ricosan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Hey Guys, I am in need of advice. Back in September my mechanic (Neal) and I removed the engine from my Marmon and tore it down. Neal allows me took work along side him as a helper. Since I was hoping to be driving my car by the end of the holidays I immediately had the cylinders bored and the head shaved and the block decked. We replaced the valve guides and ground the valves. Egge made us eight new pistons. I had the clutch rebuilt and located an NOS timing chain. On the first of November Neal shipped the block with crankshaft and rods up to Illinois for the re- babbitting. It's still not done. They always have an excuse why they have not gotten to it. Neal has dealt with this company for many years yet he seems reluctant to put any pressure on them. Is this time frame normal or should I put more pressure on Neal to motivate the babbittiers? How do I get my engine back? Any advice welcome. ricosan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) Every Babbitt job is not the same from model to model. Doing a Ford is much different than doing a Marmon. Some engines can get very complicated. I would ask them if they have ever done a Marmon engine before and if they say yes ask who's. A friend ran into the same situation with a shop last year in Orillia. They had done many T & A but were way over their heads with a 1930 Cadillac engine. After five months he demanded his engine back and seeing the horrendous attempt they made of the job he is very glad he did. The next issue he had was getting a shop to redo someone else's mess. He had Mike Butters redo the work then stand in line behind I believe Longfields Simplex engine that will be at Pebble Beach this year. Find a shop that knows what they are doing in all types of Babbitt work. If the tinning is bad for example and a rod goes where will you get another engine from. I am not saying you have the same issues but be aware. Edited March 2, 2016 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricosan Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Hey Joe, Neal says that this company been babbitting since the thirties and possess the required experience to do the job properly. I'm worried about their motivation. ricosan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Send me a PM, as I would like to make some private comments. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Good luck I have had motivation issues with my self at times and have my wife give me a prod now and again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Have you considered not pouring babit bearings but machining the rods and mains and using modern insert bearings? It is done all the time with Auburn Lycoming engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejboyd5 Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 I'm worried about their motivation.Back in the early '90s, I was a partner in a machine shop that did babbitting. Fords were relatively easy since we had all the molds, jigs, etc., almost like a production line. With other engines the complexity (and time involved) increased exponentially. If it is a shop your mechanic has trust in from past work you may best stick with them. If the distances involved are not prohibitive, a personal visit to the shop might be productive. Motivation levels can sometimes be adjusted by the application of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Another point I did not make was the shop that I was referring to is in business over fifty years. The problem now is the shop was sold a few years ago staffed with new people with little experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 It's not hard to hire a really big, rough looking guy that can pick up that block and walk out the door with it. A couple hundred bucks and one visit should be inspirational. Just be nice and ask "What HAVE you done during the last five months?" You don't have to explain "Jack". They'll catch on quick. A couple things kind of make me smile. Quite often I write that the most entertaining topics include the words "my mechanic". And I remember the helper/customer from 20 years ago when I was "my mechanic". He needed the door gaskets and hood rubber replaced on a '41 Cadillac Model 62 sedan. He thought I wanted a lot of money for a simple job. I told him I would deduct something like $20 per hour for the time he worked. He got the right hand doors; I took the left. About 45 minutes after starting he was absolutely soaked with sweat and breathing like a steam engine. He asked if I would be kind enough to give him a ride home. He was very happy the the car without rattles and wind noise. A year or so ago, another customer who was quite vocal about my "high prices" called me. He had left his car with someone less expensive and asked me what recourse he had if a mechanic left his car outside with the windows open for five years.. I chose not to get involved in that one. Always demand a minimum of an itemized monthly invoice if it is a long term job. In 2012 my nephew did a big job that included multiple tasks on one of my cars. I paid him weekly on T&M invoices to teach him the process. I think it worked out well for both of us. Oh, and the big guy, the uglier the better. Just avoid ones with gray hair and pony tails or older guys with shaved heads. They tend to look like TV caricatures. Big, mean, and about 30 does a good job.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captndan Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Have you considered not pouring babit bearings but machining the rods and mains and using modern insert bearings? It is done all the time with Auburn Lycoming engines.Good question. Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricosan Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 Thanks for the heads up Bernie. captndan I'm not a mechanic but I've read through the lively discussions we've had here on this Forum. I came away with the feeling that either inserts or babbits should work well with neither proving to the the absolute winner. Neal suggested this company to pour the babbits so I wasn't going to argue him since he had much more experience than me. Babbits just seem a little safer. I would have a hard time replacing this engine. ricosan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricosan Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Good news! They have finished the job and shipped. The engine should be here Friday (maybe Saturday) or Monday. Thank you all for your replies and advice. ricosan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 "They have finished the job and shipped" Maybe "they" have been reading this thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricosan Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 Ozstatman, I think you could be right. If they read what was said here! Something spurred them on. ricosan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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