bad news about block

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GotDart

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Got word today from the machine shop that my 360 block won't clean up at .030 over. Crap! The place I bought it from said the would exchange it for another one, but they don't have one right now. Double crap!! Plus I am out $$ for hot tanking, magnafluxing and boring one cylinder on a big cast iron paper weight. Triple crap!!!

I need a beer.
 
The machinist said it might not clean up even at .060. The rust pitting was worse than I thought.
 
OUTLAW said:
sleeve the block then
Click to expand...

X3

I have a 70 440 that is gonna need five or six sleeves. Gonna do it, cause 440's are scarce around here...
 
Well that was an off the wall estimate, but you get the picture. The block is toast.
 
BOSS VEGA V8 said:
any good machinist could of told you it couldnt be cleaned up due to pitting, before sinking labor into it....that sucks man :cry:
Click to expand...

I was kinda thinking the same thing!
 
Tell the guy that did the machine work you want a little money off to preserve his reputation, then paint that bad boy up and make a table out of it! :wink:
 
no, you should throw the block at him when he tries to charge you for it, then walk out and tell him he can keep it for his troubles :)
 
That really blows, after you already spent some scoots onthe
hot tanking and all. I pulled the pan off the 80 dollar 71 340
and it turns out that the crank is no good.
Apparently this is why the guy never picked this engine up :scratch:
It is still complete with new rings and fresh stock heads, and I
only paid 80 bucks for it. I was going to go all out with this
motor anyways, what is the biggest stroker kit, for a 340 is
it 416 or 418. I don't even have another ride to put it in,
although I have a lead on a '69 notchback CUDA. I don't
even know what's under the hood but the guy blew it up at
the track, he's ticked off and going through a divorce. I
I'm gonna try to take it off his hands very cheap.
Then I can be 1 of the CUDA guys!!! :cheers: 8)
 
The machine shop I am using is supposed to be one of the best in Houston. Several people recommended them to me. Also, when I dropped off the block the machinist looked at the pitting and said the only way to tell for sure how bad it was is to bore it out and see if it cleans up. If there is another way, I'd like to hear what it is. Otherwise, I can't really blame the machine shop.

I just talked to the guy I bought the block from. He's still trying to locate a replacement.
 
I am not a machinist so I don't know if there really is a way. But from my experiences from dealing with them I would think a knowledgable machinist would know if it was going to fly or not. I would think if it was going to be questionable he would done what he could have to make sure that those cylinders would bore out good. Or at the very least work with you on the price. Like GTS340 said his reputation is everything especially if they do race motors of any kind. If you have to, use it against him.
 
Other than finding the deepest pit and trying to measure it's depth...I think experience is the only way to tell if a block will clean up or not. If this guy wasn't sure he should have tried to warn you or taken a different approach with the block such as boring the worst cylinder first. Whatever, your questionable block plus his inability to recognize junk equals a discounted price on the block labor. After all they were unable to return a product for your money.
 
I talked to the machine shop late yesterday. He said if I bring in another block, he won't charge me anything for the work on the first one. But if I just want to come pick up my parts, he would have to charge me a few bucks for the one cylinder that they bored. Oh, and they did pick what looked to be the worst cylinder, but he said they were all about the same. It's just that the pitting on some cylinders was farther down into the hole.

More good news, the crank mag'd out okay and went .010 under on the rod and main bearings. The rods also checked out okay, but he hasn't bushed the little end or installed the ARP bolts yet.

So, I'm still on hold trying to locate another block.
 
Thats not a bad deal then. He still shouldnt charge you. You did bring the rods and crank to him.
 
To quote my engine guy when I brought him a tired 350 block....

" Well Josh......This one might be too far gone.....but there's only one way to find out.....are you sure you want to spend the money to do it? " :scratch:

Pretty straightforward. There was no doubt that there was a chance it wouldn't work out. He stressed that even if it did work out we'd be at least .040 over. Nuf said, I found a different block. Chebby's are cheap anyway.

(don't worry guys, this was from a previous life full of alcohol, poor taste, slow cars, and cheap women--We now return to your normaly scheduled programing) :drunken:
 
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