Poor auto machine work, crankshaft

[Dawai]

I am building three engines here, all chevy 350's.

The one that got shoved into the corner? It needed a crankshaft, the old one was worn out with a spun rod bearing. A set of rods, pistons, and crankshaft kit were bought. Each time I'd put the "first" crankshaft into the engine it would lock up, before I put any maincaps on. A tight spot, Checking the crank? It came out of a cardboard box, had been shipped on it's side and was obviously bent.

Second crankshaft, Putting the deal into the block, spun easily, but when you tighten up maincap #3 back it locked up.. Running a dial indicator on the crankshaft shows a flat spot. Checking with a caliper showed it was egged. So it went back. Looking at the cardboard crate, it was machined in Mexico. That second crate did have two wooded blocks supporting it thou so it would not be bent.

Third crankshaft.. now, I am getting kinda aggravated. It spins, Mains are in and torqued, but keyways for the balancer need cleaning with a file to get the keys in. Dial indicator this time says I have a round crank. (mains) I have no way to check the rod journals. Thou the rod's journals are not all the same, they are in spec.

Almost a week invested, six or seven trips to the auto parts, who saved any money? The parts came from a reputable Napa auto parts supplier. NOW most people would have built the first engine? It would have lasted ten thousand miles or less.

THE machining by a local race supply-machine shop cost me a grand on the magic motor. Problem there? They stole my good chevy rods and gave me back mismatched crap. WHEN I went back in there angry, the machinist said "I didn't do it, you have to talk to the owner of the shop". So he had some teenager, or crook steal my pink rods, so I had to purchase replacements.. SO, the machine cost went up to $1400. I stop by everytime I am in the area, They won't get any more of my money, or my friends unless they try to appease me.

SO? Poor Mexican machinist, or thievery from overpaid Americans? They are now spray-building up bad crankshafts and remachining them back.. With structural damage such as a failed motor, SURPRISE if you build a engine from that mess.
by the way, this is a failed motor. If you took that crank, and spray-built it up, after catastrophic failure of a rod and Immedicate stopping from rotation, imagine all the stress on the crank?

[pntrbl]

I've had similar experiences David. The last one was over a 200 cc dirtbike motor with a slightly bent intake valve from worn cam chain guides. I welded up a little tool to change the valve thinking I'd lap it in, but it was looking like I was gonna wear the valve guide out before that happened, so off I went to Al Baker's XR's Only for a grind job. Nationally known. Multiple Baja victories.

Weeks later and after they lost it once I got it back and they'd replaced the new intake valve. Said it was "too thin". I had 'em by the short hair on that one tho cuz the supposedly bad valve was right there in a bag. I fished it out and showed the dude there was still nothing but stone marks on the tip.

Their boy "Hector" had screwed it up and they were wanting me to pay for his mistake.

Same bike, different shop, and I just wanna get the cylinder honed for new rings. Guy wants to sell me a bore job. I'd already checked the piston clearance at under .003. But it'll last longer he tells me and on and on.

Finally, "Dude, I'm 54 years old. How long do you think I need it to last? Just hone the damn thing!"

Sweet little bike now. I can't ride the big stuff no more ....

SP

[Carld]

It never ceases to amaze me at the bull---- that some parts stores and machine shops try on people. It works on most people because they have no idea about what is happening. If you are a machinist/racer/mechanic you can smell the bull---- as soon as they start talking.

[Dawai]

THE stockcar engine I bought to build? The guy had painted the head gaskets.

I had to use a HF port-a-power with the spreader to get the heads off the block. GEEZE? ever try to catch a 75 pound head as it flies up into the air.. I was tore up. I have a grand in that engine, it is the fast one of the bunch, 202's heads, Early open plenum intake, steel crank, good rods, 4 bolt block, but 60 over, so it needs to go into a "not used much toy".. I was thinking tbucket or the old junker 4wd.
Everything seems to be in spec thou...

THE heads, one has some marks as if it was pre-igniting really bad off the 11.5:1 pistons. A really large cam is needed to run a engine like that on pump gas, it actually bleeds off compression, cause both valves are open at once. Even then, you need 2stroke oil in the gas to increase octane.

[CCWKen]

Finally, "Dude, I'm 54 years old. How long do you think I need it to last?

LOL... Buying only yellow bananas, are ya?

I hate the shops up in the big city--They're the same down here. I've had better results buying a short or long block from City Motor Supply. It's an all CNC re-builder out of Dallas. I can a get 383 stroker short block for $1395 exchange. 4-bolt mains, new crank, cam, rods, pistons, decked and computer balanced. I can't put one together myself for that. They have an outlet in San Antonio where I pick up engines. My old shop truck has one of their engines too.

[Dawai]

CCW< I built a 69 camaro with 383, RV split duration cam, large tube headers with crossover, it'd do 13 second quarter mile times without revving over 4500 rpm. That was in drive, line loc off the line.

Mileage sucked thou.. A good 327 in the same chassis got 25mpg w holley 650..

They are are $2200-3,000 here for 383 long block. and NO, I can't build one for that.

THese three motors, are pieced together from "stuff" I got laying about..

[CCWKen]

https://www.citymotorsupply.com

Check them out. I send my rebuilds and machine work there too. Takes 2-8wks on some stuff though. I drop the engine/parts off in SA and pick them up there. They're dirt cheap on machine work because they're set up for it and that's all they do. Good deal if you need to keep "numbers" matching. Where else can you get a crank ground for $40 or a build-up for $20?

[Dawai]

We did have a HSM member in Atlanta, I have lost track of him. ROBERT?
All he did was motors. Kinda pricy, especially when I'd have to take two or more days to take my stuff to him, and pick it up. So, two tanks of gas, two days and then his machining cost.

Douglas remanufactured engines? I tore one down, it had One sixty over piston. Mismatched rods, two different heads, one small port, one large. I was not happy. I had installed plenty of thier long blocks before that without complaint.

I keep saying I will get the rig to do it all here. I don't even know what a production crank grinder looks like thou. I've seen the polishers now.. they have sockets to place the common cranks in normal large lathes. Ever seen the picture of the B&S drill presses doing the model T cranks? I got one of them old 1800's drill presses painted, not powered yet, but pressure washed and painted. Motor and gearbox on a plate, not mounted.

THE magic motor, Race Engine Design hit all the journals dead nuts, My mitutoyo caliper could not read the difference between the throws. They did the block like that too, but then they screwed up my rods. I didn't trust them with the heads. I should've digital photo-ed the whole pile of parts before hand.

[JS]

There is no excuse for bad work .

Especially in a motor .

[Dawai]

Well there is "right" then better, then better, then better... It stops when your wallet or justification to throw into the money pit is over.

Then you weigh what you are going to do with the engine, is it a daily? or a drag motor? Or?? do you cc the combustion chambers on a truck engine? degree the cam?

I did have the pistons fitted to the bores at R.E.D. they did a excellent job. (on the 72 4 bolt motor)

Personally? I'd value that motor at 4k$. I just bolted the intake on, and sat the MT valve covers onto it's studs. It's right. After being in seven cars, it'd been a shame to half ass it. Thou, if I'd had another two thousand dollars......

[A.K. Boomer]

I cant even barley comment on this thread, I dont have that kind of time on my hands and believe me you guys wouldnt have the patients to read it after i wrote it,,, It is however why I do almost everything myself -- and after years of rebuilding and auto work why i will only run certain parts from certain manu. It seems as if they can build any kind of crap they want without any repercussions whatsoever, Done busting my knuckles trying to take care of somebody elses mistakes, Fuqe them and i mean that --- Fuqe them.

Who give a flying rats ass if they give you your money back for a rear main seal --- it still means transmission R&R -- fuqe them.

[pntrbl]

When I put a 350 long block in the painter van I shopped around looking for warranty vs price to guide my choice. Found an outfit thru AutoZone called Evergreen that offered a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty on their re-builds.

Now, I don't wanna use their warranty, but if they back them up that well it makes you at least hope they're doing a good job. Almost $2,000 for it vs under a grand for a 90 day wonder, but it's got 50K on it already.

So far so good. 347K on the van now. I'm looking for 500 ......

SP

[Dawai]

NorthernAutoParts still has a complete Kit to rebuild a chevy 350 for $160... now them ain't cheap parts either, clevite 77, fel pro gaskets, melling, sealed power oil pump, timing set, and all...

http://www.northernautoparts.com/ProductDetail.cfm?ProductId=148

I don't see how they do it. I am planning on using another of thier sets on the high compression motor, moly rings just don't cut it, they are for sealing up and racing, then replacing. The cast iron sealed power rings will hang in there.

It is looking like I can just rering that motor. Crossing my fingers for luck thou.

[A.K. Boomer]

I got a really good crank grinder in pueblo co. that i go to, he does my bro's F.V. race cranks and is always right on the money (even though he is close to legally blind) One time he wasnt around so i had to take my crank to another place --- it was below the limit (spun a rod) so they had to weld up the rod journal, from either all the heat from spinning the rod or the welding it ended up distorting the crank, it all cleaned back up in the regrind and they thought it was good, I bolt it up in the block (honda V-tech) and it starts to bind with one of the mains, it happend to be the main with the thrust, turns out the crank was warped so bad that the thrust was cocked...

Another rule of thumb --- at least on the japaneese engines, Never ever use national seals, At first i thought it was great that some of my auto parts stores in my small town were stocking parts that i could use and didnt have to go out of town for, for about a year I started using national oil seals for front crank and cam whenever i did a timing belt job and seals showed signs of leakage, and for about a year after that i had to re-do every single one of them -------- they are outright pieces of crap and i cannot see how they get away with it --- they crystalize within 10,000 to 15,000 miles and also shrink --- iv actually found them so hard and so small that they are clinging to the cam and spinning in the seal bore ------- NATIONAL IS CRAP --------- ever since then iv used nothing but OEM and for honda and toyota and that basically means N.O.K.
Iv seen many of NOK go over a quarter million without a wimper, they are usually a dark brownish red and am told that this is because of thier high silicone content, whatever it is it stays plyable for a long long time...
both crank and cam seals have different types of workloads cut out for them, the crank seal may run cooler but it also see's twice the RPM's, In either aplication NOK has it all figured out with seals that will take the temps and also take the wear...

[Evan]

There isn't one mechanic in business here that I really trust.
My 88 Ford Ranger crapped out a couple of years back down town, wouldn't fire at all. I was busy and had it towed to the local Ford dealer to fix.

It has an internal fuel tank pump and an external high pressure pump. They said the filter was clogged and when they replaced it, it ran. They told me I needed a new in tank fuel pump, said it was failed and said there was a leak in the sealing ring for it and it was rusting through. You could smell gas after it had run. They said the external pump was making enough pressure to run it.

I asked them if it was safe to drive and they said, yeah sure, it's only weeping a bit at the top when the fuel sloshes around.

BUT, when I got it back home from the shop I had no reading on the fuel guage. I decided to have a look. I had the truck running to warm up and check the gauge. Crawled underneath the truck and followed the wire harness to the top of the tank. It was lying loose. I could feel that the rubber insulator block was gone and some bare ends of the wires were just laying on the top of the tank. It wasn't like that when I took it in.

It sparked a bit when I fiddled with it. There was raw gas lying on top of the tank. I could smell it on my fingers.

I cut a hole in the bed to have a look and there was a pinhole in the gas line where it comes out of the tank. It had started pissing on the top of the tank from the in tank fuel pump pressure which was working fine. The 12v and sender wires to the gauge were lying loose in the puddle of gas from the leak. I am lucky I wasn't incinerated.