Machine shop advice please

[Tippy]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

Yep, and for that reason I suspect the local cars n coffee or monthly pca club meeting is a better place to get beta on a local machinist than Pelican. OP has Kelly Moss and Accumoto in his state. Theres gotta be at least a couple guys one can dig up with a little looking.

There you go!

[m42racer]

Originally Posted by Tippy

M42racer, you have me intrigued because I understand 100% what you are talking about. To properly setup a fully tooled machine shop requires around $1M to start. This is probably more than your standard auto/diesel machine shop would need to start. But, each require different machines. So, you're saying you should use a standard machine shop that uses standard CNC mills, lathes, and grinders to perform reciprocating part and case machining?

Of course that'd add a lot more labor hours not having a purposeful machine to say, hone big ends of connecting rods after shaving the caps or turn a journal of a crank that a standard auto/diesel machine would have dedicated equipment for.

Yes, the bill would be way higher due to having to fixture these parts and locate the origin every time for every new part.

Curious if that is what you think is the right way?

This has turned into something of its own, but hopefully some may learn from all opinions. None are the only way, just have to make up your own mind what you want to spend.

Yes, a well tooled modern shop will typically have an owner that wants to offer the best work. The fact that he has invested in new equipment and keeps them in top condition tells a lot. If the shop is clean and well organized shows me they care about the details. First impressions do count for something.

But, an owner that is all manual can also do excellent work. It comes down to the quality that that shop owner wants to put out. I have always found that a shop that does high end race work and also does street repair work will give the best quality but at a higher cost. This is where you have to decide what you consider acceptable.

I had some work done on an early 911 engine I was restoring by a well known Porsche machine shop. It took almost 1 month to get a reply, another 6+ months to get the parts back and I was not happy with the work. I told them I was restoring the engine back to original spec's and condition and I wanted the parts back as if they were in brand new condition. Whatever was required, do to make them as new as possible. What I got back was production work at best to get the engine running. I took the parts to a race engine shop and they were shocked at what was returned.

I will not mention either shop as this is not fair nor is it my intention to harm anyone. It did show me what I should expect and opened my eyes to what is available if you look past the norm and are prepared to pay a little more for high quality.

To each his own on this I understand.

[hbf]

An update:

I took Matt Monson's advice and went off to the Lexington cars and coffee this past Saturday. Did a bit of asking around and although no one I spoke to could help directly, I left my # with one or two people who showed an interest in my question.

Well, this morning I got a call from someone who heard that I was looking for an experienced 911 engine rebuilder. The caller has almost 50 years of 911 eleven experience, including race work and says he has rebuilt several hundred engines over the years. And he lives right here in Kentucky. He was most helpful on the phone and seems very knowledgeable. It sounds like he can help me with my project and already I have had good guidance from him.

So thanks for the help and suggestions to all who contributed to this thread.

[Tippy]

Awesome this worked out.

[930cabman]

And here we are 3 1/2 years later. We have had a 2.7 long block kicking around for a year or so, when a project 914 came on the scene, it was a natural for a conversion to happen. Little did I know the intricate details of our magnesium cases. After researching the options, our case is heading to Ollies. I spoke with a couple machine shops, but decided to go with an experienced magnesium case company. $$$ later, but I trust it will be done correctly/