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I am replacing the absolute junk 455 smog motor that was in my Cutlass when I bought it with a small block, likely a 350. The old motor is not useable as a core. After looking around for builders that do not require a core I am leaning towards Olds Performance Engines in Cloverdale, BC. Prices seem reasonable and 6 - 8 weeks delivery is very good. My concern is I cannot find anyone talking about them, good or bad, and in this age of instant information I find that weird. Has anyone ever dealt with them. Has anyone ever actually been to the shop. Website https://www.oldsperformanceengines.ca/.
Thanks
Huh. That IS weird. Lived in the area most of my life and had Oldsmobiles since I was a teenager and I never heard of these guys. Could have used their services a couple of times too.
Huh. That IS weird. Lived in the area most of my life and had Oldsmobiles since I was a teenager and I never heard of these guys. Could have used their services a couple of times too.
What area are you in? Is Cloverdale local to you? Wny not find a good core and expand your list of potential builders?
I've known about Olds Performance Engines for a few years now but I do not have any first hand experience with them nor do I know of anyone who had good or bad encounters. I did ask about them in a BC based Oldsmobile group on Facebook and received a few suggestions of other places I should look at first. None of the replies suggested using them, but I don't think anybody said anything negative either...take that for what it's worth.
I wound up using an engine builder in my town as it was much easier for me to deal with.
Seeing as you live in the Glorious South, you're probably better off going with a shop that's not an entire continent away, anyway. Dunno exactly where you're at, but Mark Remmel (@cutlassefi on this site) is in Florida and he has a good reputation.
Hi,I had my engine done there,330 high compression in a 65 cutlass.Complete rebuild.About 4 years ago.The place is run by two brothers.Cliff is the main guy.Seems to me they did a really good job.The only problem I had was getting in touch with them,sometimes it was quick,most times it took awhile.I dont have Facebook so maybe that might help, but just playing phone tag was frustrating.
I have been using this page for a long time as a reference. Never thought I had much to contribute so I did not create a log in.
I have ordered an engine and transmission from Olds Performance and dealt with Cliff and Shawn. Cliff especially seems like the guy you want to go have a few beers with. He has a lot of knowledge and a big personality. Strange but you don't find anything good or bad about them online. Well I received an engine that was not what I paid for, no transmission, no accessories. I thought we were on track to a solution but they have gone dark... tread carefully. If things improve I'll post an update. I am hopeful.
Thanks for all of the input... DaveP, if you are in GA why did you order from Canada. For me, I have friends in eastern BC and a brother in Washington. Your Cutlass is a lot nicer than mine.... for now. Where did you have it painted?
I looked around my area and talked to many shops. All required a core or charged a hefty core charge. After talking initially with Shawn at Olds Performance then many emails with Cliff I felt they were my best option. OK price, no core charge, and the specs were what I was looking for. Shipping cost from Canada was less than what others were charging for a core.
As for the paint... I bought it that way. I am the third owner and it has always been a local car. The midnight blue paint is about 20 years old, always been garage kept but driven. It is a great 10 footer.
I had a 455 built by them. After about one tank of fuel it started knocking. I took it apart and discovered it spun the number one rod bearing and flattened it . It had oil pressure issues from day one. To say I was disappointed would be a gigantic understatement. I'm presently awaiting a local reputable builder to be available but he has a very long wait list which I take to be a good sign. Wish I knew about them the first time.
Cliff came off pretty good on initial contact and seemed to be quite knowledgeable and likeable. In the end my stock 455 he rebuilt to stock ended up with MANY problems discovered over tome after sending to a local shop for repairs and repairs made myself after TWO engine pulls, not in any particular order: Spun bearing, I had to re-polish my crank and replace all bottom end bearings. Oil pick-up literally touching the oil pan. Oil pressure issues, he put in a HV pump and I replaced it with a normal one. Didn’t use hardened pushrods, which were too short causing binding, with the roller rocker guides. This caused a failure with two bent pushrods and a blown lifter. Wore them to **** which was another reason why I had to polish the crank and change bearings. Shavings EVERYWHERE. Rear main seal (2 piece silicon) leak due to improper installation and bearing cap not having any anaerobic sealant. Dented valve covers from careless ratcheting of engine down to pallet. Valve spring not installed to spec heights. Ended up with a broken valve spring, sunken valve seats and half of the valves damaged with pitting on the tops. He had claimed to have installed hardened valve seats. He DID NOT. All these problems showed up with less than 1000 miles to about 5000 miles over the course of a few years. Just about every part listed on the invoice were either wrong part numbers, don’t exist or plain BS. Several other issues happened with Cliff and the engine as well, but too numerous to keep on going. One good thing that came out of this was I am now very knowledgeable about my engine and how to properly repair and correct all these issues.
Lol. AVOID CLIFF AND HIS BROTHER LIKE THE PLAGUE. Btw I have tons of pics to back up EVERYTHING I have listed here.
An update - things did not improve. I made every effort to get to a resolution but have come to the conclusion that Oldsmobile Performance Engines is a SCAM. Filing a small claim in Canada from the US is near impossible. However, through a friend I introduced to a lawyer that works for a firm with offices in the US and Canada and they specialize in commerce. They are pursuing criminal charges both in the US and Canada. They have already stopped the clock on the statute of limitations. I will not get anything out of it other than the satisfaction they will not be allowed to prey on others.
An update - things did not improve. I made every effort to get to a resolution but have come to the conclusion that Oldsmobile Performance Engines is a SCAM. Filing a small claim in Canada from the US is near impossible. However, through a friend I introduced to a lawyer that works for a firm with offices in the US and Canada and they specialize in commerce. They are pursuing criminal charges both in the US and Canada. They have already stopped the clock on the statute of limitations. I will not get anything out of it other than the satisfaction they will not be allowed to prey on others.
hey how do I go about reaching out to you! My father-in-law is being scammed by them as well right now. He asked me to do some research and I just came up upon this… we are in the US as well.. They are pretty much just ghosting him… he is looking into filing a lawsuit as well.. seeing you’re doing it as well. Might be good to team up… I don’t know how to go about giving you a phone number on here.
I have fb my names Ashley Lynn Heindl on there
and my number is +13178326910
Would really love to hear back from you and to see if you’ve got any progress yet.. thanks in advance really sad. This is happening to so many.
Huh. That IS weird. Lived in the area most of my life and had Oldsmobiles since I was a teenager and I never heard of these guys. Could have used their services a couple of times too.
I am pretty sure Cliff doesn’t have a GST number for the company. We were charged for that but he didn’t have a GST number (Goods and Services Tax) on his invoices which is required by law. I probably should have reported him to Revenue Canada before, but others should definitely do so if he didn’t provide one or perhaps provided a fake. Just additional avenue to pursue.
I have been in other conversations with another person on this site about topics beyond this thread or even this site. He has been in touch with Olds Performance within the last week or so. He does not want to say anything until he knows if things are going to work out. Maybe Olds Performance has turned the corner. Back when I originally posted here you could not find anything online about them, now you can.
Also, I did manage to get a complete long block from Carolina Machine. Took a while but they were great to work with and I have a stout 350. Had to modify the A/C bracket but other than that all others mounted up with minimal fuss.
Darren Blake is someone you can trust and he is very experienced with Oldsmobile performance options.
I know he is a member here, but I don’t remember what he goes by on here
do you know if the guy you tagged knew anything about them? My father-in-law is going through them ghosting him after he paid them $5000.
I can't seem to let this go, as others have said, there is little to find online about OPE, but I did find a yelp review and a BBB review, neither are very old. If you are someone who has been jilted by the company, then add to these reviews or create new ones so that maybe you'll save someone else some heartache. If you make a complaint on BBB I think the business is directly contacted and is encouraged to respond.
do you know if the guy you tagged knew anything about them? My father-in-law is going through them ghosting him after he paid them $5000.
So they have changed names to gearhead motors and cliff is using an alias of "mark" ive been screwed out of $11.8k canadian dollars for a motor that never came to fruition and figured id let anyone reading this that yes cliff is a scammer by taking deposits and not producing a product within a reasonable timeframe of when the original agreement was to be completed. Today i was offered in store credit as a return of my cash which is a kick in the teeth. I can personally vouch where his location is and have had to repair other motors he agreed to do things on and didnt do the work as agreed.
I have had exchanges with Mark and always thought it was Cliff. Always just another means to buy more time. I have been contacted in conjunction with a mail fraud case that has been opened, they can be detained if they come into the US, but no one is actually looking for them. Some day I hope Cliff and his brother are sued, there is almost no way to do it from the US. Some day I hope Cliff and his brother are sued, there is almost no way to do it from the US. If anyone ever pursues it from Canada I would almost be willing to fly in as a witness.
Cliff, though you don't like to admit it, I know you read these post, some day you will get what you deserve.
I have had exchanges with Mark and always thought it was Cliff. Always just another means to buy more time. I have been contacted in conjunction with a mail fraud case that has been opened, they can be detained if they come into the US, but no one is actually looking for them. Some day I hope Cliff and his brother are sued, there is almost no way to do it from the US. Some day I hope Cliff and his brother are sued, there is almost no way to do it from the US. If anyone ever pursues it from Canada I would almost be willing to fly in as a witness.
Cliff, though you don't like to admit it, I know you read these post, some day you will get what you deserve.
If im not returned my money i will be opening up a case, i have lots of proof of the scam he pulled. Sad part is he was a friend at one time.
If im not returned my money i will be opening up a case, i have lots of proof of the scam he pulled. Sad part is he was a friend at one time.
I actually enjoyed talking with Cliff, could have been friends, but not at the expense of $10K. I don't expect to see anything for it but I'll gladly do everything I can to keep others from being taken. Cliff is magical at excuses, delays, and promises that his has no intent of fulfilling. I don't think you'll ever see your money. I encourage yelp reviews and BBB, there is a thread on BBB that I started but cannot post to. If he kept the same business license and changed the name they will follow him. Anyone can open a review on yelp if they have the business information.
I actually enjoyed talking with Cliff, could have been friends, but not at the expense of $10K. I don't expect to see anything for it but I'll gladly do everything I can to keep others from being taken. Cliff is magical at excuses, delays, and promises that his has no intent of fulfilling. I don't think you'll ever see your money. I encourage yelp reviews and BBB, there is a thread on BBB that I started but cannot post to. If he kept the same business license and changed the name they will follow him. Anyone can open a review on yelp if they have the business information.
The BBB here is useless and have no pull to do enforcement of any sort. Im in the local hotrod community and will be telling everyone possible i speak with about the truthful encounters ive had as well as my personal opinion on his shady actions. He has come up with many excuses for everything. Back order is one hes famous for which is funny because i ended up being forced to rebuild my motor myself to keep my car on the road and i had no problem ordering parts and getting them, none were back order........
If anyone does sue him it sounds like there are enough people just on this site to bury min. I don't know Canadian law but in the US the amount of money stolen would be considered a felon. He managed to drag things out beyond the statue of limitations for a small claims case, and for me to even try from the US was near impossible. I also have pages of documents I can provide.
Scam business takeing advantage of people's good nature.
We are in the same boat. Similar story. Cash paid, over a year later and still no engine. Cliff is just giving my partner the run around everytime. Now my partner has asked for his 9k back and Cliff has ghosted him.
The stress of this has literally put my retired VETRAN partner in the hospital due to mental health issues caused by this man's bullshit. Unreal to me.
We are from Ontario.
Anyone feel free to contact us as we are putting together a case against him.
CLIFF, IM SURE YOU READ ALL THESE COMMENTS.... KARMA, ITS A WONDERFUL THING. STAY TUNED.
Last edited by Tye; Oct 3, 2025 at 02:03 PM.
Reason: Miss spell.
Cliff came off pretty good on initial contact and seemed to be quite knowledgeable and likeable. In the end my stock 455 he rebuilt to stock ended up with MANY problems discovered over tome after sending to a local shop for repairs and repairs made myself after TWO engine pulls, not in any particular order: Spun bearing, I had to re-polish my crank and replace all bottom end bearings. Oil pick-up literally touching the oil pan. Oil pressure issues, he put in a HV pump and I replaced it with a normal one. Didn’t use hardened pushrods, which were too short causing binding, with the roller rocker guides. This caused a failure with two bent pushrods and a blown lifter. Wore them to **** which was another reason why I had to polish the crank and change bearings. Shavings EVERYWHERE. Rear main seal (2 piece silicon) leak due to improper installation and bearing cap not having any anaerobic sealant. Dented valve covers from careless ratcheting of engine down to pallet. Valve spring not installed to spec heights. Ended up with a broken valve spring, sunken valve seats and half of the valves damaged with pitting on the tops. He had claimed to have installed hardened valve seats. He DID NOT. All these problems showed up with less than 1000 miles to about 5000 miles over the course of a few years. Just about every part listed on the invoice were either wrong part numbers, don’t exist or plain BS. Several other issues happened with Cliff and the engine as well, but too numerous to keep on going. One good thing that came out of this was I am now very knowledgeable about my engine and how to properly repair and correct all these issues.
Lol. AVOID CLIFF AND HIS BROTHER LIKE THE PLAGUE. Btw I have tons of pics to back up EVERYTHING I have listed here.
Reach out if you like, they are scamming us currently.
Cliff came off pretty good on initial contact and seemed to be quite knowledgeable and likeable. In the end my stock 455 he rebuilt to stock ended up with MANY problems discovered over tome after sending to a local shop for repairs and repairs made myself after TWO engine pulls, not in any particular order: Spun bearing, I had to re-polish my crank and replace all bottom end bearings. Oil pick-up literally touching the oil pan. Oil pressure issues, he put in a HV pump and I replaced it with a normal one. Didn’t use hardened pushrods, which were too short causing binding, with the roller rocker guides. This caused a failure with two bent pushrods and a blown lifter. Wore them to **** which was another reason why I had to polish the crank and change bearings. Shavings EVERYWHERE. Rear main seal (2 piece silicon) leak due to improper installation and bearing cap not having any anaerobic sealant. Dented valve covers from careless ratcheting of engine down to pallet. Valve spring not installed to spec heights. Ended up with a broken valve spring, sunken valve seats and half of the valves damaged with pitting on the tops. He had claimed to have installed hardened valve seats. He DID NOT. All these problems showed up with less than 1000 miles to about 5000 miles over the course of a few years. Just about every part listed on the invoice were either wrong part numbers, don’t exist or plain BS. Several other issues happened with Cliff and the engine as well, but too numerous to keep on going. One good thing that came out of this was I am now very knowledgeable about my engine and how to properly repair and correct all these issues.
Lol. AVOID CLIFF AND HIS BROTHER LIKE THE PLAGUE. Btw I have tons of pics to back up EVERYTHING I have listed here.
Originally Posted by chevyloonatik
So they have changed names to gearhead motors and cliff is using an alias of "mark" ive been screwed out of $11.8k canadian dollars for a motor that never came to fruition and figured id let anyone reading this that yes cliff is a scammer by taking deposits and not producing a product within a reasonable timeframe of when the original agreement was to be completed. Today i was offered in store credit as a return of my cash which is a kick in the teeth. I can personally vouch where his location is and have had to repair other motors he agreed to do things on and didnt do the work as agreed.
We are in the same boat right now. Feel free to contact us. We are presuuing this further.
