Thread: EEK Motor Back From Machine Shop To Find This!!

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He asked if i already had pistons i said yes as i wanted to build a 355. He said ok no problem if there was a mark on cyl wall before i brought it to him i would have asked him about it. before anything got done i specifically told the guy if something comes up stop everything and call me so we can get it done right. He said ok. We talked about cams he we picked one out together and he ordered it. I then had him redo my Dart iron eagle heads. I've spent 4600 on this engine so far

Originally Posted by 34_40

I wouldn't blame the shop when you handed them the parts and said "use these".
How was the wear calculated? Since you provided the pistons, you must've measured the bores? Yes/ No?

Since this is a budget job, just keep moving forward, that line won't amount to much, you'll never feel it in the butt dyno!

As a professional the shop is obligated to do the job in a workman like manner. If the score could not be removed to accommodate the pistons supplied, he should have stopped and informed the customer of the options.
I'm in agreement with several others, if the score can be felt it needs to be fixed. The score not only allows pressure to escape past the rings leading to oil contamination, but also diminishes the pressure applied behind the rings lessoning ring to cylinder wall tension, usually resulting in the rings not seating properly and early failure. And as Jerry implied, installing new pistons without balancing the rotating assembly is asking for trouble too, budget or not it is a bad practice.
As a wise man once told me, "sometimes you can't do what the customer wants"..

About the only way to get a scratch /gough like that would be if the cutting tool wasn't removed from the boring bar and the bar was lowered deep down into the cylinder to center it( the 3 centering fingers are retracted for boring and the cutting tool is removed for centering) the tool bit could cut the wall like that. It wouldn't happen while removing the bar as the tool would of cut amount that would then clear-------??? I looked at the pics of his shop and didn't even see a boring bar or cylinder hone and write up said he had 2800 sq ft. something funny

well i contacted owner i'm bringing it over in the AM i took everything back off as the way it was when i got it from him.
There is another well known machine shop i will be passing i'm going to stop there first and ask for a second a pinion about it.
As when i called him this morning he said if you can catch it it's too much and would need to go up one more size.
If the shop i'm bringing it to agrees to fix they would have to cover the price of new oil/frost plugs/pistons & rings. I will pay out of pocket to have it balanced as i sold my other sbc heads today.

you won't need new oil or freeze plugs---

and to balance it now will require taking rods/pistons apart for weighing and balance the individual parts

Question to consider: Are you sure this is your block and not someone else's block?

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

As a wise man once told me, "sometimes you can't do what the customer wants"..

And the oldest rules in business??
#1 - the customer is always right!
#2 - when the customer is wrong, see rule #1

We still haven't heard how the wear was measured and how the decision was made to use a certain piston. Other than the OP wanted to achieve a certain engine size.

So now "some" on here want to see this shop in a bad light..

I'm beating on this deceased equine because there is a lesson in here. And not just with a machine shop!! Whenever you walk into an establishment with parts that you've selected to use, you place that business into a position that they may not be comfortable with or deserve, and instead of being in a relationship of customer and service provider, you set the stage of a "Job Shop". That is, customer hands you parts and you install same.

I'm not a legit business, but I do work on the side like others here. I've had this same scenario happen to me, and I was left with the black eye. Even though the guy said just install what I gave you.. it somehow becomes the shops fault when the desired results aren't achieved.

I hope I conveyed that there are always two sides to the story and that others in the future that may read this consider parts selection and working with a shop... in this case the wear was probably more than the piston size selected.

Perhaps Uncle Bob can add some eloquence to my feeble attempt..

Originally Posted by 34_40

Perhaps Uncle Bob can add some eloquence to my feeble attempt..

Not feeble at all, a very well written and eloquent point if you ask me!

The only thing more expensive than building a new motor is building a new motor again

Originally Posted by robot

The only thing more expensive than building a new motor is building a new motor again

Wowzer zowzer - know that one...

Not to steal this thread, but I once built an engine for a friends 63 pickup. Budget build .030 over valve job on stock heads, new pistons, RV cam, lifters, rings, bearings etc. I was putting it together when he showed up with a box of garage sale parts - polished early finned aluminum heads, chrome front cover and a really cool aluminum scoop that had operating butterflies to look like unit off a blower motor.

All good and then he brings out this polished water pump. I couldn't put my finger on it but it looked somehow not right to me.

Long story short, finished up with some used Hooker headers that I had cleaned up and coated with VHT (charged him 50 bucks - and I paid 10 at a swap meet!) and cherry bombs, clamp on exhaust pipe out the back and I shoved on little chrome tips from a sink trap - fired right up, sounded great and after a couple hundred miles he changed the oil and it was clear as honey. New oil, new filter and he was off on a weekend trip several hundred miles away.

Got a call several hours later and he told me, "That #$%^& engine you built for me just crapped out!" He was not happy (nor was I as I drove out to pick him up.) Couldn't tell much in the dark but I did manage to tow him home (he didn't say a word for sixty miles) and told him we needed to wait until we both cooled off a bit before saying anything more or pointing fingers. Next morning the damage was assessed - water pump shaft broke, pump seized causing belts to fry, fan went into the radiator and made a real mess.

Had the radiator rebuilt, put on a new out-of-the-box rebuilt GM water pump (that I painted and in my shop). The friendship was a good one and we got things all talked out - he paid for the radiator, antifreeze and new belts - I gave him the pump and wouldn't take anything for my time.

We both learned a big lesson - he learned that I really did know my stuff about engines (ran that truck for ten more years and sold it with that engine still in it) and I learned to say, "No!" when it comes to parts that I have not bought or at least vetted.

Bit of a rant, but I'm real sure others here can say, "Oh man, I had the same kind of thing happen too!"

Regards All,
Glenn

For the life of me, I don't see where the cylinder grooves have anything to do with hodgepodge parts.

Not trying to be rude. Plz point out what I missed.

I don't believe anyone has used the term "hodgepodge". I have no knowledge as to the quality of any parts and I don't believe there has ever been a question in that vein.

My concern became "IF" the scrape/gouge/groove/line was truly there before the re-bore as the pictures make it appear, then the parts had already been bought with the assumption that the .030 thou would clean the bore. But it looks like it doesn't.

I asked who had measured the cylinders, the machinist? the owner?

So now we're awaiting an update - the OP was going to bring it to a shop but was talking with a second shop also about repairing at least the one cylinder. I don't think you missed any point!

Well to get back with y'all i brought it to machine shop they looked at it and felt it the owner had a quick weird look on his face (didn't think i seeb him) then said it is deep. I said i didn't recall having a mark in the cyl when i tore it down but maybe i missed it. We all male mistakes.
He had to leave so i finished talking to the worker that bored it he said the way it sits in machine he must of not seen it.
(thinking in my head when they file fit rings some one must of spotted it) but he said yes is was our mistake for not noticing it then went on to saying its a cosmetic blemish to them and didn't think i would of minded. ( well i did) I told them how i said in the beginning if they found anything at all to stop and call me and we could of figured out the right way of fixing it.
Anyways he said he could try going .001 to see if that will clean it up and if so they will re assemble at no cost so i left it there.
Friday they called and said its mostly out except about an inch i said ok is it still deep? He said yes you can still catch it with nail I again said how i told them if anythings wrong they should of called.
Comes down to it i ordered new .040 pistons & rings and he's going to bore and assemble everything at no cost.
Learning experience, i should of been a lot more clear on explaining to him about it and he should have his workers pay closer attention to the work after machining. Hopefully i can sell my .030 pistons for a little to get back what i have in the new ones

Also to me if it were my business i would have called and mention the mark was still in it after being bored and asked what i want to do about it.

I just can't wait to get it back so i can finish up the other stuff i have to do to it.

I'm sorry but it isn'tclear to me, did you do a single cylinder @ 40 over, or am I reading you did the full 8 @ + 40?