This is what I hate about production rebuilders.
Yes,this is a part of this thread.
As the aftermarket product engineer at McCord Gasket, I get to deal with a lot of these shops. Most of them were names that you may have heard.
When a conscientious rebuilder gets an engine in, the first thing that will happen is that it gets torn down and evaluated. If a bore or a journal
shows damage, they will put it in line for a clean up machining and then re-evaulate before they order parts. That is what good shops do.
Early on, I found out the production rebuilders don't bother. The break the engine down, bore the block to 30 over, grind the crank to 30 under. The
head gets about the same treatment. When I asked the foreman of one big name shop why they did this, he said it was so that they could be sure that
they would not get bitten by the warranty. Later, I found out that this was a lie. They do it that way because then they only have to order and
stock one set of parts. The fact that this engine can not be salvaged after this rebuild does not seem to bother them at all.
My engine is now a 461 (455 + 0.03) and the crank I took out was ground to minimum. Fortunately the bore where the piston failed was not damaged past
usefullness. I was able to come up with another crank but I took another two months to get the mains for mine.
Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
Yes,this is a part of this thread.
As the aftermarket product engineer at McCord Gasket, I get to deal with a lot of these shops. Most of them were names that you may have heard.
When a conscientious rebuilder gets an engine in, the first thing that will happen is that it gets torn down and evaluated. If a bore or a journal
shows damage, they will put it in line for a clean up machining and then re-evaulate before they order parts. That is what good shops do.
Early on, I found out the production rebuilders don't bother. The break the engine down, bore the block to 30 over, grind the crank to 30 under. The
head gets about the same treatment. When I asked the foreman of one big name shop why they did this, he said it was so that they could be sure that
they would not get bitten by the warranty. Later, I found out that this was a lie. They do it that way because then they only have to order and
stock one set of parts. The fact that this engine can not be salvaged after this rebuild does not seem to bother them at all.
My engine is now a 461 (455 + 0.03) and the crank I took out was ground to minimum. Fortunately the bore where the piston failed was not damaged past
usefullness. I was able to come up with another crank but I took another two months to get the mains for mine.
Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
