Engine builder recommendation

[Mike K]

Engine machine shops are fast becoming a thing of the past. Around this immediate district they have all closed down. A problem arises because of the lack of competition, the few remaining shops ( that you drive a decent distance to ) charge like a wounded bull.

I won't go into this too deeply but I currently have a Jeep engine block that has been at a engine shop for 3 years and 4 months. All I asked for was boring, head and block decking and crank grind and valve seat inserts. They don't give a stuff. why ? nobody else is doing this kind of work in the Valley.

As for poured bearings and lost skills . Think there is only one business in Dandenong that still does it and they charge $$$$$ per bearing. A chap in QLD with a vintage Hudson car learnt how to do poured bearings and he did it himself. This is a good starting point: http://www.boatregister.net/Library/...dBearing_1.pdf

A post from the metalwork forum

"No experience but I've talked to a couple of my fellow Hudson owners in SE Qld who have recently remetalled big ends in the home workshop, these were 30s conrods that originally had poured bearings. The set up to melt the babbit and pour the bearings was straightforward, with the usual caveats about cleanliness and tinning the conrod and cap. After pouring the rods and caps were assembled and fixed in a jig that was then mounted in the 4 jaw and they were bored to size.

Slow work, they figured about 2 hours per journal from go to whoa, so yes, expensive if you are paying someone to do it. And both elected to use the more expensive diesel babbit.

The main bearings on these engines were removable, they had thick steel backs that were also originally white metalled, I imagine they would need to be line bored after pouring.

I would be hesitant about remetalling modern slipper bearings if that is your intention"