt original engine would have been a large point deduction, and that is why I coughed up a little more debt to make it correct. I hope it pays off.

also, thanks for the heads up on the pre-charge information. I do believe that the heads are being drop shipped.

again, I will post on this board what I find in the box when I get them, they had better be right, with NO WARRANTY STAMPS, or screwed up head symbols.... like Al told me.

[John H.]

Re: Addendum

Jacob -

When/if you receive the 997 heads, make sure they're Saginaw castings, not Tonawanda castings - you can tell that from the outside as well as from under the valve covers.

[Jacob A.]

Re: Addendum

John,

Thanks, as usual!

When/if I get the heads I will take pictures, and post them.

What should I look for in regards to differentiating the two different castings?

again, thanks...

[Jack H.]

Look for the 'usual' differences:

(1) 2-digit code used for year in the casting date

(2) Presense of a 'T' somewhere near the casting number indicating Tonawanda as the casting foundry.

[Mike M.]

Re: Addendum

flint castings typically broached on the ends of the heads where you'd find the double camel humps, single and double towers and traingle on rectangle etc, whereas the tonowanda ends are unbroached(ie rough sand casting finish )like the rest of the unmachined surfaces of the head.mike

[Patrick H.]

Re: Addendum

So a thought enters my mind-

if these Chicago pieces end up being Tonawanda castings with repair numbers stamped on the ends, can you broach the ends to look like Flint heads, removing the add-on numbers as well?

Just a thought...

[Mike M.]

Re: Addendum

pat: easy to broach a tonawanda head to simulate a flint head, but not vice versa. but who would want to convert a flint 57 283 hp head to a tonowanda pyramide on rectangle pass car powerpak head? regards, mike.