Re: David Lee Larson of Larson MasterWorks

[pbf777]

     Have any of you guys had any dealings with David Lee Larson of Larson MasterWorks LLC out of Velva, ND.?

     I see he's had some Ford parts for sale previously on face book & ebay (maybe never listed here?), just wondering if so, what experience you might have had?

     Thanks,

     Scott.

[SBCARGUY]

Let me re-phrase.... I was involved with the sale of these parts however, I do not know how he is representing them.

[pbf777]

      Well, I'm going to assume that David Larson of Larson MasterWorks of Velva N.D. hasn't engaged this group as of yet.   

      But, I would like to convey "my experience", should it provide aid to others:

      Mr. Larson had listed for sale on ebay, an intake manifold, which in the verbiage it stated more than once that it was cast of "magnesium".  I emailed and later spoke to him on the telephone, questioning how he had determined that this actually was magnesium, as mag. certainly can look quite like aluminum and that is the material that one would expect. In all communications he assured me that he was quite familiar with magnesium, knew the difference between that and aluminum, this along with other examples of items cast of magnesium at his shop; "this manifold is magnesium without a doubt" and stated as absolutely, positively and with no reservations.

      A 'deal' is struck based on this understanding as conveyed to me by him. The only problem is that when I received the item, in hand, I had my doubts, so I chemical tested the material.........nope, it's not magnesium! 

      When I contacted him with this information, his response was, and if I may just copy/paste for accuracy:

     "I have a hard time believing that you truly trusted I was right about the intake being magnesium."

     "......you need to do your due diligence to investigate what exactly you are buying to make sure you get exactly what you are paying for."

     "......you could have easily prevented this debate with specific terms before confirming the purchase. You could have said "I'm going to test it when it arrives. If it's magnesium then it's $xxxx; if it's aluminum then it's $xxxx."

     "I believe you still paid less than it is worth even if it is aluminum."

     "This is a mistake by both parties chalked up to clumsiness. I wasn't scrupulous enough researching the metal, and you were sloppy with your due diligence. No harm; no foul. It is what it is. Live and learn."

     "I think we have both spent enough time and stress on this."
     
     Bottom line: Claimed to be "magnesium", paid the Seller for such, but it isn't!  With a single response the Seller chooses to just "ghost" me! 

     Of course it's handy that he chooses to ignore the greater monetary value as touted and paid for which he chooses to retain, this versus the actual value of that received!  Bottom line: Claimed to be "magnesium", paid the Seller for such, but it isn't!  With a single response Mr. Larson chooses to just "ghost" me!   .

     So this, in his own words, of "my" experience from dealing with this person. 

     And yes, the old rule of "CAVEAT EMPTOR" certainly applies, just more so for some! 

     Scott.

   

[tesgt350]

Well, I'm going to assume that David Lawson of Lawson MasterWorks of Velva N.D. hasn't engaged this group as of yet.   

      But, I would like to convey "my experience", should it provide aid to others:

      Mr. Lawson had listed for sale on ebay, an intake manifold, which in the verbiage it stated more than once that it was cast of "magnesium".  I emailed and later spoke to him on the telephone, questioning how he had determined that this actually was magnesium, as mag. certainly can look quite like aluminum and that is the material that one would expect. In all communications he assured me that he was quite familiar with magnesium, knew the difference between that and aluminum, this along with other examples of items cast of magnesium at his shop; "this manifold is magnesium without a doubt" and stated as absolutely, positively and with no reservations.

      A 'deal' is struck based on this understanding as conveyed to me by him. The only problem is that when I received the item, in hand, I had my doubts, so I chemical tested the material.........nope, it's not magnesium! 

      When I contacted him with this information, his response was, and if I may just copy/paste for accuracy:

     "I have a hard time believing that you truly trusted I was right about the intake being magnesium."

     "......you need to do your due diligence to investigate what exactly you are buying to make sure you get exactly what you are paying for."

     "......you could have easily prevented this debate with specific terms before confirming the purchase. You could have said "I'm going to test it when it arrives. If it's magnesium then it's $xxxx; if it's aluminum then it's $xxxx."

     "I believe you still paid less than it is worth even if it is aluminum."

     "I think we have both spent enough time and stress on this."
     
     Bottom line: Claimed to be "magnesium", paid the Seller for such, but it isn't!  With a single response the Seller chooses to just "ghost" me!

     So this, in his own words, of "my" experience from dealing with this person.

     And yes, the old rule of "CAVEAT EMPTOR" certainly applies, just more so for some!

     Scott.

   

WOW, he basically swears it's "Magnesium" LYING to you the whole time and then Blames YOU that it's NOT?  Wow, sorry to hear that.

[FL SAAC]

Hopefully you paid with a credit card.

Provide the c.c. with your correspondence to the company

Should be an easy charge back.

Best of luck

Well, I'm going to assume that David Lawson of Lawson MasterWorks of Velva N.D. hasn't engaged this group as of yet.   

      But, I would like to convey "my experience", should it provide aid to others:

      Mr. Lawson had listed for sale on ebay, an intake manifold, which in the verbiage it stated more than once that it was cast of "magnesium".  I emailed and later spoke to him on the telephone, questioning how he had determined that this actually was magnesium, as mag. certainly can look quite like aluminum and that is the material that one would expect. In all communications he assured me that he was quite familiar with magnesium, knew the difference between that and aluminum, this along with other examples of items cast of magnesium at his shop; "this manifold is magnesium without a doubt" and stated as absolutely, positively and with no reservations.

      A 'deal' is struck based on this understanding as conveyed to me by him. The only problem is that when I received the item, in hand, I had my doubts, so I chemical tested the material.........nope, it's not magnesium! 

      When I contacted him with this information, his response was, and if I may just copy/paste for accuracy:

     "I have a hard time believing that you truly trusted I was right about the intake being magnesium."

     "......you need to do your due diligence to investigate what exactly you are buying to make sure you get exactly what you are paying for."

     "......you could have easily prevented this debate with specific terms before confirming the purchase. You could have said "I'm going to test it when it arrives. If it's magnesium then it's $xxxx; if it's aluminum then it's $xxxx."

     "I believe you still paid less than it is worth even if it is aluminum."

     "I think we have both spent enough time and stress on this."
     
     Bottom line: Claimed to be "magnesium", paid the Seller for such, but it isn't!  With a single response the Seller chooses to just "ghost" me!

     So this, in his own words, of "my" experience from dealing with this person.

     And yes, the old rule of "CAVEAT EMPTOR" certainly applies, just more so for some!

     Scott.

   

[Coralsnake]

Do you have a link to the auction?

[azdriver]

So this is Larson, not Lawson..

Pat

[Coralsnake]

J D Larson goes by "fordautolite" on eBay.

Doesnt sound the same as info given

I do see a webpage where he says he works at all classic mustangs,

Maybe a relative?

It would be good to get the name correct 😉

[azdriver]

His son who does the restoration work if I understand correctly.

[pbf777]

So this is Larson, not Lawson..

J D Larson goes by "fordautolite" on eBay.

I do see a webpage where he says he works at all classic mustangs,

Maybe a relative?

It would be good to get the name correct 😉

    Yes, my mistake it is "Larson"! 

    ebay name utilized: "6172839405" (not his phone number) 

    It's just an avoidance syndrome effect acting upon my memory!   

   And it is the "son".  In my last 'attempted' communication I asked "if he had forwarded any of this action to his parents (wondering if they might have vested interests in "Larson MasterWorks"), and whether they approved?" Or just maybe I was trying to answer the question in curiosity of perhaps "how far had the apple fallen from the tree".   

 

Do you have a link to the auction?

     https://www.ebay.com/itm/296704762333

     It's not a big enough deal to where I feel I really need to go to North Dakota, especially right now considering the weather conditions, particularly me being from Florida ("Cracker" ), this in order to rectify the situation (though I do feel more of that is what is needed these days), but I do think one should "reap what you sow", at least to some degree.   And one should be honest enough in their actions at least to point where they aren't ashamed to have the "dirty laundry aired in public" for all to see! 

     But my purpose at this point is solely to aid others here, in providing 'my' experience. 

      Scott.

[Coralsnake]

Going through ebay based on the inaccurate description is your recourse. They claim a money back guarantee

It looks like his phone is in the description

Call his daddy too , he sells a lot of stuff. Its not good for business

[kram350]

Ask a future seller of a magnesium piece to put some white vinegar on their "mag piece". 
fizz = magnesium, no fiz= aluminum

[TA Coupe]

In my opinion it in no way looks like any magnesium I've seen. Looking at the machined areas it totally looks like aluminum to me. Sorry you got taken. What were you going to do with it?

    Roy

[pbf777]

In my opinion it in no way looks like any magnesium I've seen. Looking at the machined areas it totally looks like aluminum to me.

    I have worked (machined) with magnesium materials and have several pieces collected over the years hanging about and as I stated previously, magnesium castings can look very much like aluminum. This particularly when first cast, depending on specific alloys and initial exposure in the casting process, or as machined; close enough that it can surly prove difficult to discern positively though just typical photographs. It is mostly the environmental exposure over time and the different oxidation processes (Al. vs. Mg.) which then make particularly mag. distinguishable to the eye.   

    I related this to Mr Larson and that I was suspect of whether it actually was mag. and his response was that this part being N.O.S. with no exposure and having been stored in the south western region of the country (dry) is why it hadn't turned the rather dark grey oxidized color as typically witnessed of mag. And yes this is possible, as for example I bought a set of mag. Mini-Lite wheels many years ago, not polished, as cast natural finish that looked pretty much just like this intake manifold, but over the years they have slowly turned to a very dark gray color, as expected being this is Florida.   

   

Ask a future seller of a magnesium piece to put some white vinegar on their "mag piece". 
fizz = magnesium, no fiz= aluminum

    Yes, and I did suggest that he might attempt a non-destructive chemical test ("destructive" is to take some scrapings and test for its' flammability!  ), this with readily available home products like "vinegar" (acetic acid, diluted form) or "Root Kill" (copper sulfate, as usually found 98-99%).

    In a followup telephone communication he stated that he had tried the vinegar on this piece, but also on another "known" example of mag. for a comparison, with no conclusion garnered in either case.  Of course, this isn't a 'good' sign, but this process does also require a certain some of competence in execution: that the surface being tested should be clean of contaminants (particularly oil) and if on particularly the as-cast surface where oxidation has taken place as this insulates the metal, the surface should be abraded to clean "white" metal, otherwise there may be a delay and/or repeated applications required before the anticipated result is had. So as presented, and understanding that in his effort which encompassed a known test reference, the only conclusion that could be garnered was that the testing process must be faulted; i.e. vinegar does age and becomes less acetic in time, the surfaces were not clean, the process was rushed and not given adequate time for reaction, perhaps the person performing the process, who 'was' claiming ignorance in the process, is a numbskull and couldn't find his a$$ with both hands no matter how hard he might try, or of course maybe he's ..............'slick'!   

Going through ebay based on the inaccurate description is your recourse. They claim a money back guarantee

It looks like his phone is in the description

    Well, 'perhaps' unfortunately, the transaction didn't go through "ebay"; the auction had run it's course for a period with no takers, I contacted him through ebay messaging asking what he might be wanting for it, his response was to call the contact phone number on the listing and he'd talk about it with me. 

    Seems innocent enough, I did have questions that needed to be answered and one generally prefers to talk to the person in order to try to judge their demeanor, not to mention with the greater interaction scammers usually don't put forth this much effort and will often just disappear. And obviously many transactions take place in manors other than though ebay, and this was the process the owner/seller wanted to proceed.

    But post this event, I get the impression that with the contact phone number being listed in the auction (against the rules) that the intention may have been to always remove the item from ebay's dominion, the seller avoids the fees, but perhaps more importantly, and particularly if dubious, also any possible recourse through ebay.  So the slick "used car salesman" stating "I know what I'm talking about", coupled with my wanting to believe that 'most' people are good  , gets the better of me,............. sometimes. 

Call his daddy too , he sells a lot of stuff. Its not good for business

    Speaking of which, in my conversation with David Larson he suggested that I should have confidence in this relationship, referencing the "extensive Facebook and on-line store presents"; and yeah, I looked it up:   http://www.allclassicmustang.com/;   same last name: Larson, same town: Velva, ND., "All Classic Mustang" is referenced on David Larson's Facebook page and he's acknowledged and appears on theirs. Seems reasonable, but.....................   

    But again, the intention on my part here is only to inform others of my experience. 

What were you going to do with it?   

    At least the scenario didn't play out of me getting nothing for my money!  It's still a cool piece and they really are a bit rare to find, particularly in this condition.  It'll just become another "wall-hangar" with all the rest; I'll just have to console myself that: "It's not that I paid to much, its' just that I'm ahead of the curve"!      

    Scott.

           

[JohnSlack]

In my opinion it in no way looks like any magnesium I've seen. Looking at the machined areas it totally looks like aluminum to me.

    I have worked (machined) with magnesium materials and have several pieces collected over the years hanging about and as I stated previously, magnesium castings can look very much like aluminum. This particularly when first cast, depending on specific alloys and initial exposure in the casting process, or as machined; close enough that it can surly prove difficult to discern positively though just typical photographs. It is mostly the environmental exposure over time and the different oxidation processes (Al. vs. Mg.) which then make particularly mag. distinguishable to the eye.   

    I related this to Mr Larson and that I was suspect of whether it actually was mag. and his response was that this part being N.O.S. with no exposure and having been stored in the south western region of the country (dry) is why it hadn't turned the rather dark grey oxidized color as typically witnessed of mag. And yes this is possible, as for example I bought a set of mag. Mini-Lite wheels many years ago, not polished, as cast natural finish that looked pretty much just like this intake manifold, but over the years they have slowly turned to a very dark gray color, as expected being this is Florida.   

   

Ask a future seller of a magnesium piece to put some white vinegar on their "mag piece". 
fizz = magnesium, no fiz= aluminum

    Yes, and I did suggest that he might attempt a non-destructive chemical test ("destructive" is to take some scrapings and test for its' flammability!  ), this with readily available home products like "vinegar" (acetic acid, diluted form) or "Root Kill" (copper sulfate, as usually found 98-99%).

    In a followup telephone communication he stated that he had tried the vinegar on this piece, but also on another "known" example of mag. for a comparison, with no conclusion garnered in either case.  Of course, this isn't a 'good' sign, but this process does also require a certain some of competence in execution: that the surface being tested should be clean of contaminants (particularly oil) and if on particularly the as-cast surface where oxidation has taken place as this insulates the metal, the surface should be abraded to clean "white" metal, otherwise there may be a delay and/or repeated applications required before the anticipated result is had. So as presented, and understanding that in his effort which encompassed a known test reference, the only conclusion that could be garnered was that the testing process must be faulted; i.e. vinegar does age and becomes less acetic in time, the surfaces were not clean, the process was rushed and not given adequate time for reaction, perhaps the person performing the process, who 'was' claiming ignorance in the process, is a numbskull and couldn't find his a$$ with both hands no matter how hard he might try, or of course maybe he's ..............'slick'!   

Going through ebay based on the inaccurate description is your recourse. They claim a money back guarantee

It looks like his phone is in the description

    Well, 'perhaps' unfortunately, the transaction didn't go through "ebay"; the auction had run it's course for a period with no takers, I contacted him through ebay messaging asking what he might be wanting for it, his response was to call the contact phone number on the listing and he'd talk about it with me. 

    Seems innocent enough, I did have questions that needed to be answered and one generally prefers to talk to the person in order to try to judge their demeanor, not to mention with the greater interaction scammers usually don't put forth this much effort and will often just disappear. And obviously many transactions take place in manors other than though ebay, and this was the process the owner/seller wanted to proceed.

    But post this event, I get the impression that with the contact phone number being listed in the auction (against the rules) that the intention may have been to always remove the item from ebay's dominion, the seller avoids the fees, but perhaps more importantly, and particularly if dubious, also any possible recourse through ebay.  So the slick "used car salesman" stating "I know what I'm talking about", coupled with my wanting to believe that 'most' people are good  , gets the better of me,............. sometimes. 

Call his daddy too , he sells a lot of stuff. Its not good for business

    Speaking of which:
    I'm thinking this might be: http://www.allclassicmustang.com/
    Same last name: Larson,
    Same town: Velva, ND.,
    And this "All Classic Mustang" is also referenced on David Larson's Facebook page and he appears on theirs. 

    But again, the intention on my part here is only to inform others of my experience. 

What were you going to do with it?   

    At least the scenario didn't play out of me getting nothing for my money!  It's still a cool piece and they really are a bit rare to find, particularly in this condition.  It'll just become another "wall-hangar" with all the rest; I'll just have to console myself that: "It's not that I paid to much, its' just that I'm ahead of the curve"!      

    Scott.

           

Scott,
Unfortunately you can not plate aluminum with magnesium. Then you could plate it and put it high up on the wall where nobody could touch it. Allow it to oxidize, and be out of close inspection.

So you are stuck by this guy with a still cool intake that you still probably don't know what it flows, eh?


John