I purchased a single owner 1968 VW bus in the summer of 2002. The engine was severely corroded from being filled with water during a flood on the creek where it had been parked for several years. Upon disassembling the engine, I found very few usable parts, so I chose to have the engine built. I researched magazines, asked local machine shops, and surfed the net diligently for an engine builder. My search eventually led me to Jake Raby and Air Cooled Technology. Following an e-mail introduction and a response from Jake, we agreed upon a date for a visit. I like to communicate with people face to face and usually trust "first impressions." Jake and Brent were very knowledgeable of their craft and the shop was well organized. Their dedication to the profession of re-building Air Cooled engines was very obvious.
Air Cooled Technology requires a written proposal for each engine built but I felt confident I had made the right decision after a handshake. I completely trusted Jake and Brent to build my engine correctly and professionally. My engine requirements were different than that of most customers. I wanted a stock, single port 1600, with some beneficial up grades such as an oil filter, no contact points, and a better exhaust system. I needed a dependable, basic engine, built to the same meticulous standards, along with attention to detail, which I saw being used to build other MASSIVE engines in the shop. That is exactly what I got!!
Three months later the engine build was complete and I received an invitation from Jake to come and observe its performance on the dynamometer prior to bringing it home for installation. I was very impressed with the attention to detail by a visual inspection. No doubt, both Jake and Brent take tremendous pride in their work. The dyno run was informational as well as being very educational. The engine had no vibrations or leaks and was very smooth up to 6000 RPM. The balancing service was a big factor in my decision to allow Jake to build the engine and quality workmanship is the standard used in Jake's shop. To say I am very happy with the quality and service I received would be an understatement.
Putting around in my VW bus, with its stock 1600 single port engine, is very satisfying. It runs super cool, has great oil pressure, and is free of any vibration. MASSIVE it isn't. But it IS built with the SAME attention to detail as if it was.
I'm a retired Marine and can say with some authority that the pride Jake and Brent put into their craft is very refreshing to see nowadays. Semper Fi
Steve Allen
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