Well, I picked up my block from the "machine shop" (and I use that term loosely) and after I got it home where I could put it under bright lights and close examination, I am not at all happy. :mad: Ok, I'll back up a little...... they originally called me last Friday and told me it was ready. I went down there and started pulling the main caps and shining a light in block. ALL of the cam bearings were badly misaligned with the oil holes and I rejected the work and said that the bearings need to be redone. Then I noticed that the block had not been decked like I asked for it to be so I left it there to be decked and the cam bearings redone.

When I showed up today, I didn't have a whole of time and since they had done a good job on all the other work, I didn't think much about it and only gave the block a cursory look (my downfall). It wasn't till I got it home under the lights that I discovered the problems. It looks like they decked one bank like I asked. The other side still had marks from the ouiji board in the deck and I could still see the pattern from the old head gasket. There were a few milling marks, but not at all like the other side's consistant milling marks. It looks they only took off .002" or .003" to "sort of" clean it up a little instead of decking it.

Ok, now I'm getting pissed and go ahead and flip it over to do an exam on the cam bearings... they were the same bearings.. they just tried to move them around a little but they were still badly misaligned with the oil holes. Since they did some milling on it and got shavings everywhere, they stuck it back in the hot tank. When I came out, it needed some paint on the block so they shot some more on it (Chevy orange of all things). The idiot managed to get about 50% overspray coverage on the rear bearing!!!! Good God!!! Needless to say, they've lost a customer and any chance of a referral...

Now hold on. When you asked them to deck it, did you give them a spec? If you didn't, common procedure would be to make both banks even with the center line of the crank. In your case one bank was 2-3 thou higher than the other, now there even.

Chebby orange!!:eek: :barf: :barf:

Before you write yourself off as their customer, it sounds like you still have A LOT of business left to do with them. Mainly having them finish the job they started. Hopefully you did not pay cash when you picked up your engine (Please say CC or even check...) STop payment on the check or place a hold on the CC charge. That will get there attention then take your engine back and point out exactly what you told us. Talk your way up to the boss/owner and get pissed and loud - it always works for me :mad: say word like unacceptable - poor customer service - questionable at best...

Don't leave there office/shop until you get Your money back or work done right and a serious appology for trying to fork you over.

Originally posted by Old Scout
Now hold on. When you asked them to deck it, did you give them a spec? If you didn't, common procedure would be to make both banks even with the center line of the crank. In your case one bank was 2-3 thou higher than the other, now there even.

Chebby orange!!:eek: :barf: :barf:
Yes, it's printed right on the work order..."deck block .020"...
they obivously took much more off one side than the other so I now fear that they are uneven. The guy was bitching about how hard the metal in the block was when he was honing it. He even up'd his $5/hole honing fee to $7.50/hole because it was such a bitch to hone. He probably decided it was too much of a bitch to mill and only scuffed the second side.

Originally posted by uglyscout
Before you write yourself off as their customer, it sounds like you still have A LOT of business left to do with them. Mainly having them finish the job they started. Hopefully you did not pay cash when you picked up your engine (Please say CC or even check...) STop payment on the check or place a hold on the CC charge. That will get there attention then take your engine back and point out exactly what you told us. Talk your way up to the boss/owner and get pissed and loud - it always works for me :mad: say word like unacceptable - poor customer service - questionable at best...

Don't leave there office/shop until you get Your money back or work done right and a serious appology for trying to fork you over.
I didn't write myself off as their customer... they did buy doing incompetent work .... twice!! Only thing I would accept from them now some money refunded but there is no way they are going to lay a hand on any more of parts. I no longer have any confidence in their ability to produce satisfactory results. I can't imagine them even allowing something like that to even leave their shop... especially something that was a rework and was still wrong!! Oh, and I was dealing with the owner... he obviously doesn't give a shit and I definately don't want someone with that attitude working on my stuff.

Originally posted by TORC

I didn't write myself off as their customer... they did buy doing incompetent work .... twice!! Only thing I would accept from them now some money refunded but there is no way they are going to lay a hand on any more of parts. I no longer have any confidence in their ability to produce satisfactory results. I can't imagine them even allowing something like that to even leave their shop... especially something that was a rework and was still wrong!! Oh, and I was dealing with the owner... he obviously doesn't give a shit and I definately don't want someone with that attitude working on my stuff.

That sucks when you bitch your way to the top and even the boss is worthless - you've got the right idea - get your money back and be done with them.

Bummer TORC,

I don't know as I'd trust them to do it right. Ya might have to bite the bullet and take it to a better shop.

I had nearly the same thing happen quite a few years ago with a highly recommended shop. I had to have everything rechecked and several things redone elsewhere.

For the last 15 years or so I only do business with machine shops that do a lot of business with the area racers. While not building a race engine, racers tend to be a lot more picky and they won't do business with a shop that don't do it right the first time.

I only use Mothers Machine here in Springfield although it costs me quite a bit more ($12 per hole v. $8 anywhere else in town), but I know Guy does it right and he's also the only one around that does balancing.


Good Luck

That really sucks, i had some similar problems with a local Machine shop (DandK Engines in Canon City) with a 392, they screwed a bunch of stuff up and it took them 3 months instead of the 3 weeks i was promised and they came recommended before i took it there (the owner is the high school machine shop teacher, and was told we do IH's engines all the time) and after i got it back and had the problems was told we don't do many of those things and later heard from other guys that had the same problems. So if any body in Canon City needs engine machining or building done don't take it there.

Originally posted by scoutver5.7
Bummer TORC,

I don't know as I'd trust them to do it right. Ya might have to bite the bullet and take it to a better shop.
You're exactly right there... no way I'm trusting them to touch any of my stuff anymore and it does make me second guess what they did do. So far I have not confronted them to say that they screwed up the deck job. I am taking it to another shop to have them measure the deck height and adjust as necessary. Once I have the 3rd party evaluation, then I'll call them on it.

In my efforts to find another shop, I explain the cam bearing situation to him and he said, "that's no problem... just run a drill bit down the oil passage and enlarge the hole in the bearing."

My reaction, "WHAT!?!?!?"

His reply, "It's just an old truck motor."

My reply, "It may be that to you, but to me it represents about $1,000 of my hard earned dollars and a shitload of my time. The first of which you aren't getting any of and the second of which you've already wasted too much of." *click*