The life of... SharkyUK's Trophy

[joe_112]

Sorry to see your troubles. It's definitely in the right hands now though. Can't wait to see this finished


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[dablk]

I think Andy will clear this up.. from my understanding the car was fucked before it went to Dan. The new build then was planned with him helping and never happened.

 

[SharkyUK]

Such a bitter sweet moment. Getting the car to someone who will finish it with care, whilst also finding the state it’s been left in.

At least it’s in one of the best places it could be, Micks work is top drawer.

Fingers crossed it turns out to be everything you dreamed of once finished!

Thanks mate Yep, Mick is top drawer and he's already on the case today. Well... he's got a contact of his over to decontaminate and clean the car so that he can then check things over.

At least that's an actual progress update! The ball is now rolling, maybe slowly at first but there's no stopping it now. I'm excited to see it progress and I've not read the whole back story. You must be positively buzzing now!

Exactly mate - I'll take all the positives I can find. To cut a long story short, I've not had much luck with engines and specialists over the years. This is the 5th attempt (and last!) Cheers!

Speechless tbh. I'm really hoping it goes well this time round Andy, sounds like Mick has his work cut out with state of the car. There's not much worse than picking up where someone else left off, looking for missing bolts etc

Thanks buddy - it's not an ideal place to start from but Mick is confident he'll sort it. I have every confidence in him. There's been no corners cut or expense spared on this so we will be doing it properly.

You seem to be the nicest person in the world! Hopefully it'll get sorted now.

Hahaha, thank you. I think the words you are looking for are, "You seem to be the softest lad in the world!" Cheers!

Has SJM closed down then? Just checked and the company is desolved!

Yes - it was a bit of a surprise to me, too. Especially as Dan is/was (?) also a friend of mine. The company was dissolved some months ago.

i read on facebook hes doing 1 day a week doing stuff like belts, must have another job

I don't think he's even got time for that at the moment, hence the difficulty I've had in arranging anything with him. He's working full-time as a night-shift HGV driver all through the week.

I've always seen this thread but never really looked at it an F**K me you've been through it haven't you!!
I can only hope that when it gets sorted and you can enjoy it after all you've been through.

Best of luck mate

Thank you, sir - I appreciate your well wishes Fingers crossed!

View attachment 1336341 Lol...Looks like he can't wait to get into it

ROFLMFAO! What are you on about...? He can't wait to jump in...

So was it Dan Potter that fucked this before Mick got it?

No mate - Dan was fixing the problems I previously had as well as putting together what will be (I hope) a rather tasty little high-boost turbo build. He's not damaged anything per se. He just has not progressed the car much in three years and has left it in a very sad state. It's been pushed aside and forgotten about and I've just had knock-back after knock-back as to why there's been no time to work on it. Enough was enough. I'm just how very little respect / care he's shown for it, which is in total contradiction to the things like the exhaust system he fabricated (which is pretty damn epic). Very disappointed and angry mate, as you can probably guess.

Bingo.

Some "mate"....

I think the friendship may need a bit of work after this. If I can get hold of him. He still has a few bits I need to collect and I'm still waiting for the car keys.

Awful tbh

It's not great. Time to move it on

I'm sure everything will be sweet in the end and can't wait to see it about on the roads next year!

Yeah - I'm sure it will mate. It's going to used and enjoyed, that's for sure.

Sorry to see your troubles. It's definitely in the right hands now though. Can't wait to see this finished

Thank you. Both you and I look forward to seeing the final result! I'll post more updates as things progress.

I think Andy will clear this up.. from my understanding the car was fucked before it went to Dan. The new build then was planned with him helping and never happened.

Spot on, Chris - cheers

 

[imprezaworks]

You haven't even got the keys?

 

[SharkyUK]

You haven't even got the keys?

Only the spare set mate. The main keys (with the keys to the bonnet AeroCatches) haven't arrived yet. Thankfully the catches were left unlocked anyway so... there was no need for a key.

 

[Philpooma]

I have read this thread from start to finish during this week and to be honest I feel drained.
I, like others who have posted, cannot believe how;
1/ You have stuck with this project - I would have canned it off ages ago.
2/ How nice you are about people who have let you down so badly - I certainly couldn't be.
I really hope that you end up with an epic Trophy at the end of this journey.

Unfortunately it does seem that in the motor trade, there are some great people, but there are also plenty of sharks......

 

[Djw John]

There's a lot of good mechanics and there's a lot of good businessmen.
They're seems to be very very very few who are good at both.

 

[davo172]

To me it just highlights how many " flavour of the month " tuners who come and go on here all supposed to be the best of the best for a while while bummed by everyone but in the end all seem to turn out as bullshitting con artists !
Shocking how Andy has been treated by many of them without any applogys or offers to put it right or compensate him in any way .
He really deserves it to get it sorted this time . I really hope he is not let down or fobbed off again .
Imo BTM should be funding some of this build as he so royally fucked it up after 2 years to build it after slagging off other tumers who had had a go before him ,then walked away when it went pop after a few months !

 

[imprezaworks]

Good post.

 

[davo172]

Good post.

Only what many probly think but don't want to post up ! :smile:

 

[Mr R.]

To me it just highlights how many " flavour of the month " tuners who come and go on here all supposed to be the best of the best for a while while bummed by everyone but in the end all seem to turn out as bullshitting con artists !
Shocking how Andy has been treated by many of them without any applogys or offers to put it right or compensate him in any way .
He really deserves it to get it sorted this time . I really hope he is not let down or fobbed off again .
Imo BTM should be funding some of this build as he so royally fucked it up after 2 years before this then walked away when it went pop after a few months !

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I've had to bite my lip many many times in this thread.

Andy, you're such a lovely guy. I really hope the car excels your expectations mate.

 

[Flat Eric]

I'm glad it's finally in Micks hands. It's a shame it's gone on so long though.
I do however feel some like to jump on any opportunity to slag off BTM/Fred when a lot of people have had very good experiences with him.
Yes the build dragged on for ages at Fred's, plus engine work etc was outsourced, but surely one mans mistake can't rule him down as a 'flavour of the month tuner' or con artist.

I'm not trying to sound like a BTM fan boy and I don't want to turn this thread into a mud slinging contest either. Andy has said it himself, he still speaks regularly to Fred and there are no issues on that part. Yes Fred may have been in the wrong to name and shame previous people's work done on Andy's car, and I imagine if Fred would have carried out all the work on the build himself we may all be reading regular updates of a fantastic high pressure ITB build. But who knows. We will never know
What's done is done, time to draw a line and move on like Andy has said.

 

[Adam G]

View attachment 1336341 Lol...Looks like he can't wait to get into it

That's face I pull when I can still smell a fart I left in there hours before

 

[Adam G]

I'm glad it's finally in Micks hands. It's a shame it's gone on so long though.
I do however feel some like to jump on any opportunity to slag off BTM/Fred when a lot of people have had very good experiences with him.
Yes the build dragged on for ages at Fred's, plus engine work etc was outsourced, but surely one mans mistake can't rule him down as a 'flavour of the month tuner' or con artist.

I'm not trying to sound like a BTM fan boy and I don't want to turn this thread into a mud slinging contest either. Andy has said it himself, he still speaks regularly to Fred and there are no issues on that part. Yes Fred may have been in the wrong to name and shame previous people's work done on Andy's car, and I imagine if Fred would have carried out all the work on the build himself we may all be reading regular updates of a fantastic high pressure ITB build. But who knows. We will never know
What's done is done, time to draw a line and move on like Andy has said.

Chris, it's Dan Potter not Fred

 

[dablk]

@Adam G

You might have to read the whole thread. The car ended up at Dan Potters due to a 18 month engine ITB build done thru BTM with some elements out sourced.. That engine terminated pretty quickly

@SharkyUK hit a low point and asked for help to salvage the car. Hence it ended up at Dan's and a turbo build was started..

It's basically "being built" by various people since end of 2012.

 

[Supernova]

Should have just taken the car to clioturbo 😢
Joking aside really hope its finished soon and you get to finally enjoy the car.My old 182 turbo was pretty quick and sounded really good on boost so yours should be epic.

 

[davo172]

I'm glad it's finally in Micks hands. It's a shame it's gone on so long though.
I do however feel some like to jump on any opportunity to slag off BTM/Fred when a lot of people have had very good experiences with him.
Yes the build dragged on for ages at Fred's, plus engine work etc was outsourced, but surely one mans mistake can't rule him down as a 'flavour of the month tuner' or con artist.

I'm not trying to sound like a BTM fan boy and I don't want to turn this thread into a mud slinging contest either. Andy has said it himself, he still speaks regularly to Fred and there are no issues on that part. Yes Fred may have been in the wrong to name and shame previous people's work done on Andy's car, and I imagine if Fred would have carried out all the work on the build himself we may all be reading regular updates of a fantastic high pressure ITB build. But who knows. We will never know
What's done is done, time to draw a line and move on like Andy has said.

Never said Fred was a flavour of the month tuner or con artist .
I just stated that if he was a good as he claimed he would of built the engine himself ( if he didn't have a go the first time and f**k it up hence the 2 years to get it done and the loaning of the vee to Andy! )
He was on here A long time and a lot of people have had good experience with btm ( I also know few that haven't but it hasn't been posted on here ! )

At the end of the day it comes down to the simple fact that Andy spent a lot on that car Fred did the work outsourced build or not , it lasted a short time then went pop and he left andy to carry the can and pay AGAIN to get it sorted and in my book that's truly fuckin awful !

Andy had been s**t on enough before that which made it even worse and he is a really genuine lovely guy that deserves better .
I really hope this time it is all that he wanted all along .

 

[Adam G]

@Adam G

You might have to read the whole thread. The car ended up at Dan Potters due to a 18 month engine ITB build done thru BTM with some elements out sourced.. That engine terminated pretty quickly

@SharkyUK hit a low point and asked for help to salvage the car. Hence it ended up at Dan's and a turbo build was started..

It's basically "being built" by various people since end of 2012.

I know the history but it seemed to me, that Chris was defending Fred when it has long been out of his hands. I've been out of the Clio "scene" for a year or so but saw it run at Fred's and knew that it had become a fixture at the Glastonbury museum.

 

[Adam G]

Never said Fred was a flavour of the month tuner or con artist .
I just stated that if he was a good as he claimed he would of built the engine himself ( if he didn't have a go the first time and f**k it up hence the 2 years to get it done and the loaning of the vee to Andy! )
He was on here A long time and a lot of people have had good experience with btm ( I also know few that haven't but it hasn't been posted on here ! )

At the end of the day it comes down to the simple fact that Andy spent a lot on that car Fred did the work outsourced build or not , it lasted a short time then went pop and he left andy to carry the can and pay AGAIN to get it sorted and in my book that's truly fuckin awful !

Andy had been s**t on enough before that which made it even worse and he is a really genuine lovely guy that deserves better .
I really hope this time it is all that he wanted all along .

The reality is that these engines aren't happy being opened up. It's always a big gamble modifying them. There are far better engines out there to mess about with. I don't think I've ever seen an F4R chosen by a kit car for example. You really have to be a fan to choose one. I'm not knocking Clios because they are a good standard car. Fred never let me down but Dan had mine and I found a few things I wasn't happy with.

 

[SharkyUK]

I have read this thread from start to finish during this week and to be honest I feel drained.
I, like others who have posted, cannot believe how;
1/ You have stuck with this project - I would have canned it off ages ago.
2/ How nice you are about people who have let you down so badly - I certainly couldn't be.
I really hope that you end up with an epic Trophy at the end of this journey.

Unfortunately it does seem that in the motor trade, there are some great people, but there are also plenty of sharks......

Many thanks for taking the time to read through mate; I know it's a bit of a slog given the length of it and the on-going dramas! No wonder you feel drained! Hindsight is a wonderful thing; had I even the slightest foresight of what was going to happen I would have taken a drastically different route many years ago. Alas, it was not to be. Whilst I have always ensured there is sufficient budget to cover costs (and contingency) I had not expected this prolonged period of bad luck and let-downs. The bottom line is I'm in too far and really have to see it through to the end now. All the best mate.

There's a lot of good mechanics and there's a lot of good businessmen.
They're seems to be very very very few who are good at both.

That's a very valid point and, I think, the reason so many once-reputable businesses fail over time. It's not enough just to be the World's #1 mechanic. You really have to be a bit of a jack of all trades, yet excel in those areas that really matter, too.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I've had to bite my lip many many times in this thread.

Andy, you're such a lovely guy. I really hope the car excels your expectations mate.

I hear you buddy - and thank you. If all goes to plan from this point forwards then the car should be spot-on.

I'm glad it's finally in Micks hands. It's a shame it's gone on so long though.
I do however feel some like to jump on any opportunity to slag off BTM/Fred when a lot of people have had very good experiences with him.
Yes the build dragged on for ages at Fred's, plus engine work etc was outsourced, but surely one mans mistake can't rule him down as a 'flavour of the month tuner' or con artist.

I'm not trying to sound like a BTM fan boy and I don't want to turn this thread into a mud slinging contest either. Andy has said it himself, he still speaks regularly to Fred and there are no issues on that part. Yes Fred may have been in the wrong to name and shame previous people's work done on Andy's car, and I imagine if Fred would have carried out all the work on the build himself we may all be reading regular updates of a fantastic high pressure ITB build. But who knows. We will never know
What's done is done, time to draw a line and move on like Andy has said.

Yeah, I believe mistakes were made but things have moved on. It was a long time ago. There were a few things I wasn't happy with. The engine was built by Fred (although the machining was outsourced) but things like the gearbox rebuild and map were obviously done elsewhere. As said, I wasn't particularly happy but that's water under the bridge now and there's nothing can be done, hence no point in dwelling on it.

That's face I pull when I can still smell a fart I left in there hours before

The smell emanating from the Trophy probably wasn't too dissimilar buddy... :dizzy:

@Adam G

You might have to read the whole thread. The car ended up at Dan Potters due to a 18 month engine ITB build done thru BTM with some elements out sourced.. That engine terminated pretty quickly

@SharkyUK hit a low point and asked for help to salvage the car. Hence it ended up at Dan's and a turbo build was started..

It's basically "being built" by various people since end of 2012.

Cheers Chris
Yep - it was taken on by Dan and Mike as a generous favour (and without my knowledge initially) due to the previous years of troubles I'd had with the car. As said, it was arranged without my knowledge but (obviously) once the news was presented to me I was more than happy to have two reputable specialists working on my car. It wasn't to be hence we arrive at the situation we are in now.

Should have just taken the car to clioturbo 😢
Joking aside really hope its finished soon and you get to finally enjoy the car.My old 182 turbo was pretty quick and sounded really good on boost so yours should be epic.

Andy had been s**t on enough before that which made it even worse and he is a really genuine lovely guy that deserves better .
I really hope this time it is all that he wanted all along .

Hi mate - thanks for the kind words of support. There are worse things going off in the world (so I shouldn't complain too much) but - sure - it would be great to get to the end of this story and to end with a happy ending. Ooer. Cheers buddy

I know the history but it seemed to me, that Chris was defending Fred when it has long been out of his hands. I've been out of the Clio "scene" for a year or so but saw it run at Fred's and knew that it had become a fixture at the Glastonbury museum.

It's quite sad to see so many cars at the Glasto museum. Obviously I don't know what the plans are for those cars (or who they belong to) but there's a fair number dotted around. I hope they get the attention they need and deserve. Personally I think Dan took on far too much; there comes a point where you have to say 'no' as there are so many hours in the day. Once you burn out you start hating work, everything becomes a slog and mistakes may be made. I'm not mud-slinging, I've seen the good work that he has done. I'm just incredibly upset and disappointed that my project ended up in this current state and I've wasted more years in the process.

The reality is that these engines aren't happy being opened up. It's always a big gamble modifying them. There are far better engines out there to mess about with. I don't think I've ever seen an F4R chosen by a kit car for example. You really have to be a fan to choose one. I'm not knocking Clios because they are a good standard car. Fred never let me down but Dan had mine and I found a few things I wasn't happy with.

Yep - there's always that element of risk, arguably more so with the F4R. In a bid to try and increase the robustness and longevity of the engine it has been over-engineered some what and has some nice features that will - hopefully - allow me to keep a closer eye on the engine and stop it from suffering another major catastrophic failure. I don't mind refreshing parts now and again, or repairing damaged components if the need arises. I just don't want to have to go through the process of replacing the whole lot once again. 5 times is enough for anyone I think. It's certainly the last throw of the dice for me and Trophy #165.

 

[masekwm]

I expect that your exhaust was made by the bloke who does the PMS ones as they use a company near Dan, so the quality will be perfect.

Hope you get it sorted and loads of respect to Rhys for fitting you in despite his schedule!

 

[davo172]

Has Mick given you any timeframe Andy?

 

[davo172]

I know the history but it seemed to me, that Chris was defending Fred when it has long been out of his hands. I've been out of the Clio "scene" for a year or so but saw it run at Fred's and knew that it had become a fixture at the Glastonbury museum.

What's the Glastonbury museum ?

 

[NorthloopCup]

What's the Glasto museum ?

I'm going to read between the lines and suggest it's sjm automotive....

 

[RMDavis]

Scholar and a gent...

You're a very patient man Andy, I can't wait to see the finished beast!

You bloody deserve to have an amazing car after all this.

I have no doubt you will!

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[Clio_fool]

I hope Mick gets it done before Trp and rocket man blow us all up. That would be unfortunate [emoji23][emoji593][emoji312]

 

[imprezaworks]

Yeah can imagine

Yep all done guys can't wait to drive it.

Ah......

 

[SharkyUK]

I expect that your exhaust was made by the bloke who does the PMS ones as they use a company near Dan, so the quality will be perfect.

Hope you get it sorted and loads of respect to Rhys for fitting you in despite his schedule!

The guy who makes them for PMS was supposed to be doing it but couldn't find time. As a result, Dan actually borrowed / hired the equipment from him himself and then fabricated the exhaust. Despite what's happened, it has to be said that the exhaust is actually very, very good and he's done a great job on it.

Has Mick given you any timeframe Andy?

He's got a few existing commitments to work through first. Once those are done he can then focus 100% on my car. We'll be checking things over, sorting out the new plan of action and going from there. He literally spoke to me a few moments ago and said that he will get the car done - even if he has to spend a solid 3-4 weeks working on it!

The sad thing is that there's likely to be additional costs involved just to recover the car back to the state it should be in now, irrespective of all the outstanding work that Mick is facing. That is, the car should never have been left / mistreated to end up in the state it is. This is somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow given the rather hefty costs I've already covered. Oh well, at least things are looking a heck of a lot more positive now mate.

What's the Glastonbury museum ?

I'm going to read between the lines and suggest it's sjm automotive....

Nail. Head. I hope they get the attention they deserve otherwise there may well be a group of disgruntled customers trying to contact him.

Scholar and a gent...

You're a very patient man Andy, I can't wait to see the finished beast!

You bloody deserve to have an amazing car after all this.

I have no doubt you will!

Haha, you're too kind buddy - thank you. Watch this space... I'm sure it will be 'quite nice' when it's done.

I hope Mick gets it done before Trp and rocket man blow us all up. That would be unfortunate [emoji23][emoji593][emoji312]

We can only hope!

 

[dablk]

If your spending cash Andy don't bother saving trendlines.. sportsters or speed are way better options. Or buckets..
Trendlines have originality... that's about it.

 

[SharkyUK]

If your spending cash Andy don't bother saving trendlines.. sportsters or speed are way better options. Or buckets..
Trendlines have originality... that's about it.

I don't have any plans at the moment to change the seats, Chris. They've scrubbed up well as far as I know and I actually find them quite comfy (as does the missus). To be fair, the seats are easily enough to change later if I fancy something different. However, for time being, the time and money will be spent in making the most of what is already there / working and sourcing those bits that are broken / missing.

Possibly.

LOL! Joking aside, I don't want the project to 'creep' at the moment. Let's get it sorted as-is, stable and running. Nice seats, etc. can be considered later

 

[SharkyUK]

September 2017 - Update #3

Just a very quick update. It's not much to share but - to me at last - this is some significant progress.

A few days ago Mick (Diamond Motors) sent me a couple of pics and a video of the Trophy. He had a friend pop round to his workshop who very kindly cleaned it up and even restored the headlights! The first time she's had a wash in near on 3 years!

It's good to see she's finally being looked after and I think Mick's a little happier having #165 in the workshop now that the grime and wildlife has been washed away.

 

[imprezaworks]

Getting there.

 

[Clio_fool]

That at least shows that it's now in caring hands.

 

[497adam]

Any updates ?


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[SharkyUK]

Any updates ?

Nothing significant as yet mate, but things are happening

 

[SharkyUK]

October 2017 - Update

Not a lot to report as my mechanic :tonguewink: is on holiday. However, a friend kindly played courier and transported my loom (and other bits) from Mike over to Mick. Sadly, Mick wasn't around to take delivery so the parts are currently residing with another gentleman who kindly offered to take the parts in until they can be passed on.

In other news... I completed my Trophy keyring collection.

50bhp per keyring IIRC

 

[Mr R.]

Nothing significant as yet mate, but things are happening

And I was thinking you was out on a road test. [emoji16]

 

[SharkyUK]

And I was thinking you was out on a road test. [emoji16]

I wish my friend! There's still a lot to do but it's under control now. When she's done and home I am planning on a photo / video shoot - been inspired by the one that you and Jekyll did recently

 

[Mr R.]

I wish my friend! There's still a lot to do but it's under control now. When she's done and home I am planning on a photo / video shoot - been inspired by the one that you and Jekyll did recently

Great stuff mate, I'm looking forward to it. [emoji106]

 

[c4pob]

October 2017 - Update

Not a lot to report as my mechanic :tonguewink: is on holiday. However, a friend kindly played courier and transported my loom (and other bits) from Mike over to Mick. Sadly, Mick wasn't around to take delivery so the parts are currently residing with another gentleman who kindly offered to take the parts in until they can be passed on.

In other news... I completed my Trophy keyring collection.

View attachment 1341486
View attachment 1341487
View attachment 1341488

50bhp per keyring IIRC :smile:

Out of interest, why 3?