Northwest Connecting Rod - seattle,wa

[theizzardking]

i'm looking to buy an rebuilt engine from these people and haven't been able to find a thread just mentions here and there feel free to chime in if you got anything.


Northwest Connecting Rod
1705 S. 93rd St. Unit F-7
Seattle, Washington 98108
Phone: 206.763.2487

Type Of Shop: motor rebuild,install
Will Work On: VW engines of all kinds (machine shop)


Seattle, Washington 98108
Phone: 206.763.2487

Type Of Shop: motor rebuild,install
Will Work On: VW engines of all kinds (machine shop)

Bob writes:
Back in Febuary 2004, my often patched together original engine in my 1979 Westy finally gave up. I called around, did some research, and figured out that if you want a 2.0 liter air-cooled engine built properly and you live on the West Coast, you need to get a rebuilt from NW Con Rod. Spoke with them on the phone. They were friendly and already were the engine provider for my shop, Autovice in Lynnwood. Autovice put the rebuilt 2.0 in, and it's been running great and smooth ever since (it's now 4 years later and the engine has about 13K on it). NW Con Rod guarantees their engines for 12K or 1 year, whichever comes first. After I had it a month, I noticed there was a small amount of oil leaking out of the front of the engine. I brought it in to Autovice, they pulled the engine without complaint and replace the crankshaft oil seal. Since then, no problems.
Shop Rating: Excellent
Recommended
Report Date: 02.04.2008


Anonymous writes:
After doing all their recomended motor extras and having them install, with now 10k on motor, the lifters rattle more that old motor did (couldent fix). still burns quart of oil every 500 mile, (couldent fix) .at about 5000 miles it blew a piston.the list gos on. Not the best people to deal with once you drive out the door. Northwest connecting rod is Not recomended
Shop Rating: Avoid
Not Recommended
Report Date: 10.07.2007


Anonymous writes:
They do most of the rebuilds and machine work for all the dealers and most of the shops all around the Puget Sound area. They are a one stop shop for this type of work and Jerry stands by his work. He knows VWs inside and out.
Shop Rating: Excellent
Recommended
Report Date: 07.07.2006
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
'71 westie "the wanderer"

[theizzardking]

xoshiex
Samba Member


Joined: July 05, 2005
Posts: 36
Location: Avondale, Az
xoshiex


Give NW Connecting Rod a call.
They are a couple hours north of ya but great shop!

Northwest Connecting Rod Service
1705 S 93rd Street, Ste. F7
Seattle, WA 98108
Ph.: (206) 763-2487

I acquired all the parts and had them build the motor for me and they've been awesome ever since. I believe they also build custom motors to your request. They can go from mild long live to straight out race motors.

Good luck to ya!
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
'71 westie "the wanderer"

[theizzardking]

from another user

RE: NW Connecting Rod
I've only heard good things about them. I had one of their 1.9L WBX rebuilds put into my '85 and it ran without a hitch for the 6,500 plus miles I put on it before the van was totaled.
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
'71 westie "the wanderer"

[theizzardking]

and another one

from another user-(i have meet this guy and know him he is also a vw mech.)

---Jerry is the only guy I use. Have done 5 from him, A1 work and warranty.----
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
'71 westie "the wanderer"

[theizzardking]

i'll talk about my experience for a moment thus far,


so far i have called them twice both times the owner has picked up and has been very nice and has given me his time to explain how we'll work things out and what will be done with my engine, this is all over the phone.

sooo, so far fast responses, answered all questions and seems willing to work with ya. i'm heading down there in a bit to drop of my deposit!

really look forward to working with this guy and hope for the best experience possible. i will keep this thread updated through out the process.
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
'71 westie "the wanderer"

[theizzardking]

[theizzardking]

[Corwin]

Where are you getting all of these quotes? Just curious, because it almost looks like you're simply advertising for them on here. Feedback threads are generally a place for different buyers to personally leave their experiences and feedback about a particular vendor; not a place for one person to pull a bunch or random quotes out of thin air and go on a posting rampage with them...

Oh, and ALWAYS get new heads. Not sure why you'd settle for rebuilt heads when stock new ones are so cheap...
I'm not saying NWCR does bad work at all, this just seems a little strange. They wouldn't be my choice though.

[theizzardking]

[calebmelvin]

So how about your experience now that you have the motor?
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Caleb
'68 Tagged Manx | My Wanted Ads
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[ARTIFACT]

Is there more feedback for for NW Connecting Rods?

It's local and it would be really convenient to have a quality machine shop / builder around to help me with my build needs.
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L331 Horizon Blue January 1957 Canadian Deluxe Oval Beetle

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

Yes!
Jerry was VERY helpful and knows VW engines in and out. I wanted to rebuild my ailing 1200 into a 1385 with the best possible stock-ish configuration and he made sure I got a list of everything needed to make it a great evolution of the 1200 without going overboard. He knew all the special this-and-thats I needed to make the improved 1965 heads fit and work correctly and OK'd all the little mods that had been suggested to me.

While they didn't build the engine (I'm in California), he made sure I got everything I needed to make these one year only heads work correctly and put my mind at ease on all the other issues.

I can tell when I'm being bullshitted and it was completely refreshing to speak with someone who was willing to take the time to share their knowledge with me and was nearly as enthusiastic about my goal as I was.

This was last August (2010).
I gave them a call today (8-8-2011) to let him know how pleased I was with the outcome and that going on a year later, how well everything turned out, and that I still appreciated his help.
They're on our links page (to this topic, as they don't have a website), and I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone.

After several phone calls and a few items purchased, I can't imagine them not doing top notch work and standing behind it.
_________________
Kyle, Buddy, and Herbie the Love Bug ll53
Visit Herbie the Love Bug at LoveBugFans.com

[theizzardking]

hahaha a long time later i'm still pleased with my engine , still pulling good and getting me where i need to go, the proof is in the put-put vrrooommm.
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
'71 westie "the wanderer"

[KevinAlbrecht]

Anyone have a recent experience/pricing from NW connecting Rod? Just a casual inquiry as to how much a mid-level motor costs these days locally.
_________________
Kevin Albrecht
Wait, what...?

[Planetech]

Brought in my Porsche 914 in for an engine rebuild. Their work includes... missing, loose, and bent hardware, (for example, one engine to tranny bolt was held in place by grease, w/no nut, one tranny bolt was finger tight), components installed backwards, and wiring not connected. I had to ask for and install the battery hold down, as well as returning to the shop and gathering parts they neglected to reinstall on the engine. The clutch went out of adjustment almost immediately as no jam nut was put on the cable, the engine has several leaks and will have to be removed to facilitate repair. The list does go on. I've got an appointment for the warranty repairs. We'll see. Hope this helps.

[KevinAlbrecht]

It is a shame to hear these things. I too, didnt feel like tearing into another engine like I did in my twenties. I went to a local (to me, in Kirkland) shop down the hill & they quoted absolutely outrageous pricing.

I suppose everyone wants to make money, but I could bring myself to spend that much. I ended up purchasing a longblock from a gent out of Multikteo, and doing it myself in a much longer timeframe.

Nothing like working ten hours and then home for another couple hours assembling the peripherals.
_________________
Kevin Albrecht
Wait, what...?

[wythac]

I've had dealings with them as recently as mid 2013, but only thru a shop. NW Connecting Rod is one guy I think. Cant remember his name, but Jerry (or Gerry) sounds right.

I had some machine work (match porting) and new valve guides put in some heads. Top drawer work, but I wasnt in a hurry for it, which I am sure helped my overall satisfaction with the work performed.

The address in this thread is no longer the address of the shop. Last I heard he is down in Kent I think , in shared space, so I dont even know if you could find him, except thru shops. I'm told that since he works alone, he is not the best at returning phone and email calls. I tried to reach him on my own before giving up and asking a local shop to reach out to him for me. The phone number you see on the web is a Seattle prefix that has been disconnected anyway.


I'm guessing that he has all the work he can stand, so if you were someone who wanted to have him to source or modify parts for a build it might take a long time unless you went thru your local guys first.

[empiracer]

I've done a couple engine with NW Connecting rod, They can help with whatever your needs are from head rebuild, machine work to complete engine assembly. or even sell outright turnkey engine.

I've found best time to call is first thing in the morning 8 am or after 4pm
there current number is 253-872-4945

[phlat65]

Anyone have an email address for Jerry? Im now on week 9 of "your engine is next" and my patience has worn out. Large cash deposit left 4+ months ago.

[ktai]

Does anybody have current contact info for NW Connecting Rod? I've been having trouble reaching them, it looks like they are no longer in their Kent listed address.