| EWATERS | -- 08-06-2010 @ 1:15 PM |
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Can anyone provide an estimate regarding a reasonable time to complete an engine overhaul? My 1950 Ford had a 6-cyl engine which hadn't run since ca 1967. upon removal by a local garage it was found to have a frozen piston which had to be pressed out. The engine block was sent to a machine shop for cylinder boring and a sleeve for the cylinder with a damaged wall surface. The car has been at the garage for 6 months and the engine was sent for machining approximately 2 months ago. Each time I check I am told another week maybe 2; this has been going on for the last several months. My question is, am i being impatient? How long is a reasonble time to accomplish such a task? I am beginning to think I am being strung-along for motives I am unable to understand. Any words of wisdom for my options at this point; I don't want to wait for months and/or years only to find out my time was being wasted. Do I need to try to reposess my car and a collection of misc. parts to find someone else to get the engine reassembled and reinstalled. I wouild like to drive the vihicle before I fet too old to know what is happening. Thank for taking the time to read my tale of woe; any encouragerment will be appreciated.
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| lightflyer1 | -- 08-06-2010 @ 2:09 PM |
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It is relative. If the work is unique in some way or parts are hard to come by and such it could take a long time. You really need to have a talk with the garage and machine shop. If you can't get answers from them that satisfy you, get it all back. My buddys flathead was done in a few weeks plus one for shipping. No way it should take 6 months unless there is something else going on or can't find a part.
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| EWATERS | -- 08-06-2010 @ 3:55 PM |
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Thanks. All the necessary parts are available except the cylinder sleeve. I don't think it should take so long to obtain or machine a sleeve to the needed specifications.
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| 51f1 | -- 08-07-2010 @ 6:32 AM |
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A month would be a long time to rebuild an engine. Richard
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| EWATERS | -- 08-07-2010 @ 10:53 AM |
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I agree, hence my posting. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
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| supereal | -- 08-07-2010 @ 11:04 AM |
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As the operator of a large machine shop, I can tell you that there is no "standard" time to get the job done. We operate with a backlog of several months, depending upon the season, and old car work is not a priority. We don't know what the job will entail until the engine is out and completely disassembled and inspected. Then, the owner will be given an estimate of what will be required and an approximate cost. We usually suggest that the owner then secure the necessary parts if we are to proceed, and have them delivered to us to reduce delays. Only then can the job be scheduled with some assurance of a delivery date. Old car work can, and usually does, require a great deal of machine work such as boring/sleeving, crank grinding, valve seat replacement, etc. If anyone gives you a hard and fast completion time before doing the above, it is likely they haven't done much, if any, of this type of work. This message was edited by supereal on 8-7-10 @ 12:40 PM
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| EWATERS | -- 08-07-2010 @ 1:55 PM |
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Supereal, thanks for your input; I was hoping to hear from someone with machine-shop experience and insight. The engine has been disassembled and only the parts needing attention were forwarded by the garage mechanic. I would think, in the interests of good customer-relations, that a completion target date could be provided to give me some light at the end of this seemingly endless tunnel of uncertainty. Having no previous experience to guide me I can only rely on the integrity of the mechanical service provider; a potentially tenuous position to be in. Alas, this too shall pass and I shall someday drive this restored Ford.
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| supereal | -- 08-08-2010 @ 10:42 AM |
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Keep at it, as driving your old car will make it all worth while. Experience with these old engines is fading away along with us old timers, now that almost 60 years has passed since the last flatheads were made, and nearly 80 years since the first ones. Anyone seeking major engine work should consult their member roster, if they are Club members, and contact those in your area for recommendations of reliable shops. One of the reasons it is difficult to provide a completion target date is that finding parts of good quality can be time consuming, often taking months. Anyone laying out the amount of money required to produce a first class rebuild has the right to expect a reliable, lasting outcome. Redoing a failed job can erase all, and possibly more, than the income generated in the first place. We see our share of botched repairs, many to just get the car running so it can be sold. We sometimes do our best service by recommending to a prospective customer that their engine doesn't warrant rebuilding due to excess wear or other defects.
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| TomO | -- 08-09-2010 @ 8:18 AM |
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Most automotive machine shops that do antique engine work also do work for garages and and parts houses. They will put their steady customers ahead of your once in a lifetime job. If the machine shop is reliable and has a lot of experience with the older engines, be patient. If you get impatient, they may just give your work to an apprentice. Tom
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| supereal | -- 08-09-2010 @ 12:10 PM |
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Right, Tom. Frequent customers usually get preference because they help pay the bills. Many shops won't touch antiques because they have no reference material, and flat rate books are long gone for old vehicles, so it is difficult to estimate the actual amount of time required for any specific job. This isn't to downgrade the importance of old cars. Machine work must be precise, and simply setting up equipment such as boring bars, hones, and crank grinders, balancers and polishers soaks up lots of time, and as said, "time is money". Anyone seeking a rebuild needs to have a "heart to heart" talk with the shop to understand how the process works, and how they can minimize the cost by stripping the block and running down necessary parts.
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| FrankM-RG5 | -- 08-10-2010 @ 8:05 PM |
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I think 6 months is an inordinately long time. He brought the car somewhere to get work done and they should have told him what to expect. I do not know if the shop has much experience with this type of motor but it is not complicated. I can get a crank ground or a block bored in less than a month. Sometimes I hit it right and it is a few days. I brought all my stuff to the balance shop and it was a few weeks. This was due to the balancer not being happy with a few of the rods. You may just want to sit down with your mechanic and ask point blank if he has any interest in this project? If he does not then find someone reputable in your area. If a shop has a back log they usually do not want your stuff until they can give it their full attention. No one wants stuff needlessly lying around.
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| EWATERS | -- 08-11-2010 @ 1:29 PM |
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FrankM; thanks for your encouraging comments. The mechanic keeps telling me I have to be patient, but, after 6 months in the garage and 2-3 months in the machine shop my patience is stretching mighty thin. I plan to have a heart-to-heart with the mechanic. However, if I have to have my car returned home from the garage, I shudder at the thought of having a pile of miscellaneous parts from the engine that I don't have the experience or facilities to deal with at home. (by the way, does anyone have any idea how much a 6-cylinder block weighs?; i.e., will I need a crane to load it for transport home?) P.S.: How do I "find someone reputable,"? I thought and, still hope, that the garage where I took the car is "reputable," alas, only time will tell if I "have patience." This message was edited by EWATERS on 8-11-10 @ 1:38 PM
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| 37 Coupe | -- 08-11-2010 @ 1:50 PM |
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If you have no idea where parts should go together or where to take engine and car next I would try to stick with this guy. I would check storage of the project as it might tell something about quality of work you will get back. Is stuff neat and tidy and organized,is machined surfaces protected or is stuff uncovered,disorganized and left rusting or gathering dust?If it looks like the guy cares even if he has not had the time, stick with him.If you move stuff could get lost or damaged and you will surely have to pay the man for his time for an unfinished job. I had a real good body shop and a buddy take almost a year and half to do my coupe but it was worth the wait and the price,my engine only took about a month but the worse was my license plates by a guy in Penna.took almost three years! This message was edited by 37 Coupe on 8-11-10 @ 1:56 PM
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| supereal | -- 08-11-2010 @ 2:01 PM |
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I understand the frustration with the time lag in getting antique work done. We don't solicit those jobs, but have a considerable backlog most of the year. Most is done in slow periods when the demand by customers for repairs to keep their vehicles in service for their businesses slacks a bit. The only way I know to determine if a shop is "reputable" is to ask around. Use your Club roster and call members for their opinion. Many, if not most, shops that accept antique work are run by those who have retired, or are running a sideline shop. We don't solicit antique work, and do most of it in the slack times late and early in the year. Much of the work is the result of my years of involvement in the hobby, and my love of old cars. We are "up front" with our customers and, always appreciate their patience.
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| FrankM-RG5 | -- 08-12-2010 @ 11:47 AM |
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Is there a regional group near you? If so join. This will be an invaluable resource to finishing your car up. There is nothing here that is rocket science. A good lawn mower mechanic could put this together. My experience is limited but I managed to put two flatheads together.
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| bigvince | -- 09-03-2010 @ 12:23 PM |
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I had two engines rebuilt. I took a Mopar motor to a well established machine shop known for Mopar work and the engine languished for nearly 2.5 years. I took the Flathead V8 for the Ford to another shop and it was rebuilt in one month. Oh yeah...the Mopar engine was done 10 days after I got the flathead done!
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| EWATERS | -- 09-03-2010 @ 4:03 PM |
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Thanks for your response. Having work done seems to be a real challenge regarding timeliness of progress. I know, "be patient" but I had planned to drive the car before I'm in my dotage.
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| 1883warren | -- 09-13-2010 @ 9:00 PM |
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I took a '53 Studebaker six block and crank to a guy in a town 65 miles from home, on a Tuesday. He called on Friday and said the block was bored, but he had to install a sleeve in #2 because of a bad spot. He called the next Wednesday and said the crank was turned to .030 under and all was ready to come get. I drove there the next day and got everything. Once week later it was in the car and running great. I'd pull my engine out of that place... ask other nearby club members where to take it, then take it there and get your enigne DONE. Your present shop is ill-managed (or worse). That's my opinion and I'd bet the farm on it.... Warren
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