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Engine machine shop that can rebuld my engine and pour babbit in the South East

Durant Mike

By Durant Mike
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Durant Mike 5,000+ Points

Durant Mike

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Well today was a frustrating day for me. About six month ago I called around the Central Florida area to have my 1928 Continental 15L engine rebuilt out of my 1928 Durant. Well all the machine shops in Orlando responded that they wouldn't touch it and many had never worked on any engine older than the 60's. Contacted a restoration shop and they recommended a machine shop in Tampa. Called the guy and spoke with him and he said sure he could do it and has done older engines for the restoration shop before. Drove over an hour and 45 minutes to take the engine to the guy and he looked it over and said " Oh that has Babbitt bearings and I don't do them. Told me there was only one shop in the Tampa area that he knew of that could do that. So I called them and wasn't impressed by the help I wanted to drive over there since I had my engine with me and had already traveled a long way. Well they said they couldn't see me today, but maybe tomorrow. I sure wasn't going to drive back. Later in the conversation they told me that the guy who could do Babbitt had had a heart attach and they didn't know when he'd be back. They were not aware of anyone around that could do it. So I drove back to Orlando and put my engine back in my garage. Does anyone know of anyplace in the Southeast, especially Florida, Georgia or the Carolina area that can work on my engine and replace the Babbitt. Someone that has worked on the older engines and has a good reputation. Certainly do not want to trust my engine to someone that isn't experienced. Any leads would be appreciated.

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Durant Mike 5,000+ Points

Durant Mike

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I guess another question I have is can any machine shop restore and rebuild an engine with Babbitt bearings without destroying the original ones  My engine was not running when I got the car so I have no way of knowing how it ran. I know machine shops do various processes to get the engine back to tip top shape, such as boiling the block, honing the cylinders etc but will this process destroy the original babbitt? Or can they do all the work and just put the old crank back in and be good to go?

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JV Puleo 25,000+ Points

JV Puleo

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Excellent advice. I try to do everything myself but I still had them bore my blocks. After you've been at this for a long time you get a strong sense of the competence of a shop and they really impressed me.

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herm111 1,000+ Points

herm111

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10 hours ago, Durant Mike said:

I guess another question I have is can any machine shop restore and rebuild an engine with Babbitt bearings without destroying the original ones  My engine was not running when I got the car so I have no way of knowing how it ran. I know machine shops do various processes to get the engine back to tip top shape, such as boiling the block, honing the cylinders etc but will this process destroy the original babbitt? Or can they do all the work and just put the old crank back in and be good to go?

The best is J & M Machine in Southborough, Ma. They work on the exotic engines, no one else will touch. They also have a web site, and is very interesting. Talk to Mike, or John. 508-460-0733. You won't regret it!

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  • 1 month later...
Durant Mike 5,000+ Points

Durant Mike

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Thanks for everyone's replies. I was hoping to find someone here in the Southeast that could do the job. Long way to travel to New York and Mass. But I'll start calling them and seeing who can handle my engine and get it done. I'm anxious to get this car running and driving after a very long long restoration. Road trip here I come!

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chistech 10,000+ Points

chistech

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I’d recommend Advanced Engine Rebuilding in Wareham, MA. Hans has been rebuilding all my babbitted engines and they pure like kittens. He does motors from all over the country and recently completed a Kissel for a customer out of FL. He had a early thirties Buick 8 in there last time I was in along with a $50k Maserati engine he had just rebuilt. His pricing is very good also with a fairly quick turnaround. Shipping an engine is no big deal these days as was already stated. I’d rather ship an engine to a reputable shop than chance a rebuild at a questionable shop because it’s close to home.

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  • 2 years later...
fredpack

fredpack

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I bought an all original Chevy two door sedan about 3 years ago.  Sat in an attached garage since 1985.  The engine was locked up.   With the head removed, I poured Aero Kroil on top of the pistons and let it sit for weeks.  Still locked.  Since I finally pulled the engine out the other day,  I figure I might as well do it right and rebuild it. 

I live in Louisville, KY and none of the shops that I have contacted in this area will work on Babbitt bearing engines.  Some of their websites say they do but when I call they say they haven't in years.  Wish they would update their websites.  Anyway, I would love to find a shop closer than Massachusetts  or Florida.  Can anyone recommend a machine shop closer to Louisville?  Maybe Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana?

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Mark Gregush 5,000+ Points

Mark Gregush

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Does that engine have Babbitted shell bearing or are they poured? If they are Babbitted shell bearings you can send them to;  https://www.kohnkerebabbittingservice.com/   Kohnke Rebabbitting Service | Facebook  More than likely they are the shell type. You would still need to have them line bored to fit your crank after you got them back, but would save shipping the whole block.

Edited by Mark Gregush (see edit history)
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Marty Roth 25,000+ Points

Marty Roth

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On 1/8/2022 at 6:16 PM, fredpack said:

I bought an all original Chevy two door sedan about 3 years ago.  Sat in an attached garage since 1985.  The engine was locked up.   With the head removed, I poured Aero Kroil on top of the pistons and let it sit for weeks.  Still locked.  Since I finally pulled the engine out the other day,  I figure I might as well do it right and rebuild it. 

I live in Louisville, KY and none of the shops that I have contacted in this area will work on Babbitt bearing engines.  Some of their websites say they do but when I call they say they haven't in years.  Wish they would update their websites.  Anyway, I would love to find a shop closer than Massachusetts  or Florida.  Can anyone recommend a machine shop closer to Louisville?  Maybe Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana?

fredpack,

 

I sent you a PM (Private Message) 

Check your email from AACA and click on the attachment/link

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John Kelso 5,000+ Points

John Kelso

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DFeeney why is that?

Any body interested in Babbitt equipment? I have it all to pour about any size bearing plus a line bore,new Babbitt, there is also a rod cutting machine that needs some work.

Also a cylinder bore.

I have not done bearing for 20 years, and don't plan to start.

Contact me if interested

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Dave39MD 5,000+ Points

Dave39MD

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Kenneth Hoods Garage, Austell , Ga. has done that work, mostly Fords but has done Chevrolet's. Our VCCA Region toured his shop. Give them a call and see if they are still doing the work and can help you.

 

Dave

 

Kenneth Hoods Garage Inc

 

5707 Powder Springs Rd Austell, GA 30106-3230

(770) 948-8011
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  • 1 month later...
lilium.don

lilium.don

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On 1/12/2022 at 12:02 PM, JAK said:

DFeeney why is that?

Any body interested in Babbitt equipment? I have it all to pour about any size bearing plus a line bore,new Babbitt, there is also a rod cutting machine that needs some work.

Also a cylinder bore.

I have not done bearing for 20 years, and don't plan to start.

Contact me if interested

Hi JAK, can we get in touch about this stuff?

 

My email is lilium.don@gmail.com 

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ejboyd5 1,000+ Points

ejboyd5

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Can't help you since we sold all our Babbitt equipment back in the '90s.  There was simply not enough work to justify its retention when there were so many modern engines to be modified and rebuilt.  While we were doing Babbitt work, we found that many owners needing this service were very careful with their money and had no idea how many hours of labor were involved. I got tired of explaining costs and found it easier to abandon that small segment of the market.  It was somewhat akin to dealing with sailboat owners with marine engines who believe that since the wind is free, everything else should be free as well. 

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Dandy Dave 25,000+ Points

Dandy Dave

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Here's a place in Ohio that does real nice work. They did the Babbitt in the 20/20 Rolls Royce I rebuilt the motor in a while back. Larry Schramm has also had work done there on his 1915 Buick truck and other Vehicles that require Babbitt. I know it is also a ride but the work was excellent. Dandy Dave! 

http://www.hartsmachineservice.com/ 

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