Lucas Development/Mike Lucas

[mccusername]

Has anyone had contact with Mike Lucas or done business with Lucas Development recently? Mike is one the premiere experts on Kugelfischer pumps in the world. I sent him an Alpina KF pump and throttle bodies almost a year ago. Progress was slow but eventually he said he had finished the pump and was working on the throttle bodies. Then he stopped responding and I haven't heard from him in 5 months. I know of at least one other person in a similar predicament. 
 

Normally I would not bring up problems with a vendor in a public forum but I have emailed, left voice mails, WhatsApp, snail mail, etc. Obviously I'd like to get my stuff back but we are also worried about Mike. Any help would be much appreciated.
 

Thanks, Michael

[BarrettN]

Maybe someone on the UK forum knows what's up?

BMWs from the Neue Klasse era - Index page

WWW.02FORUM.CO.UK

 

[mccusername]

21 minutes ago, BarrettN said:

Maybe someone on the UK forum knows what's up?

I’ve cross-posted there. I wish I knew someone who lives near there and could check if his shop seems open etc. 

[Tommy]

I'd get in touch with Richard Stern. He would be the guy who has contacts in UK.

The 02 Register | BMW 2002

WWW.BMW2002.CO.UK

 

[mccusername]

8 hours ago, Tommy said:

I'd get in touch with Richard Stern. He would be the guy who has contacts in UK.

The 02 Register | BMW 2002

WWW.BMW2002.CO.UK

 

That’s a good idea, thanks. 

[NickVyse]

This just in from the UK:

 

"Update.
One of the guys on the other forum went to Hethel today and they told him that Mike had been ill several months ago and given up the office tenancy. Apparently it was just an office for admin etc and not where he actually did work.
He is going to ask around as he and several of his colleagues know Mike from old."

[mccusername]

16 minutes ago, NickVyse said:

This just in from the UK:

 

Thanks for the update, Nick. This is pretty much what I feared. I hope Mike is OK but you would think there would be a friend or family members checking his emails etc.

[2002GT3CAR]

I’m having the same issue too. Spoke to him a few months ago but no luck reaching him since. Hopefully he’s ok

[mccusername]

Sending you a PM.

[markmac]

The collective value of your gear (mccusername and 2002Gt3car) could warrant a personal visit to collect your gear (a rt ticket to the UK isn't too painful at the moment....).  If it were me, I would want it back ASAP regardless of condition of finish (hopefully not in a hundred pieces).  This kind of stuff sucks, I have learned myself the painful lesson of having my gear out of my direct control, and far away.  I am pretty picky now who I let work on my stuff......with that said, no slight on Mike, he sent me FI line and fittings for my Schnitzer injection without upfront payment which is pretty unheard of.  You don't know what you don't know if that makes sense.  I am sure this will all work out.

[2002GT3CAR]

Hopefully he’s ok I’m speaking with a UK tuner who’s also trying to get information. He seemed perfectly fine and energetic when I spoke to him in late May. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by 2002GT3CAR

[mccusername]

Update-- I have not spoken to Mike myself but I've been in touch with a couple of people who have. He says he was traveling in June and became ill, and is just now re-emerging and trying to finish work that he owes people. He still has not responded to me but obviously we hope he's feeling better and is able to get back to work.

[markmac]

That is good to hear, it will work out, although it won't erase the stress of your experience which you didn't bargain for).  Lucas has a good reputation for 'bespoke' stuff, unless I am mistaken you have a 129.10 Alpina pump - which isn't bespoke based on my understanding of the definition.

 

So, for the next group contemplating sending their rare fuel injection bits overseas, consider the following:

 

There are plenty of folks in the US that can test and refurbish pumps.  Their names are well known.  I took my Schnitzer pump to Gus at PFI, he tested it, tested to spec, but looked kind of doggy.  He cleaned it up, re-sealed it, new O-rings - good to go.  Honest guy, he could have told me anything and I would have believed him thousands of dollars later (instead it was a couple of hundred).  In Germany you have Koller + Schwemmer.  You send your pump there; you will never have to worry about not seeing it again (or six months later) because someone got sick.  There are others.

 

As far as throttle bodies go (or throttle body as in single for a tii).  I believe at least at one point Wes Ingram was doing those.  It is very likely he could do Alpina throttles as well.  He does a lot of work with Alfa spica injection (funny they have TB's just like the Alpina A4's do....interesting conincidence).  Bushings, throttle shafts and plates worst case scenario.  There are more than a few competent machinists that can and will do this work (stateside).  An outfit on the East Coast (Eurometrix) does this with Porsche TB's.  It isn't rocket science.

[mccusername]

19 hours ago, markmac said:

unless I am mistaken you have a 129.10 Alpina pump

 

Yes, this particular pump is a 'regular' Alpina pump PL04-129.10 727 from a 1977 E21 Alpina A4/3. My research leads me to believe that this pump is the only Alpina street pump that actually has a different cam inside-- and that this cam is richer in the mid-range and leaner at high RPMs for emissions. Alpina pumps for A4 engines and even A4S engines did not have a special cam, they were only modified to have 2.5 bar pressure.

 

I sent the pump and throttle bodies to Mike because I bought them out of Germany and thought it would be efficient to send them to the UK 'on the way'. (Didn't work out that way). I also wanted him to tweak the pump so it wouldn't be too lean for my A4S engine. 

 

I agree that the places you mentioned in the US can do a good job on a regular KF pump but they can't/won't modify internals the way Mike can, so depends on what you need.  As for throttle bodies, they shouldn't be too complicated but I found it a little tricky to find someone in the US. You mentioned Eurometrix, who have a great reputation in the Porsche world and a price to match.

 

I reached out to all these places about a year ago and here's what I found:

 

Gus Pfister 8-12 weeks, doesn't do throttle bodies, $1400 (as of 2017)

Wes Ingram 8-9 months, does do throttle bodies, $1425+

Saxon/Kugelfischer.nl (same people), does throttle bodies, 1800-3000 Euro just for the pump rebuild

Koller+Schwemmer, so big they're hard to deal with, never could get the right guy to get back in touch with me
Lucas Development - ?????

 

In general, I found the guys in Europe to be more knowledgable about what has been done/can be done with KF pumps in specialized applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[markmac]

No criticism meant.  Hopefully you get your stuff back soon.

 

FWIW, there were three types of 'A4' engines.  Tii Motors that came from BMW - assembled by Bmw.  They all had

B-1 pumps, Alpina put their butterfly injection on them and a 300 cam. 153hp (the motor on display in Alpina's showroom is one of these surprisingly with a B-1 pump).

 

Then there were the A4 engines 'assembled by the Bovensiepen Company - Alpina'.  Tii motor with all the standard gear re-touched by them, 10cr pistons, standard everything else + 129.10 pump. 160hp

 

Tii A4/s motor, 10.5cr hemi pistons, lightened rods, bigger exhaust valves etc., +129.10 pump.  Both had modified exhaust systems (Alpina), the A4s moreso than the A4. 175hp

 

Bobsuruncle.....