CONMAN - Ty Lofstrom @ TLI Racing engines in Medina Tx
 

I advise anyone NOT to deal with Ty Lofstrom @ TLI racing.

I am running ads under engines at the moment to try and warn people about him - he does advertise on here !

I first found out about him on this site late last year with an ad stating - FRAUD by another guy who was onto him. That was after it was too late though, he already had my money.

After doing my homework, i found to be one of many who were in deep financially with TLI. This guy will promise you the world, until he has your cash and it will end with a partial, incomplete engine long after your money is handed over.

What follows is my ad #1178177 and and one of the replies to it , this one from a guy in Norway. I also know several other people who are in the red with Lofstrom and will glady give thier names and contact numbers out.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Anyone affected is also urged to contact the Bandera county sheriff George Wintle on 830 796 3771 as he is well aware of TLI racing.

Please read the below as follows


After paying an 80% deposit and waiting 7 months for this engine, it was removed from TLI Racing by myself, with the help of the Bandera County Sherriff.
To be completed in the 1st week of March 2008 as promised by Lofstrom, after 3 more weeks of lies and excuses while i was in the US, it was still incomplete and unable to prove itself on his dyno due to incorrect parts and faulty workmanship - hence it was removed from his primitive premises in Medina Texas which are far from what they appear on his website.

When ordering an engine through Ty Lofstrom, you will see his website to seem very professional and his emails thorough on your build.Once he has your money though,it is a different story and you will realise what he's all about after it's too late. My dealings are not isolated, there have been well noted numerous bad dealings with him concerning other customers and i urge anyone thinking of having an engine built to take thier hard earned cash elsewhere. Check out TLI Racings profile on the San Antonio Better Business Bureau's website for further proof !

This engine is now back in Australia and up for sale. It is undyno'd, missing water bypass plugs from the bottom of the cylinder heads - need to be fitted when using Cleveland style heads on a Windsor block,incorrect flexplate, incorrect cylinder head gaskets fitted, requires correct crankshaft spacer for lower pulley and fabricated water crossover lines. Holes have been drilled and tapped in the rear of the heads after the engine was assembled, they will need a thorough flush when removed. Comes with a 950 Holley built by his other world famous company - TPC Carbs !

It is now boxed in a solid timber crate i paid to have made in LA, as the weak stand made by TLI racing in this photo was not fit for transport, so much for the $150 crate he was paid for !

Supposed to make a minimum of 600hp as quoted, it needs to be completely stripped, repairs made and thoroughly checked before it see's a dyno.

Owes me $15,000 US plus freight, selling as is, make an offer or contact me for further information on dealing with TLI Racing.


Subject: TLI Racing
Re: Ad #1178177
Message: Hello.

My name is Kjell Finserås. I'm from Norway and I have also a very bad experience with TLI.

More than ONE Year ago I ordered a EFI 408 cid / 600 hp Mopar engine, 727 transmission, rear axle and a LOT of other parts. In total an order of USD 32k! Still I haven't received the parts in Norway. Ty have given me/us a lot of excuses - from the weather conditions to more "serious private family matters". I use a charterer in Tennessee as my US shipping address and the rear axle, motor and tranmission have now arrived there. But still a lot of parts are missing. I also fear about the quality of his work. Also - it's no longer a EFI motor as I got some vague explanations regarding how "delicate" this system (BigStufff3) was and that he had a lot of difficulties in order to get the right sensors etc. I interpreted it as he was having problems so I suggested that he should remove the EFI and set it up with a carburettor. I also received a movie form what he claims is the dyno of my engine - who knows what to belive any more.

I think someone should put this cheat out of business. This great hobby does not need this kind of supplier. Also every major car magezine should get this info and it should also be posted on the www.


Kjell Finserås
[email protected]

We got taken by him for the tune of $12 grand. After numerous phone calls, emails, and so on we got the same excuses he has been giving everyone. Wife has cancer, wrong parts, UPS lost the parts, and so on. We finally got the sherrif's office, FBI, Marshals, and anyone else that could help involved. It took us many months to get a parcial completed block, empty heads, and a junk intake. We paid for a turn key, dyno tested 427 FE. The only people that really helped us was the DA's office down there. Stay far far away from Ty, he is a real piece of work!

That is a awful shame guys!!!It takes a real ass to do people that way..
I have been building motors for people for 35 years and would not dream of treating people like that...If I can do anything to help please don't hesitate to call....I build mainly Mopar motors, but have also built a ton of Chevy's and ford's...also a lot of AMC stuff... NO IMPORT MOTORS....

Jim Johnson
Pop&Son Performance Racing Engines
Reynoldsburg, Ohio..43068
[email protected]
614-806-6006

I also know of 3 other cases, i'm sure there are more out there Ty has in his skeleton closet :

1 - A guy in Japan has just only recieved a partial 351 Cleveland motor after paying $14 grand and waiting well over 12 months, this too was ordered as turn key ! This engine, by the way, is still in LA as they let him off with pre - paid freight to Japan just to recover what they could.

2 - John at CHI heads in Melbourne Australia sent Lofstrom 3 sets of 3V heads and intakes to him and TLI's website still reads "Premium" CHI Cylinder head dealer....Truth beknown, it took John 8 months and legal action to get the money from the a$$hole !

3 - A guy in Melbourne also has just phoned me concerned, as he and his brother are in for $35 grand. They paid money in December last year for engines due in March, including an $1100 carb that was due in January - So far they have nothing and now Lofstrom is asking for more money !

I urge anyone who has not yet recieved anything from him and has paid up front, to forget your engines, use legal action and try and recover your deposits. Believe me, it's the better option as i could'nt even give away my engine that has cost me over $15 grand.

Lofstroms name needs to be spread all over the internet and his business shut down before he rips more innocent people off. I would love to hear his doors are shut and he's been arrested.

Oh, i almost forgot, here's another satisfied customer, there's that many of us, it's hard to keep track of them all !

Subject: crook in Medina Tx
Re: Ad #1178177
Message: I got hosed too. I live 60 miles from him, took my daughters malibu to this "pro" to get all the horses that I could not find. When I finally got it back hedder gaskets blown, 550 dollar bill, custom "Ti" carb would not stop flooding. I installed stall speed converter as he instructrd me to, and we lost 2 tenths at the track and Im out over 900 dollars to go slower. I took the carb back to the prick and after 3 months of calling him I picked it up...un-touched. I sold my Rebuilt "Ti" carb at a swap meet for 30 bucks,...and I feel I screwed the guy.His facility is a old gas station, and I dont know if he ever actually got the dyno working. The black car with flames on the hood is my daughters, he did nothing but screw it up, what little work he did. I should make him take the picture off his web site. Anyway your right, he cant be trusted.

Anyone who is in the red with Lofstrom needs to contact the attorney below. His name was given to me by the Bandera County Sheriff, George Wintle. Steven is well aware of Lofstroms past and has helped people retrieve thier money.

As a note, if you hold out and eventually recieve your partial engine like most of us have, it is a CIVIL matter and these guys cant help you.

However, if he has your money and you have nothing, this is a CRIMINAL offence and they will persue it.


Steven A. Wadsworth
521 Earl Garrett St.
Kerrville, TX 78028-4532

Email: [email protected]"

what is the guys address i live around 15min from medina county,
i would like to go by and con him for a change, get some free
engine parts, promise to pay and just let him get burnt :lol:

Rock on mate !

What a great idea, see if you can find 2 small block Fords while your there for my friend in Melbourne !

Check his website before you go, email him for a quote. He'll tell you how great he is and what he can do for you - You wont find a better guy, just ask him, he'll tell you ! www.tliracing.com
btw, keep traces of your emails with Ty for a laugh later - i did !

Dont expect a state of the art shop on your arrival, i'd like to know who does his machining as he has no equipment for this whatesover.......

Sure, he has a flowbench and a dyno, but could'nt dyno my engine as he could'nt match the flexplate he supplied to his dyno's torqueplate....Just one of the many ongoing problems still going on 7 months later !

Anyway, here's where his shop is:


Ty Lofstrom
Owner- Lead Engine Developer & Systems Engineer
TLI Racing Engines
Medina Resto-Modz (MRM)
TPC Performance Carburetors
13916 SH16
Medina, TX 78055
PH. +1.830.589.3040
Fax +1.830.589.3044

When we started dealing with him we could hold of him and keep up on his progress, oops I mean his excuces. Of course his wife would answer the phone and say he is really busy on the dyno ,he can't come to the phone. Then when the crap started hitting the fan and we were getting pissed with him, his phone would go to voice mail. Now you don't talk to anyone anymore they just screen the incoming calls. That makes alot easier not to talk to the customers. Guys like this have no morals what so ever. We got found out alot of dirt on him, and we have pages and pages of unhappy customers. Bottom line is this guy is a crook, and he will keep on taking peoples money as long as he is on line. Until he is put in jail he will keep on scamming!!!!!

Some great news here, Ty Lofstrom was recently arrested and is out on bail at the moment.

While this is not good for the many people that given him deposits and still have nothing, it will hopefully keep the prick from taking other peoples hard earned cash and if enough people contact the persons below, he will see jail time !

Hello,
My family has been deceived, also, by Ty Lofstrom. I've never come across a con man like him. We finally got an indictment for theft, though, and Ty was arrested last week. Court was yesterday in Leakey Texas (Real County)and the case has been deferred until June 20th. The Real County Sheriffs office in Leakey, Texas did the investigation and the District Attorney took it from there.
Sir, I really hope Ty doesn't walk, but he may. We're only one family and we need others that have been hurt by this man. My hope is that all others who have been conned will call the District Attorney (830)741-6187 and tell him their story. I'm sure this would help with the prosecution. Also, after the criminal case, we will have a civil case. The number of our attorney who will be handling this is 830-232-6750. Again, anyone who has been conned by Ty Lofstrom should call.

Oh my, not another one !

Where are you Ty Lofstrom, why have your ads disappeared on Racingjunk ? :evil:

Hello,what's up? My name is Carl and I THINK that I am in the process of getting screwed by TY LOFSTROM as we speak.He has my engine and 3,100.00 US dollars from me.Thus far I had alot of excuses,delays,and things I have trouble believing from him.I would like you to send me whatever you can about this guy.The B.B.B. record of his dealings aren't good.Anything you can do to help me to get a good handle on him would be greatly appreciated.IF he is this much a scam he sure seems knowledgeable and honest on the phone,which I notice he doesn't like to use much!!!!!!!!! THANKS,CARL P.S. HE WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH A LIST OF REFERENCES,BUT THIS WAS AFTER I REALZED SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT!!!!!!!!

Ty Lofstroms Lies and excuses are catching up with him at the moment, he has been arrested again !

This time for a guy in Australia who has paid over $40, 000 since December last year - and still has nothing.

That makes 2 separate criminal charges in less than 5 weeks, he is once again, out on bail.

Lets just hope the people involved get every cent they are intitled to out of TLI Racing engines.

Holy crap...thats a buttload of money to be taking.

I dont want to cause any bad feelings...but the amount of money these people are spending with an unknown person has me baffled. When there are places like Koffels, Reher Morrison, Suncoast etc that are tried and true real places with great reputations.

40K for an engine is CRAZY

I surely hope you all recover everything, and I mean everything.

Here's another fine piece of Ty Lofstroms work - NOT !
 

'Dukes' fan is in trouble with the law

Web Posted: 06/10/2008 11:04 PM CDT

By Zeke MacCormack
Express-News

BANDERA — A mechanic with a love for the “Dukes of Hazzard” television show faces a theft charge and a fraud suit.


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Ty Lofstrom of TLI Racing Engines in Medina was arrested May 27 after a customer in Australia complained he'd gotten only excuses for the $40,000 sent to Lofstrom for three custom engines, Bandera County sheriff's Deputy George Wintel said.

Two days after posting $15,000 bond to get out of jail on the theft charge, Lofstrom was sued by a Florida man who reportedly paid him more than $60,000 to create a replica of the “General Lee,” the Dodge Charger driven by the TV show's title characters.

The suit by Damon Becnel accuses Lofstrom of fraud and deceptive trade practices and alleges he agreed to modify the plaintiff's 1969 Charger into a General Lee replica by July 30, 2005, in exchange for $72,192.

In his proposal, a copy of which was attached to the suit, Lofstrom said he was donating many of his services because “it is my vision to see this car the best General Lee known to the Mopar world.”

“My life-long admiration for the Duke's of Hazard (sic) have driven my everyday lifestyle from naming our first cat “Hazard” and our dog “Duke” to our plans for children next year, ‘Bo' and ‘Luke,'” he wrote.

The plaintiff's attorney, Lee Rigby, said Lofstrom hasn't returned the car, despite numerous requests to do so.

Neither Lofstrom nor his attorney could be reached.

Wintel said Lofstrom had been the subject of at least three prior complaints by Internet-generated customers for high-performance engines, but those disputes were resolved without charges being pursued.

Yet another newspaper arcticle.......

Medina biz owner accused of theft
by David Arny
BCC Staff Writer

Published June 12, 2008

Ty Lofstrom
Medina resident and owner of TLI Racing, Ty Lofstrom, 31, was arrested Tuesday, May 27, and booked in the Bandera County Jail on charges of felony theft between $20,000 and $100,000.
This was Lofstrom’s second arrest in less than three weeks on similar accusations. On Wednesday, May 7, investigators with the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office served him with a warrant out of Real County accusing him of theft between $1,500 and $20,000. Lofstrom posted a total of $22,500 in surety bonds and both cases await review by a Grand Jury with the 216th Judicial District.
TLI Racing is located at 13916 Highway 16 North. In a phone interview on Tuesday, June 10, Lofstrom said he planned to close his shop Sunday, June 15, due to his legal woes and the publicity generated by his arrests. He added that he feels a “moral obligation” to provide his customers with the merchandise they were promised.
“I’ve never been arrested before. I’ve never even been given a speeding ticket,” said Loftstrom. “I served 11 years in the Navy’s Special Forces and getting arrested was a very disturbing experience for me.”
Loftstrom indicated his difficulties had resulted from his having “tangled with the wrong customer.” He asked that questions regarding the specific nature of the charges against him be directed to his attorney Harold Danford of Kerrville. However, Danford did not return a call to his office by press time.
The website for TLI Racing currently features an impressive array of custom racing engines and services the company offers to customers worldwide. According to the website, Loftstrom relocated his business to Medina from Southern California in 2004 for “growth reasons.”
High-performance racing aficionados from Australia, Japan, South Africa and Norway, as well as customers from across the United States, have sent Loftstrom tens of thousands of dollars to purchase his custom-built engines in eBay online sales or after seeing them displayed on his website.
In a number of instances, however, those clients have waited over a year for equipment that was supposed to have been shipped in a matter of weeks. In addition, one buyer told The Courier the goods he received that were advertised as being brand new were actually used engine components.
In an interview, George Wintle, an investigator with the BCSO, explained the difficulty in prosecuting cases such as Loftstrom’s.
“In some cases, these individuals place their orders along with a large deposit,” said Wintle. “If they never get anything for their money, that’s considered theft. But once the customer receives anything, or work is begun on his order, it goes from being a criminal offence to a civil complaint.”
Several clients who allege being defrauded by Loftstrom credit Wintle with reviving a criminal investigation of TLI Racing. Previously, they had been informed by other authorities – including the 216th District Attorney’s Office – that their only recourse was to negotiate a possible refund from Loftstrom or to hire a lawyer and pursue the case in civil court.
“I was basically given the option of spending $15,000 on a lawyer and flying 1,500 miles to San Antonio and renting a car to drive to Bandera for every court hearing – all for the possibility of recovering some of my $7,000,” said a TLI customer who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The man requested anonymity because he claims he received a letter from an attorney representing Loftstrom that threatened him with a lawsuit for slander if he made negative comments about his client or TLI to others.
Additionally, the Better Business Bureau has given TLI Racing an “unsatisfactory” rating due to the unresolved complaints against the company.
According to their website, www.bbb.org, a business earns an unsatisfactory record after it “has failed to resolve or respond to complaints, repeatedly failed to respond or resolve issues in a timely manner, failed to resolve the underlying issues for a pattern of complaints, or failed to honor their commitment to mediate or arbitrate disputes or honor mediated agreements or arbitrated decisions,” in addition to other BBB criteria.
The BBB Reliability Report notes that the consumer group “processed a total of seven complaints about (TLI Racing) in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of seven complaints, three were closed in the last year.”

More great news !!!!!!
 

I just wanted to contact some of you folks to let you know Mr. Lofstrom has closed his business and removed all of his machinery and products from the building he was using in Medina Texas. You may pass this on to others at your pleasure and relay this information on some of your engine forums you belong to. I wish you all the best,

Sincerely,
George





Investigator George Wintle

Bandera County Sheriff's Office

Phone: 830-796-3771
Fax: 830-796-3561

well i guess I can add myself to the long list of hard working people that can say they have been screwed by ty lofstrom. I REALLY wish I'd done my homework on this a##hole. my situation is an exact replica of all the rest here on this forum. call him on the phone and until there's a problem he will talk to you, but after that you can't get a hold of him and he has your money!! I am currently in the process of legal action for FRAUD. SO LOOK FOR HIS MUGSHOT AGAIN.

Oh my, yet another safisfied customer this piece of crap has bull$hitted out of hard earned money. The people who are mentioned on this forum are just the tip of the iceberg....The numbers of people taken by him continue to grow !!

I recieved another email this morning from George Wintle, lets all get onboard and give the FBI the information required to nail Ty Lofstroms ass. PLEASE READ AND REPLY TO THE FBI WEB ADDRESS MENTIONED IN GEORGE'S EMAIL

For those of you who might want to continue to file complaints against Mr. Lofstrom, I was directed by the FBI to send you to this link http://www.ic3.gov/ to file your complaints. I think if enough people filed their complaints about the unethical business practices Mr.. Lofstrom has made using the internet, the database would begin to flag his name which would start federal investigations against him for internet fraud. Please pass this information on to your chat sites and friends in your industry.

Regards,


Investigator George Wintle

Bandera County Sheriff's Office

Phone: 830-796-3771
Fax: 830-796-3561

Here's another classic example of Lofstroms promises and excuses at work...

http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/archiv...p/t-45830.html

Just when it seemed all too quiet on the TLI Racing front !

Another guy in Australia has contacted me about Ty Lofstrom, same story, substantial deposit last year and still has nothing but lies, excuses and has now recieved one of Ty's trademark option 1 & 2 emails....

Stay tuned !

Ty Lofstron on EBAY!!!!
 

I to was almost ripped off by Ty. I had never heard so many excuses on why my rocker arms that I bought from him (MTU-BILMEKANIKER) havent arrived in a allowable time. He didnt accept paypal is the first red flag. He said he had to wait on a Postal Money Order to clear his bank (e-trade) lol. ALL usps money orders can be cashed at any bank! To make a long story short it took actions from ebay and a month of my time to get me a busted up box missing parts. p.s. I have many documented calls that were not answered by him. but hes now calling me to erase the negative feedback.... how ironic!

6 years later and Ty Lofstrom is up and running again under the name Crusader Customs in Kerrville TX - this prick has no morals whatsoever !
Although he is smart enough to keep his bullshit off Forums and does not have a website, here is a link to his Instagram and Facebook pages clearly showing him at it again.

BE WARNED !

Crusader Customs
88 Coronado Dr
Kerrville TX
830 928 9229
https://instagram.com/crusader0711/

He is in business once again. Under Crusader Customs, in Kerrville Tx. Just to let others know. Same person, different company name, same con. New location in on 308 Mill run Kerrville Tx.