Thread: Compare machine shop pricing

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How does you machine shop pricings compare from area to area?

last SBC heads i took to local (only) shop milled/valve grind and new stock springs was $400 bucks. (thats why I usually don't do any machine work).

Checked with a popular machine shop about 40 miles away and here is there prices.

Clean V8 block bore and hone 1 time $120 if it needs a second bore $150.

Clean, check and polish crank $18.

Clean, check and mill/grind valves and port out the area directly under the valves $155.

Thought those where some pretty good prices, what does yours run?

It would depend on what kind of equipment they are using, and the quality of their work. Prices sound ok, but without seeing their work I couldn't say anything about it's value..... For example, cylinder honing. A shop here in town uses and old hone with stones on an electric drill motor. Race shop we use has a computer controlled power stroke hone and uses deck plates on the block when they bore and hone the block. As you would expect, the labor at the race shop is about twice as high, but usually the rings are seated by the time it comes off the run in stand.

well i do this stuff and i am much hirer i will not run down the full list. but here is what i get bore and hone with tq plates $200 up to .060 on bore. to sleeve one hole with sleeve $100 .3angle valve job wash / blast/ mag and cut heads V8 $205. BHJ tru-deck the block $120 wash and polish a V8 crank $35 this is hard work to do right and takes time and the machines and tools are not cheap

Pat, Dave, I think thats the problem with folks they have NO idea what a shop has wraped up in machinery. Tools are not cheap. (Good tools that is) it cost $$ to run the machinery keep a roof over it and pay a living wage and benifits to the operators.

OOPS
Double Post

Originally Posted by cffisher

Pat, Dave, I think thats the problem with folks they have NO idea what a shop has wraped up in machinery. Tools are not cheap. (Good tools that is) it cost $$ to run the machinery keep a roof over it and pay a living wage and benifits to the operators.

yes you can not make big money doing this stuff. it hard to justify spending $100.000 for a loaded cnc machine to bore blocks when no one wants to pay no more than $120 for a bore job with deck plates

Honesty and good work are priceless. I went to a local machine shop to get some wrist pins pressed in to my pistons because he was cheaper. When I was assembling my motor I found 3 of the 8 pistons cracked between the bottom ring and the pin.
Brought them back, he swore up and down that they were scratches, not cracks. A magnifying glass proved otherwise. So I thought "factory defect" (maybe I hadnt noticed the cracks when I bought them)?
I brought them to another machinist who immediately said that they were cracked and laughed at me when I asked about the chances of a factory flaw. He said that the pins were either pressed in cold or he did not have the proper tool/set up to accomplish the task.
Long story short, I now have a new machinist that I deal with exclusively whom I have come to trust and would gladly pay a little more $$ for the peace of mind.

I've used the same machine shop for years and he is a great guy and knows his stuff. Gives me lots of free advice too. I had heard this one other shop was great, so I gave him a try. First of all, I had to keep calling him to see when my stuff would be done (it took 3 months ) then when he finally did get it done he called me on a Tuesday and when I hadn't gotten over there by Thursday he calls to see what the holdup was. (I work) I told him "you had this engine for 3 months and now you are busting my chops for 2 days??" I never went back.

When you find a good one they are worth the extra bucks if they are slightly more money. Sometimes good and cheap don't fit into the same sentence.

Don

Originally Posted by cffisher

Pat, Dave, I think thats the problem with folks they have NO idea what a shop has wraped up in machinery. Tools are not cheap. (Good tools that is) it cost $$ to run the machinery keep a roof over it and pay a living wage and benifits to the operators.

I have enough experience in automotive machine operations to know that to me it is worth the extra $$$$ to get the work done by someone who has the experience and the right equipment. The proper clearances and squaring the block, cylinder bores, and crankshaft bore is critical to building a quality engine. I know someone is going to tell me all about there 200,000 mile motor they built using K-mart tools and a ball hone in an electric drill, all I can say is that I run the snot out of my engines, especially the race car ones. I want to know that the crank is not binding and the pistons aren't wobbling when the engine is out there going 7600 RPM every lap and trying to pull the main caps out of the block cuz the tires are hooked up so well on a tacky track.

Next year's Super Stock engines will run about $2500 in the bottom end, $1500 of that in machine work and another grand in the heads plus a bunch of parts. We could probably get by with less, but why??? It takes a bit more money and a lot more time to do everything right, but it sure beats wishing you would of when engines don't last and everyone has more power.