House call from Action Auto Parts

[gleno]

When a small business "gets it right" people ought to hear about it. Action Auto Parts and Machine, a small local company here in the Seattle area, coached me through the relatively simple process of a cylinder head replacement on my 71 300 I6. The manager of the machine shop wanted not only to see my original head, but also wanted my manifold cluster to make sure the mating flanges were in proper plane. Sure enough, you could have thrown a cat sideways through the gap difference between the intake and exhaust flange planes. I am not a mechanic by trade or training, but I can be coached. I would not have known to ask about the manifold mating, but they kindly took pity upon me. I put the truck back together, and it ran wonderfully.

After a few hours of run time on the engine, I was actually on my way back to Action Auto Parts to proudly display my workmanship and thank them for their consultation, gratuities in hand, when a severe misfire developed. I limped home, and figured out that one of the rocker arm studs was backing out of the rebuilt head casting, preventing the #6 exhaust valve from running in time. I called the shop, and the manager agreed that the rocker stud was not correct, and within the hour, a machinist was at my house, armed with the tools to install a threaded rocker stud to repair the head on site. Would O'Nationalchain have provided similar service? House calls?

I learned a long time ago that it takes three legs to hold up the stool of a successful business: Service, Price, and Quality. I always ask about Price last. This is not about 65-72 Ford trucks in particular: it is about people, who in this case , made a difference. Maybe they have a soft spot in their hearts for the classic trucks. I wrote a letter of gratitude to the president of the company and hand-delivered it. Support excellence. Gleno

[390Nut]

Far cry from the service I got when they made a small mistake on my engine rebuild about 7 years ago. Glad you got good service, maybe they fired the schmechanic that did the rebuild for me.