Just in case anyone is interested I found a guy to work on 220s. His name is Craig Nelson
Briefly, I approached him about working on a 220 and, after a week or two of mulling, decided to take on the task. He had never worked on one before.
Cutting to the chase, he did a major engine-out service and all’s well. New cam belts, water pumps, fuel pumps, clutch, hoses, fuel system overhaul, new fuel tank, and so forth. I can’t even remember it all. The car has never driven or sounded better in my memory. I haven’t scrutinized the work in detail but on brief examination everything looks good in terms of workmanship.
Craig says he enjoyed the work and would be happy to work on others.
Very curious as to where he got a new fuel cell.Did you need a new fuel cell? The other parts are all available on the open market (belt is Gates, pumps and other generics are Bosch, plugs are Champion, fuel lines basically Aeroquip), but Don Law in the UK has the only contract for the original fuel cells and won’t sell them to anyone, and we had a hell of a time getting ATL to make one here.
Would you mind very much letting us know where the fuel cell came from? If he has a source for that, he may have a source for other hard to find items.
Also, can you let me know what he charged you for a major overhaul, and what was included? And how long it took? If you are uncomfortable posting dollar amounts on an open forum, feel free to email me at: ssjsolomon1@gmail.com. I’ve been struggling to get my car back together for a year.Thanks and stay safe.
Best to talk to Craig directly as to details, parts suppliers, etc. I really can’t remember all the supplier details …although “a friend at Bell Helicopter” was mentioned a couple times and stands out in my mind.
This was a learning experience for him…which has billing implications that I’d rather not speculate about. The billing on future 220s he repairs, if any, might be higher or lower, I dunno.
Naturally the convenience and cost factors of being an hour away rather than shipping the car across country and then overseas was a significant “plus” factor.
Thanks Doug. ATL makes fuel cells for US military airplanes and helicopters so a Bell Helicopter connection makes sense. So does the time involved, and I’m very familiar with mechanics’ learning curves. At least my guy had done one 220 a few years ago so he didn’t need to learn on my car. But since Don Law stopped selling parts to anyone it took forever to get parts made or copied. Then Covid-19 shut everything down for 4-5 months, especially the vendors and delivery service.
You’re absolutely right that having someone an hour away is way better than shipping the car over half a world away. Glad it’s working and you’re enjoying it. Stay safe
