Went and visited two semi-local machine shops today. If any of the locals want to PM me for the names of these shops, feel free. I would be glad to share my thoughts. I don't know if it's right to bring the shops name into this since I have no first hand experience with their work yet, just impressions.
Machine Shop #1:
Asked if they could do a hardness test on the head. He did not know what I was talking about.
Asked if he had a torque plate. He said he had one but not anymore. He then stated that a torque plate only makes 2 thou difference.
I asked if he could do an RA of 30 or less, he said yes.
I asked if they are able to measure and line hone the bearing saddles and cam saddles. He told me that they can do this. I then asked about how he would deal with a warped head. He stated that he would not heat/straighten the head, he would only line hone the cam saddles. He stated that he did not like heating the head to straighten it because of the high heat needed.
I asked about what was needed to be bolted to the engine for boring. He said nothing. Not the bearing caps or the timing belt tensioner. He did mention that the front timing cover was needed as it has to be milled as well. His exact words were "...that's just an old school idea. We checked and it makes no difference."
I asked what kind of bearings he recommends. He said King bearings and that he didn't use Clevites. He didn't like the tri-metal construction of the Clevite bearings.
Pricing:
450 for head work (includes valve job, shimming of cams, milling)
450 for block work (milling, magnafluxing, cleaning, painting, boring, crank work)
400 for balancing (not done in house, needs the dampener, flywheel, etc.)
170 for bearings (King main and rod bearings)
650 for full assembly (I don't want this but I thought I would ask anyway)
Overall I was not too impressed. The place was dark, dirty and did not seem overly organized. The shop was large but was also shared with a tuning shop. There was a very nice Mk4 in the shop but I don't know if it was a customers car or not. During the entire meeting he didn't write anything down or try to break down the pricing for me at all.
Machine Shop #2
When I first walked in I was greeted and asked what I was there for. As soon as I mentioned getting a quote he sat down and started taking notes. He documented everything I asked about and made sure that I knew what I wanted and why.
I asked about a hardness test and magnafluxing. He told me he doesn't touch it until it has been done. Doesn't want me to waste my money. He also mentioned that he would check for warping on the head. He stated that he would be able to straighten the head (in an oven) and line bore it but if it was warped too much, it would be cheaper/better to get a different one.
I asked about a torque plate and he said he didn't have one. He doesn't see enough M series motors to warrant having one. This did not surprise me at all.
He asked about the condition of the motor I plan on rebuilding. Since I am not positive (don't have it apart yet), he said he would get me two prices. One for just polishing the crank, the other if it needs to be ground.
I asked about balancing and he said he had no problem doing that. He told me that I would need to bring in the flywheels and balancer to do this.
We discussed bolting all the stuff onto the block. He started tell me the reason to do this is to simulate how it would be all assembled. He even started talking about how in a perfect world you would machine it at opperating temp. This reminded me of IJ. lol He wasn't sure about how necessary bolting on the timing belt tensioner was. He asked about the water jacket around the cylinders and if it would make that much of a difference. Once I am done writing this I will go look for an picture IJ took of how he deformed the cylinder wall with that bolt. I want to print it off and show it to him.
I asked him about bearings and he suggested Clevites or some type of race bearing I had never heard of. He used to race bearings in his personal engines and loved them. He doesn't think they are made for 7M applications but he is looking into it. In the mean time he is quoting me on the Clevites since I indicated that was what I wanted.
He asked me how much of the build I wanted to do myself. I said I wanted to do quite a bit but not necessarily all. He then suggested that he do the head for me. He wants to shim the head and install everything. He will give me a quote on both him doing it and doing it myself. Then I can decide.
I am still waiting for prices since he wanted to call his suppliers and give me accurate prices. As soon as he calls I will add them here.
My impressions of the shop were very positive. It seemed clean and orderly but not overly so. There were engines and cylinder heads around the shop in various states of assembly. All the people there were older and seemed very experienced. The shop itself is family owned and has been in business for a long time. He seemed very excited about the motor and loved their design. Unless his price quote is astronomical I am pretty sure he will be building my motor.
So what do you guys think? I am very glad I organized my thoughts before I went. I am also very glad I went to more than one shop. VERY glad. lol
