Will do! Thanks Gary, I owe you one.

Maybe next time I'm in Seattle I'll bring you a Texas BBQ brisket.

 

Is it just me or does the cost of machine work sound high? I got my 351 W block bored .030 over, dipped, and new cam bearings put in for around $400. Why is it going to cost you $2400 just to get the cylinders bored .080 over?

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but I DO know what I had done to it and how much it cost to have it done.

 

I agree it should be about $75 per bore on the cylinders for only the machine work. However I think you are talking about only having the machine work done and you do the rest of the work including acquiring the parts, assembly, etc. It sounds to me like he was dropping off the engine having the entire job done job done by the machine shop. In that case his price was not bad.

 

Walston's right. The shop was going to do the entire job for me. I've never done it before, I'm short on time these days, and I wanted it done right.

Still seems like a lot though.

 

During the 80's and 90's I daily drove a '38 tonner pickup with a flathead V8. I ran it til it smoked really bad and I shopped for a new engine, since I wasn't confident with my skills yet. In the beginning I bought a '37 21 stud engine, backyard rebuild by an 'expert' for 900.00. That one was a disaster. Soon after I had one rebuilt by a known reputable shop which turns out had just been sold to a disreputable new owner. They didn't understand the floating 'soup can' rod bearings, and that one lasted a couple years after I switched out the bearings from under the truck. Cost:2500.00..... Last one I researched my area and found the guy who did all the machine work for a very well known strictly flathead builder. I had him do the whole job with a 4" merc crank I had found. Had it balanced too and that one was awesome. AFIK, this one is still running strong. Cost:5000.00 , that was in '96. What I'm getting at is that when you just drop one off and want it done right, it's gonna cost. I do realize a flathead V8 is a different animal though.

 

Okay, I didn't realize that the machine shop was rebuilding the engine completely. I assumed that it was just the machine work.

 

I finally did one on my OWN a couple years later. I had found a '51 F3 and it needed a rebuild. Well I tore it down in the back of my cabinet shop (I worked alone back then) and bought a ridge reamer and a hone and proceeded to do it all the hard way. I lapped the valves and put in new guides and one thing lead to another and I was hard at it for about 3 weeks. I was assembling a couple of drawers and a few cabinet boxes and then the 'siren' would call to me and before you know it I'd be all greasy and then the day would end with no where near what I told the contractor I'd get done....... Seriously, this is when I first hired an employee, just so I'd have someone there to hold me accountable. He's still with me. He was 19 then and now he's 31. Now he can hold the fort while I slip down at 3:30 and work on my diesel fridge project. He kinda rolls his eyes. Here's that flathead going in with my son (now 18) as my assistant

 

That pic is worth a millon!

 

He's the youngest of four. Herbie Tucker. That's him at abour 3 yrs. if you squint looking at my avatar right above the rear wheel........He's been trying my patience lately, but he points out a truck when it has a full floating axle or is a diesel or a fridge truck. Can't wait til he's about 23 and doesn't know EVERYTHING....... Thanks for the nice comment Spur. Oh and I got the wood together for the 223 crate today and drained all the fluids!

 

For sale, antique Ford 223 CU straight 6. Needs work.

By the way the tear-down and cleaning cost me $100. Which seems reasonable.



Is this possible piston wear, or did the shop do this extracting it?

 

No wonder it had NO compression in a couple of cylinders!

 

On the way! Rainy, gloomy day..... I should have hopped in the crate!

 

Now that looks like a professional crating job!

 

"Yeah, the motor I had was smoking pretty bad, so I put a Ford crate motor in it. Ford Racing? No, why do you ask?"

 

I was on a job site today and the Orcas Freight Lines truck pulled in to deliver the appliances for the kitchen. I asked them if they got that greasy engine out this morning and they said they did, so it's rolling down to Austin. All you gotta say is "its got a ford crate motor in it" and you aren't even stretching the truth. I'm a furniture and cabinetmaker so everything is fastened with screws. You'll need a screw gun not a crowbar to uncrate this beast.