A trip to the Machinist's

[RWebb]

not sure if this should be in OT or not - or maybe on the Lord of the Rings channel...

Apparently, all the sports car specialty machinists in Oregon live deep in the Hobbit-ridden forest. A top engine machinist lives an hour west of Portland on a farm and does his work in a big ol' barn. A guy that does the machining for the sprint car motors in this area, lives deep in the forest zone surrounded by tractors, and a cougar-dodging Golden Retriever with an odd penchant for carrying around rocks the size of a baby's head.

But that's nothing compared to the perilous journey I made in the SUV today across the moors and into the deep dark forest to find the legendary sprint car engine balancer.


You drive 20 miles out of Eugene to the southwest and into the foothills of the soaking wet Coast Range. These old mountains are only a few thousand feet high but were so impenetrable that the Indians on the coast rarely if ever traveled inland to the Willamette Valley -- nor did the early settlers until they got power machinery in the 1900s. After turning onto a variety of dead end roads, you then turn onto a 2-track road - high clearance is wise altho 4wd was not required today. I sure wouldn't want to try it in the winter though.

You cross a very narrow bridge with no guardrail or room for one (I didn't see any trolls, but I was scared to stop and look around much), and encounter a couple of falling down, rotting out buildings as you pass along the swamp. I say _along_ because the water level is actually up higher than the wheels of your car. It cascades down into a creek that is lower than the road -- so as long as nothing overflows, you are safe. Being a long time denizen of New Orleans, I am able to maintain my sanity when looking UP and seeing large amounts of water (like a mile wide Mississippi River) but I also recognize the temporary nature of such arrangements and usually start working on an exit strategy in my head...

After a while, you go up a slight rise out of the marshlands and into a fern-bestrewn forest. This forms a "hollar" (hollow) "where the sun don't shine" like in the Appalachians. Again, I'm reminded of my ancestors -- they were redneck crackers until being kicked out for not being smart enough to qualify as crackers or hillbillys. But there aren't any deciduous trees out here, only conifers that keep their leaves all year round and never, ever let in any light.

After casting about in the dim, foggy shadows, I spied an old wooden bldg that is his shop, and behind that a very old dome that is falling apart and a sort of A-frame. I thought I was on the Ewok set of Star Wars, except the trees were smaller and no modern technology was in sight.

I was especially impressed by the mouldering dome. These were pretty common during the back to the land movement (when the counter-culture poured out of the Haight-Asbury and decided to try their hand at farming in Oregon). This one looked like it was even older -- in fact, it looked like it could have been centuries older, but that couldn't possibly be true. The wood was weathered more than most standing timber, and bracket fungi were pushing through the walls eating away at whatever wood remained.

This guy does dynamic balancing for the sprint car racers hereabouts, and he does not fart around with + or - 1 gram like most. He goes to zero (that is to the limit of his machine).

I dropped off the flywheel & clutch pressure plate. I'm hoping there isn't too much fog, rain or snow when I have to go back and get the balanced components.

Or maybe I will never find the place again and it will simply vanish into the fog like an ancient Indian ghost legend.

[Jgordon]

Great write-up. Wish I could get out there to see it.

[Fishcop]

Take photos!

[911pcars]

Nicely written story Webb. Let us know when you've woken up from your dream. I was waiting for your description of said fairytale balancer.

Eagerly waiting for Chapter 2.

Sherwood

[rusnak]

I thought the machinist guy would be wearing a tin helmet and have a scraggly beard. But I'll bet he balances those parts dead nuts on.....

[RWebb]

He was a nice guy so I thought I might just avoid that description, but here goes... He was old and skinny and dressed like he could have been a logger (of course, around here, punk rockers, dentists and lawyers all dress like that anyway).

His eyes stuck out a bit, they were bloodshot and he kept asking about the ring...

(sound like a character from the Hobbit books??)

I'd forgotten to bring the ring gear... it's light (only 210 g) so it doesn't really matter. But, it was obvious he'd be happier if he had the ring... ring gear that is. So, I'll take it out there Sat. or Mon. or so.

I bet the balance is spot on too.

Stay Tuned...

Sherwood, if I woke up... I might turn back into that same butterfly... That may have been ok in Zhuangi's time, but with all the pesticides around now I might be better off to just stay in the human dream.

[Gunter]

I found one of those legendary Specialists in the rural area only by word of mouth and was amazed about the equipment/machinery in the shop and his capability of using it.
From line-boring to valve grinding to TIG-welding, he can do it.

Unlike a Dentist or Lawyer, a skilled guy like that is hard to find.

Randy:
If you have the engine apart, take the crank as well; he might want to bolt everything together to check the balance.
This would be more of an issue if you made changes to the P/C's.
Then the weight of pistons and rods is checked.

[Zeke]

It's amazing that there's enough demand, let alone the isolation factor. But, the overhead is low. In fact, it sounds like it might be falling in on him soon.

[Mitch Leland]

Randy,

Thanks for the article, well done... I think adventures like this, the people you meet along the way are sometimes the best memories of why we own these cars, and do what we do.

Your drive made me think, I picked up some zinc plating an hour away this week, I figured it was costing me more in gas to deliver and pick up the parts than the actual cost of the work. A slight exaggeration, but I didn't want to entrust UPS with the job.

[RWebb]

Yup - it's not a bad drive tho - maybe not the nicest (run-down rural Appalachia in places with dentist's McMansions closer to town). I kept thinking that in New England or Europe, all the fences would be in better repair than most of homes out here. But there is a pretty high goat cheese-maker density out here. Maybe that will take off and get things fixed up a bit.

The motor was balanced a few years ago - I ain't takin' it apart agin!

[Fidalgo911S]

Originally Posted by RWebb

....Eugene....

There's your problem right there

Go Beavs!

[RWebb]

Actually, I have a degree from OSU...

[Fidalgo911S]

All in fun. I just couldn't help myself.

[RWebb]

His outbuilding...

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by RWebb

His outbuilding...

What, no handle, no lock? No light? I could go on with paper and corn cob questions, but I'll leave that to you.

Last time I used one of these home built "outbuildings", I had to fend off 1500 flies with a free hand. I'm fortunate that was years ago vacationing in the boondocks.

Sherwood

[RWebb]

No no - not an outhouse (aka outdoor toilet); it is an out building.

A building set off from the main one...


Want to see a picture of his neighbor's place???

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by RWebb

No no - not an outhouse (aka outdoor toilet); it is an out building.

A building set off from the main one...


Want to see a picture of his neighbor's place???

Oh, you mean the garage.

Okay, let's see his neighborhood. Let me guess. A rocket ship or an abandoned Nike missile silo?

Sherwood

[RWebb]

Neither...

[rusnak]

oh THATS what The Shire looks like.....

[Mitch Leland]

Plan "B"...