Midwest machine shop?

[draw]

LN Engineering has greatly expanded their machine shop services https://lnengineering.com/machine-shop-services.html. Never used them myself, but you could give them a call. I believe they're located in Momence, IL.

[JKarow08]

Originally Posted by Neil Harvey

I saw my name mentioned here. I never find fault with other places as there are many ways to achieve the result.

I did speak to JKarow and I would have suggested to him, it is my opinion that narrowing the cases is never my first choice. We always cut the cases oversize once we know we can obtain the necessary bearing shells. Narrowing the case opens up a lot of other potential issues.

But we have done this narrowing before when we had no choice. If fact we have even cut the main housing a lot larger and inserted an insert that was then cut to the standard size. As I said, there are a lot of ways to achieve the result. I just favor limiting all of the other potential issues whenever possible.

We do this line bore work but not at the volume that Ollies do. We are not a production machine shop. We do all of our machine work inhouse and for those that want a lot quicker turnaround we can accommodate.

Bearings are hard to find as we struggle with this as well. We have found ways around this, re cutting the tang grooves on the opposite side of the main so an earlier shell can be fitted. We are also in the first stages of having main and rod bearings made.

All of this takes time, so in the meantime, go with whatever achieves the result you are looking for.

Hi Neil,

Thanks for chiming in here. I, in no way, intended to infer you were bashing the work Ollie's does, simply, as you stated, was using our discussion as an example that there are more than one opinion on how to true these cases. Ollie's definitely has the best reputation in machining these cases as a production facility, and Neil left me with the opinion that his shop does the most comprehensive work on these motors in a smaller scale fashion. Additionally, I've talked with a number of other machine shops and engine builders related to my build and have heard a number of other opinions on what is needed to build a reliable mag cased motor. I don't necessarily think anyone is right or wrong here, rather there are a number of opinions on what is necessary depending on the goals of the build. My hope is simply to find a shop locally that can help me achieve my goals, but if that isn't achievable Neil or Ollie's will definitely be my choice. Thanks again everyone for their insight here!

-Josh

[JKarow08]

Originally Posted by draw

LN Engineering has greatly expanded their machine shop services https://lnengineering.com/machine-shop-services.html. Never used them myself, but you could give them a call. I believe they're located in Momence, IL.

I reached out to LN and they do not have the capabilities to do all of the work in house at this point (can't align bore or balance yet). For reference for anyone else considering LN, here is what they told me they could currently do...

We currently are not set up to line bore the cases, but we can do the time-serts and decking of the block. It’s in our expansion plan, but we’re not quite there yet.



We can check the crank and polish the journals and can also resize and rebush the rods (with new rod bolts) – that will not be a problem for us.

Our engine balancer just was delivered and we just need time to wire it in and get up to speed on using it, so we will also be able to offer this service shortly.

Our cylinder head shop is up and running and we can offer full cylinder head rebuilds and upgrading, including porting.

[JKarow08]

I also finally got in touch with Kelly Moss in Fitchburg WI today. It sounds like they still do some individual performance jobs along with their full custom build work, including full machining work. The gentleman I talked to said they could/would do my machining work, most of which they did in house but they also had another local machine shop they worked with to do that was beyond their capabilities. He said his machine work guy actually went to the other local machine shop and did the work along side him and dictated the specs. Their prices seemed competitive and he expected a 3-4 week turnaround depending on what they had going on. Considering their proximity and reputation, Kelly Moss looks to be a good option for those needing case work in the midwest.

[JKarow08]

Originally Posted by Mr. Merk

Reach out to JP Werks in KC. He's been doing some stuff for the Porsche Classic Center in Atlanta and is REALLY good with cylinder heads.

I got in touch with JP Werks today, sounds like they have full mag case machining capabilities in house. His prices were very reasonable and he estimated a 3-6 week turnaround time depending on their other projects. He mentioned most, but not all of the cases he trues need an align bore, which he has the capability of completing. He sounded very knowledgeable, definitely looks like another good option in the midwest.

[JKarow08]

I talked with Midwest Eurosport outside of Chicago today as well, it sounds like they are a full service mag case machine shop as well. Their prices sounded reasonable and it sounds like his current turnaround time is 2 weeks or less. They also rebuild 915 transmissions, gave a rough quote of $2k-2500 in labor and about $1k in parts for the average refresh on a 915 that hadn't experienced further damage. That seems to be the going rate from what I have found, and he said he expected a 10 day turnaround time. Another solid midwest choice it appears!

https://eurosportporsche.com/