Machine shop costs and how they compare

oldford2 .... thanks for identifying that shop in Schenectady. Thats only an hour away from me. I'll check them out and ask for references. I'll also phone a classic car appraiser who judges national events ..... he's just north of there in Balston Spa and he seems to know everyone around. Dan
 
hardtimes said:
Hey felix37,
Sounds like you have a good thing there ! I was wondering if your machinist 'balanced' the crank (charge$) after cutting is down ?
Wow, $125. for 4.5 hrs for four studs ! If he got them out without damage to threads, that seems very reasonable. Only took me a week to get four out (successfully). Let's see ...even at his low price I'd have to charge about 1K for those four:D!
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Not sure if he balanced the crank after turning. I did ask him about balancing my complete rotating assembly, but he said it was not needed for my basic street engine. he charges 200.00 for a complete rotating assembly,flywheel, pressure plate and clutch disc.
 
I'm beginning to realize just how stupid I am. Everybody tells me I work to cheap. But being (retarded) I mean retired, I tell them it's better than just setting in the recliner. I'm still using the 60-70 flat rate prices. But I love it. Walt
 
The one thing that caught my eye is the hand written bill. That, along with the rates charged is a passing thing. Most likely the work was done with manual machines that are as old as the FH, paid for a long time ago, and operated by someone who learned the trade from an older relative.
 
Walt Dupont--Me. said:
I'm beginning to realize just how stupid I am. Everybody tells me I work to cheap. But being (retarded) I mean retired, I tell them it's better than just setting in the recliner. I'm still using the 60-70 flat rate prices. But I love it. Walt
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Your charges are just fine Walt.Don't raise your prices yet I haven't picked up my motor yet:)Seriously tho prices could be all over the board depending on your area. I can do most anything else(or at least I think I can)I'm not an engine guy so rebuilding my flathead was out of the question.When I talked to Walt last fall about my motor, price wasn't an issue I was more concerned about getting a quality job.I mean I'm not an idiot I did ask Walt what it roughly cost and he laughed and said it would be less then what I had been quoted from my local so called machine shop.The price is what it is if your not capable of doing it yourself,if you feel good about the end result thats all that really matters

Bill
 
Here's what it cost me a year ago in Winchester, Va.


Surface block $80.00
Line bore mains $135.00
Surface heads $90.00
Cylinder rebore $160.00
Grind Crankshaft $80.00
Mag flux heads for cracks $50.00
Mag flux crank for cracks $40.00
Parts cleaned $250.00
Hazardous waste disposal $52.00
 
felix37 said:
Not sure if he balanced the crank after turning. I did ask him about balancing my complete rotating assembly, but he said it was not needed for my basic street engine. he charges 200.00 for a complete rotating assembly,flywheel, pressure plate and clutch disc.
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It is not standard practice to balance a crankshaft when turned by a machine shop , so not likely. Your crank cost is in the ballpark of an average price which would indicate to me not balanced afterward too.
 
A lot of difference can sometimes be explained by whether the shop is using new equipment that is yet to be paid off or older equipment that was paid for many moons ago. My shop still charges the same amount to assemble an aircraft engine that we did 30 years ago. The price on parts is a whole different equation though.
 
desotoguy said:
The one thing that caught my eye is the hand written bill. That, along with the rates charged is a passing thing. Most likely the work was done with manual machines that are as old as the FH, paid for a long time ago, and operated by someone who learned the trade from an older relative.
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Yes, these guys are a third generation family run business, they have much newer equipment at the shop but still have all the equipment to work on the older stuff. they have worked on Thomas Flyers, Stutz, Mercer etc. for us at the garage. not to mention a few Great Race engines for Corky.
 
for my 8ba engine for my 51 f1....I came back from florida with a gearbox in a sports bag from my buddy (and got through customs ) and an engine rebuild kit with 30 over pistons /rings ,oil pump all bearings ,shell gaskets etc for $700 from patricks on advice from my florida v8 friends,i paid my long term mechanic /engineer to have the block bored and all the parts fitted and the valves ground and set up and I paid him £800 for all the work, I,v now got the block home and on my engine stand to fit the heads ,sump and paint and fit the bits and pieces , I,v got a rebuilt engine for about £1400 ,he has rebuilt other v8s (range rover ,mustang etc but not one of "ours" before , he has done plenty of work on my classic bikes and normal cars over the years and he told me the only trouble he had was setting up the non adjustable valves, looking forward to seeing how it runs ,fingers crossed ....lovely gearbox given to me by my long term florida mate ,be good to actually drive the truck after a solid year of working on it , thanks jim.
 
felix37 said:
Not sure if he balanced the crank after turning. I did ask him about balancing my complete rotating assembly, but he said it was not needed for my basic street engine. he charges 200.00 for a complete rotating assembly,flywheel, pressure plate and clutch disc.
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Thanks ! I asked about the crank balancing, because an old flathead builder (one man shop) had a closed off 'room' in one side of his machine shop where a crank specialist worked....grinding/straightening/balancing any cranks and all cranks that went thru the rebuild shop. This crank specialty guy was very busy and sought after. For all the $ that's put into this old tech engine i.e.- flatheads, I'd think that rotating assembly balancing would be very important / critical to longevity ?

Crank guy ('over 60K cranks balanced') just moved to larger facility to handle workload, so lots of guys seem to think that crank balancing is very important...I'm one of them:) Good luck !
 
A local guy here wanted 2,500 to do that. And said that they take more time so they would have to work on it during spare time. He wants to spend his time building tractor pull engines. I did not use him.
 
I like to know how they balance just a crank without knowing the weight of the rods, pistons, rings, rod bearing, so to put the right weight bob weights the crank. Walt
 
Walt Dupont--Me. said:
I like to know how they balance just a crank without knowing the weight of the rods, pistons, rings, rod bearing, so to put the right weight bob weights the crank. Walt
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Hey Walt,
It you'd like, I will PM you the business card of the crank specialist and you can ask :) ! Never can be too smart or too good at what you do ,eh ?
 
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