The Mariah Owners Club - Summit and Edelbrock

Have any of you all had dealings with Summit Racing? I ordered and quickly received my Edelbrock 1409, Performer Vortec intake manifold, K&N arrestor, and various and sundry studs and bolts.

I ended not getting to the carb for about a week because I replaced my gimbal bearing and aligned the engine while I had it home. I don't know when it was last serviced so I picked up one of the new sealed gimbal bearings and pounded it in.

So, back to the carb. Sunday night I get home from my travels and decide to open the boxes and take out the goodies. I get the manifold out, screw in the studs, and go after the carb gasket. Then, I pull out the pièce de résistance and slide it over the studs. I quickly notice a serious lack of symetry since one idle mixture screw is cranked WAY down and the spring is completely compressed. My brain takes a second to process this and then there's a couple seconds where I wonder if this isn't some bizarre marine thing. I discount that(you have to wonder about things labeled marine). So, I remove the adjustment screw and realize the needle is busted off and the spring has been like that so long that it stay mostly compressed. Then I remove the other idle adjustment screw for S&Gs and that needle is busted off too. Then I flip the carb over, open the butterfly and I can see that the needle pierced the narrow port in the carb body.

I call Summit and explain the condition of the carb and I get sternly advised several times that I CANNOT return a carb that's had fuel in it after I explained that I JUST opened the box. He offered to send me some new idle adjustment screws. I said, "sure, what if the remainder of the old idle screws are floating around in the carb". So, this thing has been compromised straight from the box and since I paid almost $350 for it, I want a NEW carb. The phone tech tells me to send it back and they'll determine whether they should replace it.

I filled out the return tag and UPS'd it back to them yesterday so it should be back to them on Thursday. I called this morning to let them know it's on it's way and to find out if I'll hear from them once they receive the carb. Steve, Summit Steve I'll call him, tells me they don't have time to call everyone back that I should wait until early next week to get a status and it'll be a couple weeks before I get another carb. Meanwhile, I'd like to bolt on my goodies while the boat is home and use it at the end of next week. I would've thought that since they shipped me a compromised part, at the very least they would overnight me another carb after receipt of my return. No such luck. I just get attitude.

O'reillys can get the 1409 and their price is within $5 of Summit's. I'm waiting on a call back from the local O'reillys to see how long it'll take them to get a carb here. I think I'm done with Summit Racing and their BS attitude after they shipped me a defective part. Has anyone else has dealing with these guys for returns?

-Chris