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Huge savings on Head Gasket Jobs - only $1320 USD

3K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  97EldoCoupe 
#1 ·
There's some catches:

-Full pre-payment must be made before February 15th
-The offer, once paid for, is valid for as long as you want (you have a credit with us of one head gasket & oil seal replacement job at our shop in Ontario
-If you're one of the lucky few whose head gaskets never fail, you are entitled to a 97% refund at any time (we may need an allowance of around 30 days to refund your money, and 3% is held to cover credit card processing fees)

If you live around the Great Lakes or even farther, this may be something to consider for 93-03 Northstar owners.

We have barely any head gasket work right now so this is why the offer is being made. We have almost immediate openings for vehicles right now.

I'm limiting this to 15 people for right now.

Oh- why pre-pay? That's one of the conditions that makes it worth it to us to offer this price - I still have to pay for a lot of new Northstar blocks, a shortage of work and money right now isn't helping with that. Time is running out and the guys I'm dealing with on that engine deal aren't small-time businessmen. If I can't fulfill our agreement I'll lose those engines. I'm buying the full lot of 220 engines.

You will still get studs installed, crank end seals and half-block/pan re-sealed, and 5 year/100,000 mile warranty against the gaskets blowing out again, for $1320 USD. Nothing will be done differently except writing the final bill.

If you require a refund within the first 60 days I will refund 100% of the money (because the bank will refund the processing fees too). So consider this a head gasket investment fund, cashable at any time (with a possible 30 day wait).

Thanks to all who consider this :)
 
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#3 ·
Onestout, I wish I'd known sooner that I still had a chance to buy those final Northstars....lol..

Not too many people know what I have planned for this business- I have a lot of ideas and plans. One is to take the business south of the border and open maybe two or three shops in the USA. I love Canada for some reasons but damn it's cold here in the winter. And the government just passed a bill to almost double our retail sales tax. The government here is not quite all that smart with a lot of issues. I have some plans for more shops in Canada as well.

I'm taking a lot of business from the USA, and if the USA knew this they'd probably openly give me citizen status... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has given me security clearance and a bond for $50,000 for cross border shipments and I hold a provisional patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and some are in the works for other countries as well. I'm going to see an immigration lawyer soon about this. Might as well keep the money in the country, right?

I may start offering a small public investment fund that either offers money growth or a discount on HG jobs. I don't know what yet, but it will help with company growth. I can purchase all kinds of parts at huge discounts if I buy in bulk- the problem is having the money up front to do this. Fel-Pro requires a $100,000/year sales figure with them, annually, in order to purchase directly from them. If I could do this, we'd all get gaskets at a lot lower prices. I'd still have mark-up but not as much as companies we normally buy from. This is just an example on how investment money helps out.

What's killing the engine rebuilding business? It's not the fact that some people start them up without oil (well only one so far, knock on wood) it's the high cost of shipping to the USA. If I lived in the states, shipping would be dirt cheap....

I'm not asking for handouts of any sort - but I am asking, are there people in the forums, if I continued to demonstrate trust between myself, my employees, and customers, that would feel comfortable investing into Northstar Performance? Money that can be refunded within 30 days from the time of investment. Names and amounts could be publically displayed, if requested.
 
#4 ·
I am definitely interested in your offer. I just need to know a few things.

Do you have engines ready to go? Since I live so far away, I wouldn't be able to afford the drive up there, a drive back home, a drive back up to pick up the car, and a drive back home ( 4 trips ).

If possible, I would like to trailer the car up, spend the night somewhere, and drive the car back home in a day or two. Can that be done???

Also, I have 2 heads and a crank from the first engine in my car ( I'm on my second right now ) if I could offer them as partial payment. They are VIN 9 as I have a 1999 Concours.

Another option, if you can do it, could you pick up the car in Buffalo and take it to your shop, then I could pick it up in Buffalo when it is done?

Let me know how to arrange the payment, as I am very interested in having my engine done. I would be very interested to know if I could be a 2004 or newer engine in my 1999 Concours. That would be great. How about a Supercharger while you have it apart ??? * GRIN *

Post your reply here or email me direct. dgilbert@infinitefx.com Thanks

Donnie
1999 Deville Concours
182K miles
 
G
#7 ·
How does Jake deal with customers like you? Where did he say he would be replacing the motor with another one? He is going to stud your existing motor and put new H/G's for that price. Then you ask for a 2004 motor, damn you want a lot for your measly $1320!:thepan: How much will you give for a supercharger (that nobody has ever done on a N* BTW), maybe an extra $100? :stirpot:
 
#5 ·
Like I mentioned once before Jake, why dont you move out to the west
coast of british columbia?, I'm sure the volume is here, I have a small yard care business and I'm getting phone calls already to mow some lawns,it's
especially warm this spring,just in time for the olympic winter sports.
 
#8 ·
Hope I can answer some questions:

1- I will not accept parts in partial payment at this time- need cash
2- I will not pick up on the US side of the border but I can pick up on the Canadian side for a fee, fees listed on my website under "Getting your car to us".
3- I cannot tow from WV but I do have contacts with trucking companies who can
4-We can have it done in 2 days. Arrive in the morning. Stay one night. It will be ready the next afternoon/evening.
5-2004 engine will not fit, no way, no how
6-No supercharger available at this point. That project got put off for a while.
 
#10 ·
Don I think Destroyer may have mis-understood your question intent- he was looking out for my interest and I really appreciate that Destroyer. But I do realize what you meant Don and it wasn't intended as Destroyer had thought.

I don't have too many engines built and on the rack right now- I prefer to just do a HG job on a customers car if that's all it needs and oil seals of course. Only use a different one if absolutely needed.

Hey Don - I have a good selection of heads and cranks right now for 93-99 but I do appreciate the offer- if it wasn't for getting those new blocks I'd take them off your hand in exchange for a bit of a discount.

I will work weekends to accomodate out of town customers. Done it before and I'll do it again.

the benefits of the M11x2.0 bolts are irrelevant because no matter what type of block you would have brought me, I would go one further and install studs (more durable than the 2004 redesign).

I definitely want to set up a shop or two in the USA but I won't even attempt that without the proper financing being in place first. I have to put my money where my mouth is, and I don't have the money to do so - lol - not right now. Let me know what you had in mind - jwiebe@northstarperformance.com
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the reply. I was very upset by the way that Destroyer just jumped in to attack me.

I would like to get my car up to you for repair. I may bring the heads along as they are doing me no good in the garage.

I looked at Google maps and it looks like about a 7 hour trip, close to 400 miles to where you are.

I will probably email you directly to try to work out a best time to get the car to you. Right now if bad with all our roads being closed from a recent snow storm.

Thanks for all that you do for these cars.

Don
 
#12 ·
If you want to bring the crankshaft along I'll see what I can do to make it worth your while as well. That's one on the list.

Any more takers? Remember - refundable at any time (30 days notice) and valid for as long as you like... this offer is only good until I have the rest of the $$ together for the remaining blocks.
 
#13 ·
Jake, just wanting some clarification on this. Does 1320 cover all the parts, labor and shop fees? If so, do you reuse intake, valve cover, crossover, water pump gaskets and not replace spark plugs, thermostat, radiator cap and coolant quick connects? There is about 50 in antifreeze, oil/filter and other fluids that are used during a repair. Do you charge extra for those or is that included as well? Do you send most of your heads to the machine shop for a light mill for an additional cost or do you cover that? Don't take this the wrong way, I was just curious as I couldn't imagine doing all the work to repair the head gaskets and skimp on reusing old gaskets that could cause trouble down the road since they are usually at least 10 years old. I was just curious as 1320 is pretty cheap and I do a lot of them, but wouldn't do it for a penny less than 1500 since it's so much work. I think you need to be careful on lowering your price as this would have a tendancy to force a service provider to cut corners to stay solvent. Just my 2 cents and I wish you well.

Mike
 
#14 ·
Naw, Mike, I just pour a bottle of heal a seal in the resevoir and let them be on their way- :histeric:

No offense, but why would you ask questions like these?

1- There are many places I use AC Delco RTV instead of a gasket because that stuff SEALS. Period.
2- I am well aware of the parts and fluid costs
3- this is a temporary price reduction to raise capital. VERY TEMPORARY. Four more days.
4- I DO NOT mill Northstar heads
5- Yes that price covers parts unless extra parts are required (chain tensioners/ water pumps)
6- I don't replace ignition parts unless the customer requests this or I see it mandatory
7- I don't replace thermostats unless required
8- Gaskets are all new
9- Rad caps get re-used, why install parts that don't fail very often?
10-Quick connects get replaced

Why don't I replace all of these parts? Most people maintain their vehicles and if a set of plugs has only 10k on them, why would I bill the customer for new ones? Water pumps - most have a new one, because they've been losing coolant/overheating. Why change it? I check the condition and replace what is necessary or looks like it will be necessary soon. Anything above and beyond is at the customer's discretion.

I don't mill Northstar heads. If they're warped, they get tossed. If they're pitted, they get tossed. I have a whole skid full of used heads and 46 brand new ones. Warped head - hmmm... lets see.. the cams don't run on bearings at all - yet two cams run the length of the heads with close tolerances. What happens with a warped N* head that gets machined and re-used? The surfaces might be true again after milling but the cams will start scuffing the aluminum away in the head. That can lead to engine failure, quickly.

Mike, I started doing this at $1150 PARTS INCLUDED. I wasn't turning much of a profit then but my expenses have grown considerably. I went from 550 sq. ft. to 4400 sq. ft. of shop space and have employed 3 people a while back, now 2. Just to clarify with you, I don't cut corners. I haven't then, and I never will. I had one failure in over 130 cars. I fixed it under warranty and it was publicly posted by me, I told everyone willingly and openly. People have a right to know the good and the bad.

" I think you need to be careful on lowering your price as this would have a tendancy to force a service provider to cut corners to stay solvent."
I have enough capital Mike, that I don't have to re-use a $40 seal and have it come back to haunt me. At any given time I have enough seals and gaskets in stock to do 10 cars. I have contacts at General Motors on both sides of the border and I'm partnering with TRW and K1 Technologies to develop some bottom end parts for race motors. I order over $5,000 worth of studs at a time and if I need a custom one made I have a good sized turret lathe to do the job. I'm not going broke and offering a cheap service as a result. Rather, I have a $50,000 order worth of brand new engines on order that I need to pay for. This offer was intended to mutually benefit the customer and Northstar Performance.
 
#15 ·
bad timing for me i guess. Im just waiting for income tax to show up in my bank and it probably wont be there till after the 20th. Sucks cause bringing you this 99 in-tact has been a topic of discussion.

I still have 2 engines here Jake. Its been slow at this shop and we havent been doing any big jobs. Snow = plow plow plow. That and my truck was away for 3 weeks so i had no backup vehicle :p

Im torn on how to go about making use of these 2 cars. Could very well be when the small lots are done (plowing) we'll just yank that 99 and send the engine your way.
 
#16 ·
Jake,
Is this offer still on the table?

I have a 96 Eldorado with 165K miles on the clock that is going through 3-4 qts of oil in 3000 mi, mostly from the half case seal and making a mess under the car and my garage floor. It has always burned some oil but still runs great. The HG's are still OK as far as I can tell but since the cradle has to come down to fix the oil leaks then I may as well do the HG's at this price.

I was going to do this job in the spring and was thinking of getting one of your rebuilds instead of fixing this engine but at this price I would rather have you just do it.

Problem is that the car has a few other issues that I was going to address at the same time but if you can take care of these also then it's even better.

The plastic firewall has broken away due to the exhaust manifold heat which I understand is not unusual for these cars, so I wanted to repair that also because we get some engine smells coming through. Plus I have the dreaded PO741 code all by itself, so I was going to replace the torque converter while it was down along with the TCC solenoid which between the 2 was hoping would resolve the PO741 code. If not, no big loss I've been driving it this way for over 2 years now. The radiator also needs replacing as it leaking slightly from one of the side tank to core seals.

Another question I have is since you would have the bottom end opened up do you take a look at the rod and main bearings while you're in there?

I'm in western Michican about 5 hr drive from you and can leave the car with you for a few days if necessary but would prefer to stay and watch or even help, but that would probably cost more wouldn't it? :yup:

You can call me @ 616-291-2194 or email samert111@yahoo.com to discuss the finer details if you like.

Steve
 
#17 ·
Steve the offer's on the table until tomorrow. The torque converter replacement would be free of charge (labor only, part would be your cost) since I'm in there anyway. We'll have to discuss pricing on the TCC solenoid but it wouldn't add much to the price. Bearings can be inspected, no problem at all.

That firewall cover would have to be ordered in, I don't think it's that big of an issue to replace.

Payment for $1320 must be made by tomorrow sometime, again refundable within 30 days notice if you change your mind. I can send you a paypal invoice for the amount or take a visa / m/c payment over the phone. Do not send visa info through email or PMs, ever.

You can leave it with me, that's no problem. I have plenty of parking space. Unfortunately under my current shop insurance I am not allowed to have customers in the shop while I work but nothing says that I can't take you in there for a minute or two so you can have a look-see at the inside of your Northstar. :)

-Jake
 
#18 ·
Jake,
Thanks for the quick reply.

I have alot of questions like what else should be changed while this is torn apart.

In the spring I was planning on making all the other repairs I mentioned earlier plus replacing all the coolant hoses, belts, cleaning up or replacing the metal coolant pipes across the back of the engine, etc.

I also have a feeling that the piston oil rings may be carboned up causing the oil usage I mentioned. Looking at this of course would require removing all the pistons and might as well replace all the bearings if we're going into this thing that far so how much more would it cost to do all of the above assuming the crankshaft is OK?

Maybe better off just replacing with one of your Reman engines?

Steve
 
#22 ·
Last chance everyone for the discounted head gasket price. This offer is open to anyone until tomorrow Monday the 15th at 11:59pm. Just a bit over 27 hours. The parts and fluids run to near 1/2 the price I'm charging here, and work is picking up. I won't be extending this offer. The details again:

$1320 head gasket and oil seal replacement job. Down from $2200. This is parts and labor INCLUDED, no tax for American customers.
payment must be made by Feb 15th, 11:59pm to reserve your $1320 price
refundable within 30 days notice or less, if you change your mind
valid for as long as I do head gasket jobs, and it looks like it will be a while. Hopefully 3+ years still.
When you can get your vehicle here, we will schedule it asap. Right now we're booked for 1 week.
Extra parts (timing chain tensioners, water pumps, etc. are extra $$ and not always required. We don't change parts without your prior authorization.

What is done to your car for this price:

-studs installed (www.northstarperformance.com/sgstuds.php)
-head gaskets replaced
-water crossover seals
-all top end gaskets
-bottom end re-sealed as per GM's Technical Service Bulletin, with a couple of small exceptions to improve sealing
-new oil, oil filter, and coolant
-5 year / 100,000 mile (166,000 km) warranty against head gasket or stud failure
-minor stuff replaced at no charge, if you request, except for part cost (belts, tensioners, pulleys, plugs, wires, coils, etc.)

We've done more than 130 Northstar head gasket jobs to date, with one failure, and I fixed that under warranty at no charge to the customer.

Also consider using this as a Northstar head gasket insurance plan, as a credit, fully refundable at any time within 30 days notice. (not 97% refundable- this has changed- 100% fully refundable) - I will send a receipt as proof of payment to your email and your entitlement to either a head gasket job or your money back- say a 3 year term. At the end of 3 years if you haven't blown your head gaskets, your money will be refunded.

We have one customer's car at the shop now who's getting a $1320 USD head gasket / oil seal job done, a few on the list right now. Any more takers, speak up soon.

Thanks all for your consideration.
 
#25 ·
Thank you to all who took me up on this offer, and thank you to all who considered this. I am a few steps closer to getting the rest of those engine blocks, and in exchange these few people are receiving a discount of approx. $800 off their head gasket replacement job. :D

I still have an '04 Bonneville for sale, $7,500 with 75,000 miles on it - new head gaskets, oil seals, and brand new heads..... the car is immaculate with two small exceptions. PM me if anyone's interested-
 
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