MiTHRiL

iTrader: (3)

As did I. I want those bolts especially

OUTATIME GTA

iTrader: (2)

Well I sent an email to Ben @AS&M yesterday to check the status and sure enough mine were ready to go.
Received my tracking # this morning.
Can finally wrap up this GP!

91-RS-B4C-fake?

Congratulations !

Let us know when you get them.

I just wish I had the cash for my base manifold
cam, heads etc. to rebuild my engine
and install these to make sure there aren't any
manufacturing defects.

BOSS 355 said his driver side runner
was pretty warped and would not flush mount
against his manifold.

So he had to send it back.
Luckily only took a week+ to get it fixed & returned.
He said it still looked a bit warped but once torque
was applied it was fine.

The purchase phase of this gp might be coming to a
close, but with only 5 or 6 cars out of 16 having the new
runners installed & running we might still want to keep in touch here in case there are any more surprises like half tapped holes not being finished
or warped flanges

pinky93

iTrader: (2)

Ben emailed me back immediately and said they would be in the mail!

KenV

I didn't think of that. Maybe I should mock them up on the L98 before I tear it all apart. Good thinking there.

Scamo-2.8

iTrader: (16)

Hey Fast Toys,
Just wondering if you'd do another group purchase for these runners. I know that it was a pain, but I think that anyone who would sign up for the next GP will understand (especially if they read this thread all the way through) that it could take up to a year to get them after paying for them. No offence guys; but when they paid they thought that they'ed get them right away (as I would've thought) so everyone was all over having to wait so long. But there are still alot of guys on here who missed this GP and really want those runners, who will be willing to wait.
Or you know... if we could just call you and get them for the GP price, that'd be great too
Anyways, thanks for your time and consideration,
Charles Kent

pinky93

iTrader: (2)

The bolts and plastic pins showed up on Friday!!

Fast_Toys

Thanks to everyone for all your patience. We are glad the GP has finally been filled and that you are enjoying your runners.

Given the problems with delivery, we will not be able to do another GP on runners. We did let AS&M know that if they ever had some BUILT that they want to sell off, to contact us and we can work something out.

If anyone wants to do a GP with another manufacturer, we would be happy to help. We haven't done anything with Mufflex lately if anyone needs a big bore exhaust :P

91-RS-B4C-fake?

It's too bad that AS&M in particular
as well as other manufacturers (TPIS or Edelbrock)
don't realize the un-tapped market of the 3rd Generation
Camaro/Firebird TPI.

These cars are now in the hands of their 3rd or 4th owner.
These owners need to make more repairs &/or up grades
& usually have a lower budget to buy their parts.

If the price were a bit lower & the availability
were more reasonable more sales would be possible.


Thanks again Phil
Fast Toys is #1 in customer service !

KenV

What he said. Well, except for the 3rd/4th owner part. Ours has always been ours There's a lot of enthusiasm for these cars out there, just not as much cash. And there's the problem...

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Fast Toys,

Let me know if you ever want to do a GP with TPIS.

58mm throttle body, intake base, runners.......

91-RS-B4C-fake?

Somewhere on a companion thread to this GP
there was posting to
get a GP for the "Big Mouth" intake.

TPIS was contacted and it was stated that
they "don't do discounted group purchases".

They turned down 10 to 20 orders
@ a discounted price.

They of course will sell them for full price.

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

I went through www.robiecustoms.com because i got a big mouth TPI intake, ordered a set of runners, but never got em, was lied to and treated like crap from TPIS (Robie has been good to me..)

Contact Robie, he is a "dealer" see if he can get a group discount from them...

Raf

91-RS-B4C-fake?

I'll send him an email right now,
but if TPIS
won't give us a break I don't think
there is anyway he'll get one either.

And I'm positive he's not going to take a
financial hit just to make a few sales.

91-RS-B4C-fake?

Here is the reply from John Robie
of www.robiecustoms.com

about a group purchase of the TPIS
"Big Mouth" Intake Manifold

"I'll Look into it, give me a few days
They have been very unforgiving with their prices, even for me.
I only make a few dollars per manifold."

But we'll see.

I asked him if we could order them for $350 + shipping & handling.
We may have to move this to another thread if he has
a positive response.

Everybody keep your fingers crossed.

PS: his web site has porting prices on the manifold
that are lower than what TPIS now charges for simular work.

pinky93

iTrader: (2)

I will be in on this one if it happens!

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

I think the "problem" is that edelbrock is casting them for TPIS (regardless of who's design / cast it is) and they're priced high as is...

Raf

91-RS-B4C-fake?

LOOK FOR A NEW THREAD ABOUT
ORGANIZING A TPIS BIG MOUTH
INTAKE GROUP PURCHASE THROUGH
JOHN ROBIE @ ROBIE CUSTOMS.COM

It's not all good news but we
need to start a new thread & keep this about
the AS&M runners.

BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

I really didn't think I'd have reason to post on this thread again but I think my fellow GPers could lend a sympathetic ear.

I only had to wait 4 months to get mine, but for the hair-pulling I had to endure after I got them, I would have gladly waited a bit longer to have them sent to me without defect.

I got mine in February and got around to putting them on the car In June. Were there no problem with these damn runners, I would have been done in a week. To my detriment, I only marveled at their enormity and lack of weight upon their arrival. I did not inspect them for warpage. My bad, I expected them to be correct out of the box. When I went to put them on the car, I found the driver set, manifold flanges, to be VISIBLY (about 1/16 to 1/8") warped. I was floored. I called ASM and had it sent back to be fixed. The had it back to me in a week no charge. I set it up and checked for "plum" and found it was still a bit off. I am a novice, I figured it was within some strange tolerance and acceptable. I put it on the car and for MONTHS (again, I am a rookie) I fought this car to find out why it could not idle and had one glowing orange cat. I took it to 2 mechanics and neither had any idea what the flying eff they were doing (to the tune of almost $300). I will say that the last guy eventually led me to find and fix the problem, although he had no idea what the problem was.

I got the car home and was going to start putting the stock parts back on when I remembered (how do you forget something like this?) the warped runner. I took both runners off and searched for a machine shop to fix them. When I picked them up, they guy told me they were BOTH off about .030". Yikes. All four mating surfaces had to be machined to achive a tight seal.

Man did I learn a lesson or two, not the least of which is I have no use for anything that comes from AS&M other than a set of runner gaskets. I am furious that I had to wait for this wonderful product with NO quality control standard. I paid $360 for the runners in a GP. If you add the $80 for machine work and $40 for two seperate sets of gaskets I needed to complete the upgrade, I ended up paying about full price with the added bonus of one hell of a headscratching learning experience/quality control nightmare.

Granted, the eventual total cost of my inexperience ($625 for wasted parts and inept mechanical advice) is mostly my fault for just plain not knowing, but at this point I kind of wish I had bought them as a single purchase because it was NOT worth the 4 months it took me to do this project.

If you're looking at AS&M for runners, you better have a lot of time on your hands.

(reposted in the Aftermarket Product Review)

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm, in a way I kind of wish I'd gone with the AS&M runners. In other ways, I'm glad I didn't. Taking my engine apart (I had a blown head gasket), I found the stock runners came off fairly easy. With the exception of one hidden bolt, the stockers came off without a hitch.

I went with a SuperRam instead. Some people had issues with the lids not fitting. I was lucky in that I had a custom lid made for mine and it cinched down good and tight the first time. No warped lid problem for me. But putting the SuperRam on was an ordeal, that's for sure. Those runner to manifold bolts are at a seemingly impossible angle to get at. There were times I'd wished I'd just put the AS&M's on and been done with it rather than spending the extra time the SuperRam takes to put on.

The midrange boost the LTR setup would have given was very tempting. Especially with my stock geared/automatic setup. But the SuperRam gave me the power up top that the stock TPI didn't have. The top end of 3rd gear in particular was noticeable. I was quite shocked after taking off the plenum to see how small it is inside. Especially compared to the huge plenum that the SR has. The stock plenum seems to look bigger when it's installed in the engine. But that's because you're seeing the outside only.

I will say that mating gaskets and bolt holes are vital to a proper performing engine. I had the tops of the heads planed by hand before putting the new gaskets on. In the end it all went together and idles right on spec.

Unfortunately, neither side really benefited from this GP. The sellers (AS&M) didn't gain customers with their long waits and poorly finished products. And the customers didn't save all that much when you figure it took almost a year to get the product. At least Fast Toys got some praise out of it for their nagging to AS&M and their support to us. For the profit margins they made out this, Fast Toys has to have gone above and beyond what was expected out of a company in the process of selling and dealing with matters out of their hands.

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Very well thought out response...........

pinky93

iTrader: (2)

OK, after all of this, we just bought an 02 TransAm that we are going to mod. I am working on trading the parts to ProCharge it instead of the IROC. Since we will be keeping the IROC stock now, I was curious if there would be any interest from anyone in purchasing my AS&M runners? They are still brand new in the box, actually I think I never even took them both out.

Selling some of the items in my Sig may help me fund mods to the T/A.

PS - I am not looking for offers, I don't think the mods like that. Just interest. If there is, I will post in the for sale and let you all know.

kewl_blades

iTrader: (3)

PM sent to Pinky93.

Scamo-2.8

iTrader: (16)

Listen if your going to sell them, or any one else for that matter, let me know. I posted in the wanted section for a set of AS&M runners a while ago.
Maybe I'll go and give it a bump.
Thanks.

kewl_blades

iTrader: (3)

Hey Pinky93, sell them to Scamo-2.8. He was looking for some before I stepped in. I'll pass on my spot to Scamo. It's the right thing to do.

pinky93

iTrader: (2)

Great people on this board and everyone looks out for one another...... that is what it is all about!!

I will offer them up to him and if it falls through I will let you know.

Again, I am impressed with all of you!

kewl_blades

iTrader: (3)

We rule!

Fast_Toys

We were speaking with ASM today. They have 5 sets of runners in stock right now. If anyone wants a set, they would be 406.00 + shipping.

Thanks!

Brisk

iTrader: (25)

I have a new unused set that I'll sell cheaper. If interested, PM me.

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

im very interested since i dropped out of the GP b/c of the long wait.

whats the qualty of the work on the runners?

ive read on the post of fittment problems????????????????????????????

pinky93

iTrader: (2)

I didn't try to fit mine, but they were beautiful to look at!!!

Fast_Toys

There shouldn't be any problem with fitment. If there is, just send them back to AS&M to be corrected. These sets they have in stock were not rushed to be completed in any way. As always, check them over thoroughly when received and install as soon as possible.

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

how much for the set AS&M have on the shelf w/ shipping?

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

Mine fit like crap. I'm going to be ripping them back off and mess with them some more. Maybe i'll find a flatness issue that another user on here posted about.

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

thats what im worried about!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fast_Toys

406.00 + shipping

Scamo-2.8

iTrader: (16)

Hey guys, I bought the set off of pinky and guess what, their warped. lol I had them powder coated too so everything would match so I can't just send and exchange. I'm not too sure if I'll have time to fix them myself at work so I might be looking for a machine shop to fix them. These are supposed to be the best runners!!???!!! oh well.

91-RS-B4C-fake?

Are both sides warped???

Is it warped on top by the plenum or on
the bottom by the base manifold???
or is it both at the same time???

Scamo-2.8

iTrader: (16)

It's both sides at the runners to intake manifold flange.
I put them on and the car was idling at around 3000 rpm!

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

i bought a set off someone in the GP. so did everyone geta warped set? i have not installed mine and dont plan to for awhile and im worried that they may be warped.

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

Take a straight edge to 'em.
Mine were warped 30 out.

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

are they repairable? can they be taken to a machine shop and fixed?

Andy 91GTA

iTrader: (2)

I got mine late last year and haven't installed them yet. I have to check and see if they are warped.

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

They can be fixed at a machine shop.

Andy - definitely check before installing. Learn from our mishaps. It ended up costing me another month in repairs and idle surging problems that were caused by the warp.

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

same here and not sure when ill install them. i want to get the TPIS intake base first them port polosh the heads.

91-RS-B4C-fake?

I bought these in the GP then ran out of money.
Don't know if I'll ever get them on.
Need more parts before I rebuild.
And that isn't going to happen for a long, long, time.

Anyone sent them back to AS&M to be repaired successfully????
At this point, time is not a priority.
And we all know how long it took the first time.
Does anyone know if Ben from AS&M is still there???

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

any new news on fittment issues? looks like i may be installing them sooner than i thought. what specifically should i look for in them for being warped? do i need to take my base and plenum to a machine shop to have them fitted properly? any news or installment instructions would be great. thanks

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

Take a straight edge to the mounting surfaces of the runners. Hit them at all kinds of different angles including straight to make sure that they're touching your straight edge all the way across. If they don't....take 'em somewhere.

Scamo-2.8

iTrader: (16)

Well guys guess what, I sent my set back to AS&M (I even paid the shipping one way)to "get fixed" and they came back ...better, not prefect. So I figured well they must be ok you know within a tolerance I'll put them on. Guess what 3000 RPM again. #$@% (By the way the stock ones are perfectly flat)
All summer I ran with the stock ones back on and waited for them to arrive. But guess what the guy who I was dealing with "Is no longer with the company" and they lost them in their ware house. After a few days they called saying they found them and they would get right on them. To which they did and sent them right away. So..... I decided that I would wait to put them on because I was buying some new injectors from FIC. I think the injectors are good but I can't really tell with the car idle at 3000.
I'm not willing to pay a machine shop to do these and I guess I'll be calling AS&M and asking them what to do.
These things are the most expensive pieces of crap I've ever seen.

navyCM

iTrader: (3)

WOW another horror story on these. i still have yet to put mine on as the engine rebuild is getting closer. looks like i wont even waste my time w/ them. an expensive POS is right!!!!