grumpyvette
Well-known member
HOW to find a decent machine shop
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT SO DO THE HOMEWORK & TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT!
THATS SIMPLE
GO TO THE LOCAL DRAG STRIP with a PAD and pen, ask every guy with a car running 11 seconds or faster
(1)WHO WOULD YOU AVOID IN A MACHINE SHOP
(2)WHO WOULD YOU SUGGEST IN A MACHINE SHOP
take notes
keep in mind your not looking for the guys that will make your car FAST as much as your looking for who can be trusted NOT to screw up your parts, and follow instructions on repairs and mods you’ve selected to do ,and those machine shops where the machinist will take the time and effort to advise you and do the job correctly and you also need to know who is doing sub-standard work, and should be avoided, that’s why YOU NEED TO ASK both questions and in that order
(1)WHO WOULD YOU AVOID IN A MACHINE SHOP
(2)WHO WOULD YOU SUGGEST IN A MACHINE SHOP
take GOOD notes, collect business cards if you can
and remember many guys who have slower cars than the 11 second bracket generally are using mostly bolt on and go parts with little use for a quality machine shops skills
that’s EXACTLY why I do all the work possible on my cars and engines....WHY I’ve collected thousands of dollars in tools and done years of research...
I got soooooooo... tired and ****ed off from dealing with scammers, thieves and morons who were in business too collect money from the CLUELESS masses of guys that won’t or don’t take the time and effort to find out what actually needs to be done and exactly how its supposed to be accomplished
and finding out that a huge percentage of the mechanics/garages and machine shops were at least partly staffed with guys who knew less and cared FAR less about doing the job correctly than I could ever comprehend, If your going to BE in business you might THINK you’ll want to build a good reputation and look for repeat business, but all to frequently they are in it for a quick buck and screw the results or customers
I’ve seen machine shops throw ALUMINUM cylinder heads in a CAUSTIC SODA bath to clean them, I’ve seen MORRONS try too charge me too torque plate hone a block, when they didn’t even know what a TORQUE PLATE WAS or OWN ANY that fit that family of engines, I’ve seen guys try to beat piston pins out of rods, guys who think a valve job is simply slapping grinding compound on a valve and using a drill to lap the valve into the seat, guys that charge for degreeing in a cam who don’t own a degree wheel or a dial indicator and think aligning dots on the cam drive is degreeing in a cam,.....I could go further but you get the IDEA, LEARN and DO as much as you can yourself, collect the tools and manuals you need, and join a few clubs and find the knowledgeable few guys that do their own work rather than pay exorbitant prices to shops and take their chances... you’ll be way ahead!
keep in mind the three most comon screw ups I see
(1) not having a well thought thru plan and parts list, OF MATCHED PARTS
(2)getting side tracked ,buying "DEAL" parts that don,t fit your PLAN OR ARE NOT ON THE LIST
(3)dealing with morons, scam artists & incompetants at machine shops
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT SO DO THE HOMEWORK & TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT!
THATS SIMPLE
GO TO THE LOCAL DRAG STRIP with a PAD and pen, ask every guy with a car running 11 seconds or faster
(1)WHO WOULD YOU AVOID IN A MACHINE SHOP
(2)WHO WOULD YOU SUGGEST IN A MACHINE SHOP
take notes
keep in mind your not looking for the guys that will make your car FAST as much as your looking for who can be trusted NOT to screw up your parts, and follow instructions on repairs and mods you’ve selected to do ,and those machine shops where the machinist will take the time and effort to advise you and do the job correctly and you also need to know who is doing sub-standard work, and should be avoided, that’s why YOU NEED TO ASK both questions and in that order
(1)WHO WOULD YOU AVOID IN A MACHINE SHOP
(2)WHO WOULD YOU SUGGEST IN A MACHINE SHOP
take GOOD notes, collect business cards if you can
and remember many guys who have slower cars than the 11 second bracket generally are using mostly bolt on and go parts with little use for a quality machine shops skills
that’s EXACTLY why I do all the work possible on my cars and engines....WHY I’ve collected thousands of dollars in tools and done years of research...
I got soooooooo... tired and ****ed off from dealing with scammers, thieves and morons who were in business too collect money from the CLUELESS masses of guys that won’t or don’t take the time and effort to find out what actually needs to be done and exactly how its supposed to be accomplished
and finding out that a huge percentage of the mechanics/garages and machine shops were at least partly staffed with guys who knew less and cared FAR less about doing the job correctly than I could ever comprehend, If your going to BE in business you might THINK you’ll want to build a good reputation and look for repeat business, but all to frequently they are in it for a quick buck and screw the results or customers
I’ve seen machine shops throw ALUMINUM cylinder heads in a CAUSTIC SODA bath to clean them, I’ve seen MORRONS try too charge me too torque plate hone a block, when they didn’t even know what a TORQUE PLATE WAS or OWN ANY that fit that family of engines, I’ve seen guys try to beat piston pins out of rods, guys who think a valve job is simply slapping grinding compound on a valve and using a drill to lap the valve into the seat, guys that charge for degreeing in a cam who don’t own a degree wheel or a dial indicator and think aligning dots on the cam drive is degreeing in a cam,.....I could go further but you get the IDEA, LEARN and DO as much as you can yourself, collect the tools and manuals you need, and join a few clubs and find the knowledgeable few guys that do their own work rather than pay exorbitant prices to shops and take their chances... you’ll be way ahead!
keep in mind the three most comon screw ups I see
(1) not having a well thought thru plan and parts list, OF MATCHED PARTS
(2)getting side tracked ,buying "DEAL" parts that don,t fit your PLAN OR ARE NOT ON THE LIST
(3)dealing with morons, scam artists & incompetants at machine shops
