Art Thraen - [email protected]

[sb778]

Got my Dellorto 45's back and they are beautiful !! Thanks Dave for great communication,turn around time,and a job well done.Would reccomend anyone that needs carbs done to give these guys a call.Its well worth the money. Thanks again sb778....

[Art Thraen]

Thanks for the reply.. ill let Dave Know, Thanks again... Art Thraen
www.aircooledengineering.com

[Russ]

i had two sets of 45's done by them.
flawless,great guys to deal with
_________________
Cruiser pedals for sale (see my ad's)
55 hardtop finally finished
65 beetle done:)

[Glenn]

Hey Art, about time you posted here.

Art rebuilt a set of 48 IDAs for me a few years ago. They came out looking like new.

He did such a good jot that he's currently building my new 2180 engine that will sit under those IDAs.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[Dave]

I had a set re-done by Art @ ACE, they were the ones that appeared in the VW Trends article, written by John Connolly, about how to properly rebuild your 48IDA's, and add the 3rd progression hole to help the street driveability of them. They worked great right out of the box ( and Art even hand-delivered them to me @ Kelley Park) and even spent some time at the Las Vegas Bug-In, getting them perfectly dialed-in for me.
A better job, and better customer service, I couldn't ask for.
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2003 Samba Chummie Winner- Best Story

"Those that matter, don't mind,
and those that mind, don't matter"

[Glenn]

As some might know I had a new engine built over the past winter. After doing some research on builders and talking to a number of customers I decided to talk to Art Thraen about building it. I quickly knew that Art would work with me and would build it to the level of quality I wanted.

We communicated over the phone and email on the specs, estimated cost and estimated delivery date. I then sent Art a deposit along with parts that I already owned. Over the next few months Art and I talked and he kept in constant communication with me sending emails with pictures and status reports.

I arranged for Art to do the initial breakin and tuning of the carbs. He then finalized the bill, knocked the engine down to a long block and shipped it in a wooden crate.

When I got it I had to complete it to a full engine and install it. A month later I finally got it in and crancked it for oil pressure. I reconnected the ignition and it fired right up and came to a idle. I put 20 miles on it and changed the oil, almost nothing in it, and adjusted the valves. The engine idled at 800rpm, had no problem cruising at 2000rpm around town and pulled like a freight train to 7000rpm.

At 500 miles I dropped 2 cylinders and with Art's help I narrowed it down to a stuck needle valve on the right carb... an easy fix. I've since put 1000 miles on it and checked the valves again with only 3 of them needing adjustment.

Art's customer service, availability and after sales support is superb.

After reviewing my final cost on this project, Art's price was comparable to other top builders and not that much more than the mass builders. He spent a lot of time taking pictures, sending emails and talking to me on the phone. All of that was time he could of spent working on other projects. He never rushed me or avoided me.

It was a pleasure to work with him on it and I have to say this is the nicest engine i've had in my car since I bought it new back in 1974.

If you have a project, anything from a carb rebuild to a full blown race engine, do not hesitate to talk to Art. You'll be happy you did and you'll get more than your money's worth of satisfaction from him.


Link


To see pictures of Art's work click on the link in my signature below.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[wheel607]

Art worked on a set of 42dcnfs that I was putting on a new 2110 build. It took me almost 1 1/2 years to finally build the motor and when I went to install the carbs, they were not working properly. I contacted Art and he said "send them back asap". Im waiting to get them back and Im sure the slight problem will be corrected.

[davebuckholts]

THANKS Dave and Art!! I received my 40 IDFs yesterday. They look GREAT! I can't wait to bolt them up.
I wish I had taken some "before" pics. I had soaked the carbs before I decided to send them to ACE. I thought they looked pretty good. Was I ever suprised, they look brand spankin' new now and are nice and "snappy" as they should be. Don't hesitate to use Dave and Art for carb work, you won't be disappointed.
Great communication, fast service and fantastic work. Mucho kudos.
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My '66 RHD Japanese bug build..which has stalled!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=471759&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[Copper Jewel]

Sweet setup Glenn.
_________________
" Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt"

www.volksfolks.org

"Copper Jewel" may be gone from my garage, but will always be in my heart.

[Glenn]

[Art Thraen]

Glenn, and others, Thanks for the nice plugs of our service. We at ACE love what we do and look forward to building nice VW engines and Carbs for people in the future.

This year we will rebuild over 450 Carbs! 60 big engines, 200 heads.

Remember We do Machine work also! Thanks again. Art Thraen @ ACE
www.aircooledengineering.com

[ldsvwguy]

They do more than carbs too. I can say that they are a group of nice guys and they have one of the most professional shops I have ever seen. Clean and organized.

[pikeman48]

I just installed a set of 40 idf's i bought from Art,that He jetted and blueprinted for me. awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They worked great right out of the box,and gave the kind of idle kadrons will never deliver. My highest compliments and regards to Art and his staff,I am way more impressed with thes carbs than Art said i would be!!!!!
_________________
if it has wheels or tits,it will make your life difficult!!
1962 type 1-gone,but not forgotten
1971 type 1 vert-sold
sand rail-stripped and scrapped
1968 Empi Sportster

[ghiaguy682002]

I just want to say a big thanks to Art Thraen. I bought a merged exhaust from him in the Samba adds. I had a problem with the shipping and he was more than helpful to try and correct the problem. Thanks, Art!!!!!
Brian.

[58 Plastic Tub]

In 2005, I spent a lot of money on a 2110 with a set of heads, a distributor, and a highly modified set of 46mm Kadrons from another builder (who will go nameless).

The carbs were horrible, and couldn't be made to work at all, even after going back to the source twice. In desperation, I called Art, and asked if he could do anything with them. He very nicely steered me away from the Kads, and into a set of reconditioned Dellorto 40s, with some port-matched manifolds.

I received the parts within a week, and installed them on my car in a Saturday afternoon. They worked beautifully out of the box, after 10 minutes with the snail tool. In two years, I've never done another thing to them.

I'm in the process of planning and getting parts together for a large displacement (2332 or 2387) stroker. I loved the parts I got from Art so much that I located a set of 48 DLRAs (I missed a reconditioned set of tri-jets he had advertised by a week), and sent them to ACE immediately for the full treatement. I got them back in a week, and they are sitting in ziplock bags, waiting for the rest of the motor.

Art is the man.

[darkdune]

Well I put a lot of thought into where I should purchase my turn key engine from, and researched all the top builders, and after talking with Glenn, and viewing the build pics of his motor, and then hearing it run in his youtube video, I was pretty much sold. I contacted Art @ ACE (801-943-1234) and we talked about what kind of engine would best suit my driving needs, and decided on a 2054cc. Art kept me updated the whole time, sent frequent pictures of the build, and worked on the payments with me, which best suited my pay schedule. I phone him all the time to ask small questions, and was never ignored, or felt like he was holding back on me.

When it came time to the crating, and figuring out the best method of shipping from Salt Lake City Utah, all the way to Toronto, Ontario, Canada (30 hour drive) we decided on using Forward Air INC. The shipping was less than $300, and again, Art took care of all the shipping arrangements, and kept me informed at all times. He even went as far as taking pictures of the motor in the crating process just so I'd know what to expect when I went I was picking the motor up from Forward Air in Toronto. I just un-crated the motor today, and was very happy with the looks of everything, nothing even came close to being damaged in the shipping process.

I still am yet to install the motor. I plan on doing this within the next month or two, and I'll be sure to make a video of it running and post it on The Samba for everyones viewing pleasure.

In the mean time, here are some pictures, some that I took, and some that Art took.

Thanks a lot Art and the guys at ACE for the A+ service so far.

True craftsmanship.

http://www.aircooledengineering.com
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60 percent of the time it works every time.

[Rowroy]

[Art Thraen]

Thanks Alex, It was a pleasure working with you. That engine will be fast in your street legal buggy! And you talked me out of one of my best set of IDAs.
Art Thraen

[Glenn]

[Geoslavetoo]

Thanks Art and Dave,

I sent my dad's old set of IDA's to ACE for a going over and man did they do a fantastic job. These were old....at least 33yo and set in boxes for the last 21 years. Dave worked his magic, under Art's watchful eye and now my carbs are as good as new.
Thanks for everything,

Jason

'you get what you pay for'