find a DECENT machine shop

[grumpyvette]

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 pissed 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

[pparaska]

Don't be afraid to pay a bit of a premium if the machine shop is well known to do top quality work. There's a machine shop I have used for 30 years - same owner and many of the guys in there have been there that long. They build cars and race them. And a lot of the fast people around use them. But they are $90/hr. I just pay, knowing I will get quality work and advice.

The place is Burtonsville Performance Machine Service in Burtonsville, MD.

[Evan Purple240zt]

I have used the same machine shop since I was 16. They are good people, and do great work. I can walk right into the shop at any time, no matter how many years its been and I get a friendly hello from the staff because they remember me.

 

They are about 2 hours away from here, and 3.5 hours away from my old home and I still used them!

 

I found building a good relationship with them was key. I paid for machine work in cash. They made change from the vending machine haha.

 

Evan

[BillZ260]

Agreed! ^^^^

 

My machine shop guy has grown quite a bit from the first time I used him, about 10 years ago,which is a good sign. He's very thorough, VERY HONEST and does stuff right!

 

Grumpy, good advice on those questions, never would have though of that!

[Six_Shooter]

Best advice I've ever read!

 

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people screwed over by supoosed "good" shops, and in more than just machine work.

I've always been one to do my own work anyway, but the more I see shoddy work done, the more it make me do even more of my own work. I've also been screwed over by people that have no idea what they're doing, too many "alignments" have been done on my cars due to incompentance. I just don't have the equipment to do alignments or I would do it myself, actually I will be trying to make the "home alignment" tools soon, to learn how to do it myself.