[ltleo]

I was thinking, a lot of us have done some type of upgrades to our jeeps. This is for those of us that took it to another stage. I thought it would be interesting to hear from people that choose to take the daring and expensive jump and do a build.

This is not designed to be a slander session or set any stage for us to argue that each builder is better because they did your ride. Just an open forum of what your goals where and what you were looking for in your builder.

Things like,-
1 did you research multiple builders
2 what was your main deciding factor : we all need and want a good deal, but was your final decision based on best price?
3 did you go with a friends builder since you seen their work
4 was turn around time a factor
5 did you look outside the vendors here or go with the flow

I'm hoping that this would end up being a good topic with great inside info regarding each build. What we were looking to get, did we get it, did we have issues? Hopefully people can read our input and learn something that would greatly help them with there build. We are a community of jeep srt owners and we all learn from each other.

I learned so much from listening and asking questions from fellow members who completed a build before me. This allowed me to go for a direct rout of what is true and reliable

My self, I started a build due to a blown motor. One of my main aspects was turn around time, since I was already without my jeep for almost a month. Second came price at first since I was a cash payee and this was not planed. This changed as the build started since I wanted more lol. I wanted to stick to one builder and go with a 426 stroker. My choice led me to HHP. They did a clean job, and got me on the road fast. Out come was and continues to be great.

So guys, what was your stages of a built.

Thanks

 

[gerd35]

subscribed

 

[ltleo]

Ok... No takers?? Interesting... Oh well.

 

[TheBRICK]

I chose Stage 6 because these guy ROCK!! Honestly though, Dwight has been working on my cars since the mid 90's. It was all about me having a shop I know and trust so for me..... it was easy.

 

[BJB]

No comment...

 

[Untouchable]

It s a sensitive subject to ask why one chose one builder versus another. It s hard to make it totally objective since when doing the build the difference between hero and zero comes down to little details.
I went through shopping around for my build several months ago, and in the end its coming together from several directions. Here is what I learned, hopefully it helps.

No one engine builder is perfect, if they claim to be then run the other way.

You need to trust whomever you commission for the build and being able to talk to them easily was a big one for me.

Realistic turnaround times is another one. Be up front with your timeline and expectations

Price...yeah money matters and is hard to come by for most of us. That being said, there comes a point at which a few extra dollars up front can save some MAJOR headaches and expenses down the line. Dont just straight up go for the cheapest build because you might end up paying more down the line.

Customer support. When pushing big HP things are going to break. Look for warranties on the build. These usually dont inculde the teardown and shipping, so geographically a place closer to you might be logistically easier so you can stay on top of things.

Tuning, make sure whoever you use has a good relationship with a proven tuner and keep the tuner in the loop, they can guide you along the way.

Hope this helps, feel free to pm me if you want details.

Good luck

And yes, Stage 6 rocks. But there are good and bad shops all over the country.

 

[CHUCKTOWNSRT8]

I chose stage 6 for my Turbo build because I had a chance to see their work first hand. They got my business by being the first company to give me an honest quote for a cam and header install and then it grew from there. Other than build Turbo systems, Dwight does pretty much miracle work. I not only became a lifetime customer, but I also gained some lifetime friends. They don't build engines, but If I ever went stroker, your best bets are to look at LPM or PWR. They are the people who have some great reputations on here and both do well in the engine department

 

[TheBRICK]

Who says we don't build engines?!?!?! We just have the time to do them. We've built PLENTY of engines. And we love you too Dupree!!

 

[petersrt8]

I chose the Hemi Shop boys,TT-creations and Hellbent for my build. They all came highly recommended and have done work for me in the past. I have owned my own business for 15yrs,word of mouth is your best advertisement. Thank you Jim,Brian,Mike,AJ and Chris Hull for everything.

 

[BOYCHIKS]

I chose King Motorsports. One reason, for convenience. (lucky enough to live 10 minutes) But that didn't sell them, just got me interested. Going into my little build, they began as PWR East, and were new to the Jeep community. Although, I knew that Brad King had been working on mopars for years. He was always willing to take the time and explain everything to me and how it worked, whether it was on my jeep or another car. Not only is he helpful, he is a cool dude and a good friend now, along with the crew he has brought to work with him on those nasty builds!! I do not regret it one bit going with him and like said, you really have to trust the guys you are going to and Brad is one person I do trust with my Jeep. They completed my Jeep in no time and had it up and running. Stayed at the dyno until 4am to have it at the track the following morning at 9pm! Hard to top stuff like that.

Stage6 has one heck of a crew and a nice shop. As mentioned by Harrison, Dwight has been working on engines his entire life. I've seen the cars he has done, like the TT Ford GT.. His videos and all of the great feedback from them. I know they were happy to add Harrison to the family, what a great guy!

 

[junior666]

I chose Stage 6 because these guy ROCK!! Honestly though, Dwight has been working on my cars since the mid 90's. It was all about me having a shop I know and trust so for me..... it was easy.

 

[GlobeWarmer]

Well I'm buying buddy's Inertia 426 with <5,000 miles, but before I got this smokin' deal, I'll give my two pennies on what my thoughts were for a build.

When I first got my Jeep I wanted Stu at Inertia to build my 426. I like his ideas, he has great prices, and he's a stand-up guy.

More recently I was originally looking at having LPM or PWR do my build. LPM because it seems they have a solid reputation, and build some of the strongest NA strokers. Andy is a very knowledgeable guy, offers reasonable prices and I like the avenues he's taken with different builds.

Turn-around times never meant much in my head because I just want to know a project was done properly, and when you're dealing with cores, as all these guys are, sometimes unexpected issues arise.

 

[Muellge]

hahahahaa.... more coke versus pepsi here.

GEOGRAPHY was a main choice for me. Turned out to be a great decision.

 

[ltleo]

Cool, this is great. This is exactly whatmi was hoping would come out with this post to give some in site to others that are looking to join us on a build. After all we need to take care of each other or else what's the sence of being a community?
I agree, sometimes it is a touchy subject choosing one vendor over the other, that is why I asked that this not turn into a gripe or slander post.
Every build and or vendor at one time or another has a bad build or a customer that thought they were screwd over, just part of dealing with the high risks of large HP and mechanical items as well as the human aspect and money. The important quality is that both party's try and resolve any issues in a timely manor. Tough sometimes you can't please everyone.
I'm a big track record guy, that likes to look at over all history to get a base line of quality. If a company has put out many builds with low down time and failures then this will give you a good base of over all quality.
Location was and is also a huge aspect because when things arise, you have access. I was lucky to have my builder have a shop in Delaware, only three hours away. In fact I wanted to try other very interesting vendors on our site but in the end didn't sue to my location. I also totally agree, that yes we all want to save money but in this aspect with the types of builds we do it is wise to not skimp because you will pay a lot more later. Don't rush it, we all want it now, but if you have to save a month or so more to get a better build that will keep you up and running for the long run, do it.
So what made you guys choose turbos over NA? Was it a bang for the buck, or preference? I choose an all NA build because I like old school cubic inches and just plain HP from all motor. Though some of these twin turbos and blowers are amazing and beautiful!
Thank you all for sharing, keep it going!

 

[CHUCKTOWNSRT8]

I chose it because it was able to make all the power I will need in the long run, and I can add things to the Jeep as I go. All I'll have to do is turn up the boost! No pulley upgrades and what not.

 

[eskle]

My Jeep has had many hands under my hood. I started out with exhaust, cam, heads and headers. A guy named Luke (04hemipower on here and others) did that work along with Joe of Stenod performance who did my first dyno tune. Joe had done all of my tuning until Jerseyboy hooked up his laptop! I was running mid 12s.
Then came the blower, that was also installed and dyno tuned by Stenod.
From there on to Blue Collar and my 8 lb. Upgrade and first Jerseyboy dyno tune.
The Stage six boys have been under my hood as well! I have their Ice box for my SC, drive shaft safety loop, QA1 shocks and my favorite, the headlight intake. I'm looking forward to seeing their operation in person in February.
I have a 10 lb. kit that I run at the track.
Luke has moved on in his life doing other thing but still enjoys his toys. Joe and I still e mail back and forth and he follows my Jeep at the track. Jerseyboy and Stage six are still around I think!

Now I'm hooked! Made lots of new friends along the way. 10.998 @ 123mph!!!!!

 

[Rufjatt]

I chose King Motorsports because i seen there work on our jeeps and read all the good stuff about them...from this fourm to lxforums i never saw one post that said anything negative about them..they really know their work. Great guys to deal with.

 

[BJB]

I, like Eskle, is now using Blue Collar Performance in Westland, MI. Ron has gone over the Jeep from stem to stern. Even though the shop is primarily a Mustang shop and they are a Roush dealer, Eskle and I are doing our part to change that. And Jerseyboy is known to hang out there on occasion too..

 

[Bliz35]

I havent had a chance to make big changes to mine yet but I would say the biggest driving factor would be the people that are there. There are plenty of good shops around that do great work but the key is making good friends while doing it. Like many already said you can assume if you going to build a monster that things will break, might as well have some good guys around to help you put it back together. No use building something that you cannot enjoy while its being built!

 

[TonySRT8]

I'm not afraid to drive several hours to a shop that I trust and know does great work.

But unfortunately shops come and go and what today would be great customer service, tommorrow someone could be complaining about not getting called back on a issue and being left hung out to dry.

I drove over 6 hours to DCX to have my vortech/meth system installed and dyno tuned. The install process went great and in almost two years I haven't had a single issue with it. But to be honest, the after install customer support had a lot to be desired.

And us old ballers that have been on this forum a while can name several companies that fall into that category.

After seeing all the great install threads and seeing jeeps in person at Atco this year. This Sunday I'll be driving 5 hours and dropping my jeep off at King Motorsports to have a bunch of work done.

I much rather drive the extra distance to know that the install shop stands behind there work. I don't trust the custom shops around my house not to destroy my jeep on the dyno or do a crappy install.

I also daily drive my jeep and can't go months without it due to having to get a rental car. So install turn-a-round time and reliability is also important to me.