Machining timeline?

[Cranky]

And never EVER tell a machine shop that you're not in a hurry!!!

 

[not so famous bob]

Just had a general question.. my cars are beaters so i usually find a good motor and use it or re-ring/bearing and drive. This time i wanted to do a stroker and do it semi correctly.. Took my block in over 3 months ago to get bored 30 and decked.

I was just curious, how long do you guys usually wait for a block to get done? I see guys that seem to do alot of motors and i just don't see how anything gets done in less than 6 months+ at this rate.

I'm not that worried bout it yet, i am just hoping to have the motor for spring. Last time i took a block in it was just for cleaning/cam bearings, that took bout 2 days. was also 30 years ago though

never tell them your not in a hurry for I !!!

 

[icetech]

I recently got my 383 parts back from the machine shop. Took 2+ months for a valve job on new aluminum heads, R&R pistons, hone cylinders, polish & rebalance crank. Took me a while to find a trustworthy shop in my area so that slowed my build down significantly. I kept tasking around until I got solid recommendations. This guy is a drag racer and builds a lot of 5.0s and Coyotes for that crowd but can also handle other makes. I was encouraged when I dropped my parts off and one of his workers identified it as BB Mopar just by looking at the rear of the block even though it was covered in a black trash bag.

I had a comparable $ estimate from the shop that did the work last time (35 yrs ago) with a 1-week turnaround, but this is the shop that did questionable work on my original heads the first time, so he was a last resort at best. Glad I didn't go back there. The new shop told me that the crank was not well-balanced by the previous shop, so they had to spend time undoing some of that work to get it balanced this time. He also told me that my new 440 Source heads needed extra work because some of the seats were not quite located properly relative to the valve.

Yeah, finding someone you can trust means everything... Back when i did my 400, i just had it cleaned and cam bearings/core plugs done and when i got it back the cam bearing oil holes weren't lined up for the rocker oiling.. and i couldn't get a cam to go in.. The guy actually told me i spun the cam bearings trying to install the cam.... amazing

 

[33 IMP]

Yep. It's often a choice between the shop down the street that isn't busy for a reason, and can get your work done in a week, or....
The busy shop you trust, that has a great reputation, and you get your stuff back in three months, if your lucky, or....
The race shop who is REALLY good.... and charges both arms and a leg, and get your stuff back whenever, . if he doesn't go out of business first.
Edit: I know who I want to do my work, I know it's basically a two man shop, and I know they are very busy, and have a great rep. I plan on the necessary wait. (For those curious, IMM)