American Diesel

Does anyone know what has happened to this company? I had contacted Brian last week and he did reply. Now I get no response to emails and a busy signal for the last couple of days. I hope everything is OK.

I was just there 2 days ago and all seemed normal. Bryan took care of me and there was a dozen packages sitting on the counter waiting to be shipped to various Lehman diesel owners.

I think they are just real busy.

Personally I don’t know how he (they) make a living. Brian spends most of the day on the phone answer questions/consulting for free. How many companies are that customer oriented?

They don’t answer emails very well. When the phone is constantly busy it is because they are busy. Keep trying.

I expect they answer emails in the morning, lunch, and evening.

Brian is very free with good advice, so the phone can get busy. Just keep trying.

Great resource for Lehman owners.

I never got any response from emails to AD, however when I got Brian on the phone he was awesome.

All good just spoke with him.

I think he makes his money off of his free advice. Customer service is top notch. Boat owners that understand this buy from him and don't go internet shopping to save $15.
Every time I speak with him I am loading up on spare parts. I sleep very well on our travels because of Brian and AD. THANK YOU

Try calling at 804-435-3107.
I just called that number.

While I respect American Diesel, there are other experts out there that were able to explain things to me that American Diesel had no info on ...like rebuilding specs on valve to head clearances.

Bomac in Ga and some place in Washington state that rebuilds and does a lot of Lehman work both had valuable input.

Not saying distrust or ignore American, just know there is other help out there with similar experience that are still rebuilding Lehmans.

Bomac was also way cheaper for injector replacements at the time I needed them and American diesel didn't have any on hand.

Yes, there are many other Lehman experts for sure. They are a very easy engine to work on. Just make sure you get the upgrades AD has developed over the years and they become even easier to maintain.

The reason AD is so popular is because it's founder Bob Smith (deceased), worked with Roger Lehman to create the Lehman Ford. In fact, it was Bob who contacted Ford to get permission to use "Ford" as part of the name. Bob was in charge of US sales and service. Think back when most of the trawlers came from yards all over Taiwan and most of those (3,000) were Marine Traders - all equipped with the Lehman engines. Then CHB, DeFever, and most of the other production builders started using the Lehmans.

Over the years, I've had many conversations with Bob, took the diesel class from him - tore down a 120, popped all the injectors, and rebuilt it. Bob took it outside and we were all pleased and relieved when it fired right up and purred like a kitten - even with two very weak injectors.

Bob was member number 24, and for years wrote the "Engineering Corner" for the MTOA (Marine Trader Owners Association, changed to Marine Trawler Owners Association). So many of the articles were about the Lehman's and the transmissions. Back issues are in the archives for anyone with any questions about these engines.

Brian, like Bob, charged you for the parts and the service work, but gave freely of their time and expertise to all comers and callers. Bob crawled into many an engine room at Trawler Fests and popular trawler rendezvous across the nation to diagnose problems (many he just fixed it on the spot). Oh, and did I say, he was fun too? Now, Art DeFever had a hollow leg, but that's another story (I had the 49' DeFever CPMY).

It's been a while, but I think they still build about 100 new ADs every year. They are a direct replacement for the Lehmans.

Bob Smith was also an expert on Marine Traders. I took his seminar and a couple of people asked him about their MTs. He asked one of them about the trim around one of the interior doors. The person replied with the style and Bob said you have a 1978 model and the guy said yes he did. Amazing knowledge.

I second the high quality and great help that is available from Brian at American Diesel. I have done most of the additions and changed out items that he has recommended. All of us Ford Lehman owners need to be thankful that Brian followed in his father’s footsteps.

Happy 4th to everyone.

Alex

You need to dial AD's number every few minutes if you want to talk to Brian. I don't think he has call waiting so the busy signal is pretty constant. I'm pretty sure that as soon as he ends one call, another comes in.

Bob was a great guy, fun too, as someone mentioned. Extremely knowledgeable about marine engines, not just FL.

Brian learned everything he could from his dad and it shows in the knowledgeable way he interacts with clients.

There are other places to buy FL parts but none provide the before and after purchase assistance like AD. Plus we need to keep AD profitable so they don't disappear.

Disclosure; I am a dealer that resell AD parts.

SYJOS, it’s ok that you are selling parts from AD, we need to keep Brian profitable and there. I too have utilized Brian’s knowledge, and it much appreciated.

Alex