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Hello All

MFT, Valar Blazar aka the guy who answers the phone occasionally for Empire Motors et. al. have not earned the trust needed to carry on a business based upon replicating parts for money paid up front. Bottom line, COD only!

I had a horrible four year experience with this outfit having sent an irreplaceable but broken clutch housing / flywheel hub to be have a pattern made and casting done. The first go round was fairly painless and only cost a fortune, six months of waiting and was poorly poured so that I had to machine all-over to be able to even start to balance it. But the pattern that I had paid for was not forthcoming. I repeatedly asked that he send me the pattern which was clearly stated as mine as part of the deal for the fortune sent out. No response, No response, no response. A friend with a similar car needed the part also. Hoping that sending more money for a second pour would shake the pattern out of MFT, I called and asked for a quote on a new part cast from my pattern. Not quite a fortune but not cheap either. SO I sent the money including shipping and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually I got hold of Mr Blazer and found that he he had lost the pattern so "could I sent the part back so that he could make a new pattern"? I did and waited, and waited.

At this point, he had my money, my part, my pattern and when I call, all I got was a lectures upon the virtue of patience. I guess it is easy to be confident and patient when you hold all the cards, (money, pattern and original part) Eventually MFT goes black. The phones are disconnected, no response to emails or regular post. The anxiety and stress at this point are tremendous. Not because of the money but he has my original part and has disappeared.

In all fairness, about two years after Empire took over, I got the new casting, pattern (slight damage and probably the first one that was eventually found), and the original part with a COD bill to match. SO after waiting four years (or was it five), paying a fortune, then way too much, and yet again, an aggravating amount more, I finally closed out my deal with MFT, Empire, and Mr. Blazer. NEVER TO BE REPEATED.

It was explained that Empire bought the Assets only from MFT. But unfortunately, the liability of a reputation for horrid business practice was part of the deal and will be very difficult for Empire to overcome.

Again, Bottom line: Until the legacy of MFT is overcome (which can only be done after several years of very good responses), I would suggest that person in the old car hobby deal with this company only on a COD basis for parts made from patterns owned my Empire.

Thanks for the info.

I think your experience echos what others have reported when the order was placed through the old "MFT" or "IFT" company. So far, I can not located any complaints in the last two years (since Empire took over), on any orders actually placed through Empire.

I also agree that whatever happened during the reign of the old company has left a stain that is going to take years of work to scrub clean again.

I think on any parts where there needs to be new tooling made to produce something, that a deposit should be left and the balance paid COD. Also according to Empire, a new new tooling part can take up to 36 months to complete based upon current production scheduleing. So I think people should get a timing/delivery schedule in wriiting so their expectations are set correctly.

Hopefully Empire gets to a point where the more popular parts can be stocked and shipped asap.

Just a quick update: The president of Empire Motors, R.A. Perriguey, is actually Rebecca Perriguey.
It has been 4 months now since the email that claimed: . . . "There after we will machine it and ship it to the customer"
I am still waiting . . .

More people have let me know about their terrible dealings with Empire Motors by phone. Keep em coming.
thanks
Don Livingston
Austin Minn
507 433 0073

I was involved in only one dealing with the prior company, MFT, which was quite satisfactory, though for parts for which patterns already existed. It involved a set of aluminum HC heads for a Packard V12; they were cast, drilled, threaded, and milled to perfection and delivered very promptly.

I have a Don Summer's reproduction Head, $2500

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