Dominion Performance, Heads?

[otis]

Has anybody heard of Dominion Performance and their 32valve (4 valve per cylinder) head combo for 302/351's? I have only read briefly about them in "How to Tune & Modify Your Ford Mustang by Steve Turner. Does anybody know more info about this company? Is it still in business? And how about some info on that exotic cylinder head. Just curious, because it would be a unique and cool combo. Thanx

 

[Killercanary]

Nope they are no longer in business and the heads when avail (though I'm not sure they ever truely were) were around $3-5K if memeory serves me right.

 

[95BLBLVert]

Yes they are still in business except under a new name....Arao Engineering.

Go to:
http://www.araoengineering.com

 

[Killercanary]

Yeh, but do they have any of them to ship out??? I've heard about them going by the new name for a while, but still have yet to hear that they are ready for sale to the masses. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Sabio]

They made some improvements,thats what he told me why my order takes so long:
The improvements that we needed to incorporate are in the latest run of
heads which includes yours. The taller more durable stands are just geting
finished. They will ship soon. It is better that you get the latest most
improved version rather than have any wear issues etc.

 

[95BLBLVert]

Please post some pics when you get them and then when they're installed!

 

[Sabio]

I could post some pics,but I guess I have to wait another 2 years for the heads

 

[BILLET RACING]

SCAMMED BY ARAO ENGINEERING INC, RUSS ARAO

I could post some pics,but I guess I have to wait another 2 years for the heads

In a word forget it. We ordered 32valve Ford Cleveland cyl heads from ARAO on 2/1/06. Paid in FULL USD$11k + to expedite the order with a promised delivery date of 90days MFG. and so far we received some pictures and a whole lot of bull**** promises.

Unless you feel like throwing your $$$ down the toilet, don’t even go there, take it from our VERY bad and costly experience with Arao.

I can write you pages and pages regarding this order with Arao, but I will spare you the headache.

Short story...On Saturday, January 21, 2006 6:26 PM I Kevin Gall made contact via email with a company located in California U.S.A. As you know the company is ARAO Engineering Inc. the owner is Russell ARAO . In my contact email to ARAO i enquired about a special order set of FORD Aluminum racing cylinder heads - a product ARAO advertises & manufactures. After receiving a reply and several emails i decided to place an order with ARAO The product is special order Automotive cylinder heads to suit a Ford V8 for racing use at a fax quoted cost of USD $11,000.00 manufacturing leadtime ARAO states on paper 90days for special orders.

On 31st January 2006 payment via Int'l Bank Wire of USD $5,500.00 & 6th February 2006 USD $5,500.00 was completed in FULL to ARAO Engineering Inc. Bank account. After several more emails to finalize details and special requests i was informed by ARAO were engaged and going. After some waiting i emailed ARAO on Friday, June 02, 2006 12:39 AM to ask if everything was on track, i received a response back from ARAO that everything was fine and on track.

Again after more waiting On Friday, September 15, 2006 03:05:42 i asked via email a good friend of mine that owns a reputable drag racing supplies shop located in Whittier, CA U.S.A. to contact ARAO by telephone. He spoke with Russell ARAO and he stated to he was waiting on parts from an outside supplier - hence the delay. In months to come i have made ALOT of repeated attempts in writing, faxes, calls, emails to receive a date for finalizing and completion of my special order. I still have not received a date at which my order will be finished.

As of today Sunday, Jan 17th, 2008 nearly two(2) years later i have not received my order from ARAO Engineering Inc, only BU**SHT PROMISES AND ABSOLUTE LIES. The only thing i have received is pictures of my heads un-finished. I believe i have been patient and understanding and more than reasonable considering that ARAO has not delivered as promised 90days to manufacture.

From my personal dealings I heavily caution anybody wishing to part with their money to purchase from a disreputable company like ARAO Engineering Inc. If you have any questions/comments please email anytime! ....Arao Engineering has been reported by myself to the L.A Better Business Bureau & also C.A dept of Justice ,The office of the Attorney General C.A. It is noted Russ Arao Failed to respond to any complaint(s).

 

[RS200]

I've never heard of a set of Arao heads getting delivered.

Dominion made them, but had poor advertising.
Arao had great advertising, but hasn't made anything.

 

[393 Boss]

dominion arao 32 valve sbf heads

ATTEN...

I know the thread is old but this is important enough to make this post .

I have been trying to contact this billetracing/kevin guy since mid 2009 on many diffrent forums that he spamed the same single one post over and over in many auto forums about being scamed/ripped off by arao with NO luck contacting him with many emails and pm's again since mid 2009 to offer him help and get more details about his situation as I and others have these heads and might have been able to help him out.

The FACT IS this guy billetracing/kevin did NOT get ripped off and he did get his CUSTOM ONE OFF 32V billet heads that NO one else has on the planet. Yes Arao was having problems with components at the time which russ did not hide and posted and apologized for. I understand this is why the ford head prices were higher then then they are now because they were having problems with getting some of the valvetrain parts. I got some problems/questions with billetracings one single post he spamed all over the net, as, it does not make sence why would he pay the full $11000+ within 6DAYS when the heads were not even made yet as it was not nessasary to pay the full amount till heads were ready to ship?, also it does not make sence to me if he could afford to pay basicly double the price for these custom one off billet heads and yet not have $800 for a direct flight to cali to see what component problems arao was having if he was so pissed off?, also why did he not try to renegotiate a new price for the hold up because of the part problems instead of spaming all these auto forums as he did?, these things do NOT make sence in his post. imo he went about this whole thing the wrong way.

FACT is billetracing/kevin did NOT get scamed/ripped off as when I called arao they confimed his special order one off custom heads got shipped out on 2-5-2008 and arao posted the waybill to show they did and there is also more info on this situation to those that need to know.

 

[393 Boss]

dominion arao 32 valve sbf heads

Also to use some common sence...

How is it possible for Dominion / Arao to still be in business for MORE than 20 YEARS in cali and STILL be in business today in cali today if they were ripping off guys for over 20 years LOL and btw they have been and still are registered with sema and have been at the sema shows for years including this year...

DATED... MAY 5, 2011

4-Valve Heads For Your Windsor Small Block Mustang!

 

[mustanglx91]

If you go to gt40s.com there's a thread about those heads. There's a lot of mixed reviews on Arao. But there are people who have received them.

 

[BlackVert]

OK, so they may not be a total scam, but when it takes 3+ years to get what you ordered and paid over 10 grand up front for (after promising that it will take 90 days), it can sure make them look like con men.

 

[393 Boss]

OK, so they may not be a total scam, but when it takes 3+ years to get what you ordered and paid over 10 grand up front for (after promising that it will take 90 days), it can sure make them look like con men.

These kind of posts is what gets more things even more screwed up about what was really going on as...

It did not take 3+ years for Anyones heads (maybe you got that mixed up with ME having deposits out, waiting 3+ years for new 351c blocks to come out which I still dont have.

No one needed to pay "10 grand" up front for for anything and billetracing was NEVER asked to pay in full till heads ready to ship out.

Those heads were a special custom one off deal (no one else on the planet has them), they were not just the standard 32v heads so they were not promised in 90 days and arao stated they were having component problems at the time.

-------------------------

for those interested in this 4V tech, here is a link with more info...

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/712009-whatever-happened-dominion-4-valve-heads-5-0ls-2.html

 

[BlackVert]

393, i was referring to other threads i have seen on other forums from people who ordered and paid up front for their ARAO heads which they never got, not specifically your heads.

 

[393 Boss]

32v heads

Blackvert, please understand I am not picking on you but those "other" threads you are refering to are ALL of this same guy billetracing SPAMING a bunch of diffrent auto forums with the same posts, then this gets even more twisted/screwed up as guys keep posting about it. What this billetracing/kevin guy has done ALL over the forums is wrong.

 

[hollywoodstang]

I have been to this shop. This shop is very very close to where i live.

YES. They do make their own heads, But the facility is very very unorganized and dirty as HELL, And forget getting your car worked on there, The owner will send your car to 2 doors down backyard mechanic.

I wouldn't buy anything from this place. I have 4 valve cobra heads rebuilt there. 2 months later, let me just say heads were junked. Very skiddish people.

I can totally believe these people ripped you guys off. Take him to court if you got ripped off! Don't just sit there and take it.

 

[393 Boss]

???wtf, I did not say i got ripped off lol, as a matter of fact I just ordered spare parts from arao for my 32v heads about 2 weeks ago and had no issues or problems and they even shipped the way I asked them too...

how about some more details, now tell me about your 4v heads, how were they junked, when did you get this done and who did them?. Also what makes no sence is, why would/did you even get the heads done there if that shop/guys were as bad as you said it was?. Also that area is all industrial shops, there is no backyards/homes there?.

 

[hollywoodstang]

Good for you 393 boss, I didn't know any better, now i know, I would not take or have them make or build anything there ANYMORE since I experienced how they do things.

So answer to you ???WTF And who? Asian gentleman, I guess he is the owner of the place, is that RUSS? He assured me it will get done right. He even took me around the shop and show me big block of aluminum he was going to make the head out of, and machines, cool i thought, he knows what he is doing...

The detail is 5 months ago got the heads rebuilt(96-98 cobra heads), had some bent valves, Nothing major, They said they will rebuild it. they did. and they said they will install it. Okay, now 4 weeks went by....

The car is 2 doors down from their shop who has hole in the wall shop next to a body shop, now i am thinking wtf my car doing here? should have known, talked to some people found out this guy is half ass mechanic(he will charge people for work he did not do. IE: charging for brake job when he didn't do it at all, shady!). whatever, I gave benefit of the doubt, sure enough. pick up the car, starts to smoke, valve cover gaskets leaking, oh well, look closer... all valve cover bolts are from home depot, WTF happened to my OEM bolts???

Myself replace all the bolts back to oem and redo the valve cover gasket. 2 months later making the same tapping noise. this time took it to someone who knows the car(I am an idiot when it comes to modular motor), They take the heads apart. turns out they only changed couple valves and re-used the same followers(paid for complete new valves and new followers so they can order from ford).

So there is a story. the bill was $2500 from arao(arao took the $ and i guessing they are paying the half assed mechanic. and arao only wanted cash! ???wtf is right at this point.)

The neighborhood is not all industrial shops, 2 streets down Topnaga blvd and canoga ave, lassen, de soto ave, there are houses and apt all over and even a school and a library. What are you talking about?! I drive pass over there to go to work everyday. In front of arao, there is a old Porsche and camaro all stripped out and looks like been there since the 80's. does that ring a bell to you 393 Boss?

Instead of saying "What this billetracing/kevin guy has done ALL over the forums is wrong." There are always 2 sides of a story. AND MAY BE SOMEWHAT TRUE! the story has to come from somewhere don't you think?

and i was saying this because mustang91lx's/Billet's comment.

If it worked out for you 393 Boss, good for you. Look like you are getting your $ worth.

You live in Canada, I live in LA almost right next to these shops. What do you know about this shop other then you wire transferring $ to their account and getting your product? So they love you. You are the one of the lucky one I guess.

People who knows don't go there.

Don't get personal with me. I don't bullshi+, and I don't make up stories. I am just warning people before they spend their hard earned $ and sending it off to some one or some shop they have never been to.

If any of you stangers are gonna do business with these people do it in person and don't shell out $ until you get your product in hand or get things done right. and pay with CC. not cash or wire transfer.

There are so many place like this in LA it is unreal. They like to take CASH only or wire transfer when they can clearly take CC over from different countries. The reason is because they do not want CC dispute when things go wrong or they can't deliver what they promised! Very shady!

This is just my opinion,

Every shop/business has bad moments, It's up to them to fix it or do people right. and that's kind of things that make people go back over and over again. As for me once was enough.

Good luck to whoever is gonna deal with them in the future.

 

[393 Boss]

You didint notice your bolts when you picked up your car?, didint you look at the engine?, why didint you take the car back to bitch then when you did?, You said "2 doors down backyard mechanic" so I did not get it as there is no backyard/homes there 2 doors down, its all ind shop space area complex with other lic auto shops there. The shop I work for here farms out work on some projects also to other shops, nothing bad/wrong about that, people still need to get payed if the works done. Theres nothing wrong with your opinion but you should of went back and bitched if you were not happy instead of just bitching about it here. They take VISA so thats how I pay. I dont get how these guys could stay in business/make money for over 20 years there if all they do is screw everyone, I dont know, it dont make sence.

I just noticed you added some stuff, so did you check if your brakes were done or your not sure if they were?,

oops I see more now I better wait till your done.