Funny Engine Paint/Ray Barton Story...

[Mfr426]

So I am taking Ron's (firefighter) advice on many things and one was the brand of engine paint for my stroker (Plasti-kote). Having use Mopar paint I was eager to find a brand that held up and covered better. I was searching for a Plasti-kote dealer locally and found CarQuest right around the corner from my house. I called them on Friday morning and ask them if they have the Chrysler #226 orange. Happily the guy says "yep, we have that in stock". "Great" I say, "I'll be in at lunch for a few cans".

So, I get to the place at lunch and the guy says "Oh, a guy just came in and cleared out a ton of the stuff and I don't think I have any more". I'm thinking- yeah right he just wanted me to come in and buy Chevy orange instead. He then says "can you guess who it was?". He says "Ray Barton. He goes through this stuff like nuts". Ray Barton's shop is about 10 minutes from my house.

The moral of the story - If the paint is good enough for $40K hemis, then I guess it's good enough for my little stroker.

Thanks for the lead Ron.

[Ghoste]

Myabe now that he is supplying the engines for Chrysler's Crate Hemi program, he should look into getting an account with Plasti-Kote and buying the stuff direct.   
It's also nice to see that Ray was probably reading this board and taking Ron's advice himself.   

[firefighter3931]

Mike, i told ya Plasticote was good stuff ! 

Ghoste, i'm sure Ray is too busy to be reading our little race forum. 



Ron

[Ghoste]

I suppose you could be right.  After all if he was visiting here, he'd probably give you a good dressing down for always dumping on Hemi's. 

[firefighter3931]

I suppose you could be right.  After all if he was visiting here, he'd probably give you a good dressing down for always dumping on Hemi's. 

Who...me 

Naw, i luv Hemi's....the cost to build vs the power output is what turns me off. 



Ron

[Ghoste]

That could be the part Ray likes. 

[Mfr426]

I see Ray "around" every once in a while. He's a quiet man and oddly enough, he drives a Red Vette (newer one).

He said the last time "I like the vette's color. It's called "Firefighter Ron red"?

Now it's all making sense...

[Ghoste]

I seem to recall his first car though was a 69 Hemi Charger, is that not correct?

[Mfr426]

Next time I see him I'll ask him. He's not one to chew the fat so to say. Pretty cool that he's right down the road though.

[daytonalo]

What about Barton building Mopar crate engines?

[Ghoste]

The Crate Hemi assembly has been turned over to Barton, not really much more to it than that.

[Shakey]

The Crate Hemi assembly has been turned over to Barton, not really much more to it than that.

Who was doing it before?

[bordin34]

I think cummins was but am not sure.

[Ghoste]

Aruzza took a stab at it too for a while I believe.

[firefighter3931]

Cummins was building the Hemi Crate engines as well as the big and smallblock wedges. They were shipped to a facility for dyno testing  and repair if necessary (on site) then shipped back out. The shop that had that contract several years back was in the Toronto area but they were subsequently underbid and let the contract lapse. I spoke with the shop manager and he basicly said that it wasn't worth their time anymore so it was no big loss. 

Here's a bunch of crate Hemis sitting on skid racking waiting to be flogged on the dyno. Lots of expensive hardware sitting on those shelves. 


Ron

[Ghoste]

So the shop manager who says it wasn't worth their time, would that be the same shop who assembled them so haphazardly that common knowledge had people instantly disassembling their new Crate Hemis and having them checked and reassembled by local builders who were able to make it worth the time?

[Mfr426]

Great shot Ron! That IS a ton of money sitting there. I'd like to have just one for my garage...

[Shakey]

Cummins was building the Hemi Crate engines as well as the big and smallblock wedges. They were shipped to a facility for dyno testing  and repair if necessary (on site) then shipped back out. The shop that had that contract several years back was in the Toronto area but they were subsequently underbid and let the contract lapse. I spoke with the shop manager and he basicly said that it wasn't worth their time anymore so it was no big loss. 

Here's a bunch of crate Hemis sitting on skid racking waiting to be flogged on the dyno. Lots of expensive hardware sitting on those shelves. 


Ron

Dale Stroud - DSE1?

Is that who you are talking about Ron?

[firefighter3931]

So the shop manager who says it wasn't worth their time, would that be the same shop who assembled them so haphazardly that common knowledge had people instantly disassembling their new Crate Hemis and having them checked and reassembled by local builders who were able to make it worth the time?

Cummins assembled them. The shop's job was to simply run them on a dyno. If the motor didn't frag itself then out the door it went. Those that did grenade were fixed on site rather than have them shipped back to Cummins. MP was cheap and basicly had a "If it ain't broke...don't fix it " philosophy. 

The only quality control this  shop would have had would have been if said motor failed on the dyno and had to be repaired. 




Ron

[firefighter3931]

Cummins was building the Hemi Crate engines as well as the big and smallblock wedges. They were shipped to a facility for dyno testing  and repair if necessary (on site) then shipped back out. The shop that had that contract several years back was in the Toronto area but they were subsequently underbid and let the contract lapse. I spoke with the shop manager and he basicly said that it wasn't worth their time anymore so it was no big loss. 

Here's a bunch of crate Hemis sitting on skid racking waiting to be flogged on the dyno. Lots of expensive hardware sitting on those shelves. 


Ron

Dale Stroud - DSE1?

Is that who you are talking about Ron?

That's not the shop name or shop manager i was speaking with Mike.

Perhaps this (DSE1) is the shop that took over the crate program from the previous shop that i was familiar with ? 




Ron

[Ghoste]

So the problems with the earlier Crate program were more or less Chryslers fault then?  (and you can't fault the shop for following the clients instructions)

[firefighter3931]

So the problems with the earlier Crate program were more or less Chryslers fault then? 

Yep....and you wouldn't believe the cause of some of those failures.  Imagine the bottom end of a big $$ crate Hemi coming apart because it was missing a pair of rod bolts ! No, not loose or in the bottom of the pan.....never installed period !

They weren't even supposed to open them up prior to testing.....only afterwards if  there was a failure. 



Ron

[Ghoste]

Now if Cummins were assembling them though, is the shoddy work their fault or were they acting under some kind of restraint from Chrysler (budgetary, parts availability or whatever) that prevented them from doing a good job?

[Charger-Bodie]

Now if Cummins were assembling them though, is the shoddy work their fault or were they acting under some kind of restraint from Chrysler (budgetary, parts availability or whatever) that prevented them from doing a good job?

I don't care who you're doing work for , not installing all of the fasteners is not anyone else's fault but the place actually doing the work! 

[Ghoste]

I'll place it more accurately on the individual doing the work and rephrase my question to the aspect of quality control.