Machine shop costs

[ttribejr]

What are you guys paying for machine and assemble a short block?

Please note if you had extra work like
Billet caps or girdle
Striker clearance
Turn cranks, etc

Thanks.

 

[dank GN]

Okay well I can break down some of my costs

Hot tank block $35
Bore/hone $200
Surface block $150
Surface head $55 each
Line bore / hone $185
Resize rods $25 each
Grind crank $95
Install cam bearings $40

Agian these are my prices and I’m sure there are some shops that will be cheaper and some more expensive . As far as assembling a shortblock I belive it’s close to 1k .

 

[ek02]

Prices are much higher in S. Florida.

Jet wash block $65.00
Bore & hone $180.00
Square deck block $175.00
Deck plate charge $106.00
Machine for girdle (no shims used) $600.00
Line hone $175.00

 

[ttribejr]

I was quoted $2050 just for labor. To machine and assemble shortblock

Labor for 2 billet caps and stroker clearance

2400 for longblock assembly. Labor only

Seems expensive. I send the guy Work too. Thought he would have hooked me up a little.

 

[ttribejr]

May have been balancing in this quote too.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

Here's my build from three years ago here the 'ville.

Competition valve job: $300
Head resurface (.005") $84
Cut down exhaust valve lips for viton seals: $48
R&R Pistons from rods: $68
Rod inspection: $90
Check/Polish Crank: $55
Rotating Assembly balance: $275
Block Degrease and inspect: $140
Bore and Hone: $240
Cam Bearing install: $80
Freeze Plug replacement: $30
Oil Gallery plugs replacement: $45
Resurface block deck: $150
Line Bore Block mains: $260

 

[Turbo6inKY]

Seems expensive. I send the guy Work too. Thought he would have hooked me up a little.

My guy doesn't hook me up on the prices. He hooks me up other ways. Like, he's usually got work backed up a month or more but somehow my stuff always seems to get done right away. That perk is worth way more than a discount.

 

[ek02]

When a stroker crank is involved in a build, there may be a mockup assembly involved to make sure everything clears. The rods will need to be modified so they won't hit the cam lobes. Then it all has to come apart again for cleaning and final assembly. To do all the machine work, balancing, mockup, and final assembly, it can eat up a lot of hours.

 

[ttribejr]

Here's my build from three years ago here the 'ville.

Competition valve job: $300
Head resurface (.005") $84
Cut down exhaust valve lips for viton seals: $48
R&R Pistons from rods: $68
Rod inspection: $90
Check/Polish Crank: $55
Rotating Assembly balance: $275
Block Degrease and inspect: $140
Bore and Hone: $240
Cam Bearing install: $80
Freeze Plug replacement: $30
Oil Gallery plugs replacement: $45
Resurface block deck: $150
Line Bore Block mains: $260

So you have about 1100-1200$ in shortblock Work here. Did that include assembly?

My quote was assuming brand new forged rotating assembly and new aluminum heads and cam. So no machine work necessary on those.

 

[ttribejr]

I wonder how “ready” a TA block is. Just my shortblock work here and I’m almost half way to the cost of a TA block.

 

[ttribejr]

For that matter I keep asking myself if I really need a stroker or not.

I don’t need a shortblock yet. I am getting ready to install heads and roller cam and just weighing the option of doing my whole motor at once. My compression is fine. But I have already been running over 30psi and not sure when this thing will break. It would suck to finish heads and cam install just to break the bottom end.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

So you have about 1100-1200$ in shortblock Work here. Did that include assembly?

My quote was assuming brand new forged rotating assembly and new aluminum heads and cam. So no machine work necessary on those.

No, I did my own assembly.

 

[Coach]

I wonder how “ready” a TA block is. Just my shortblock work here and I’m almost half way to the cost of a TA block.

The cost of just the TA block is $4600. To machine it....prob $3000, but that's a total guess because it depends on what your doing to it to get a more accurate cost.
Machine work is not meant to be cheap....it's meant to be correct. Search out the cheapest machine shop and your next post will be..."Wanted.....109 block".
There is a reason that the saying in cars goes ....
Cheap....Fast....or Realible......pick any 2

 

[ttribejr]

I was just in shock. I had a 408 stroked 351w about 8 years ago and the machine Work was half this. I just can’t believe it doubled in that amount of time.

 

[m3x1c0]

I think self promotion is a little tacky so I wont tell you who I work for in this post. What I will say is that while our machine prices are relatively high; I've calculated what my boss makes per hour on an average stroker motor/girdle build. I'll just say I made more working at mcdonalds. You get what you pay for and with him you get care, attention to detail, and every motor is built one at a time. His focus is on getting the clearances, machine work, etc absolutely perfect every time because a comeback is unacceptable. You truly get what you pay for. Not to mention we don't work on any other motor. I will never again take a 109 block to be machined by a shop that does 350's 302's etc. Our tiny v6 engines work very hard to make the same power a v8 does. I'd rather be comforted knowing it is perfect, not that I saved time and money on it.

 

[ttribejr]

If only I didn’t want to keep this car true to it’s roots

 

[Turbo6inKY]

I was just in shock. I had a 408 stroked 351w about 8 years ago and the machine Work was half this. I just can’t believe it doubled in that amount of time.

I'm not terribly surprised. If their costs have averaged a 9% increase annually since the crash, then a doubling of the fees they have to charge in eight years is exactly in line.

And a 9% annualized increase isn't far off. Insurance, health care, materials and tools have all gone up in the last eight years. A lot. Plus I'm sure these guys need to give themselves a raise every now and then.

 

[ttribejr]

Yea now I just need to decide if I want to do it or not. My shortblock is solid at the moment. I was just looking at it for insurance. I am thinking I’m about to pick up at least 100rwhp when I install the heads and cam. And I know I will want more turbo after that. Decisions decisions. Maybe I should shop for a stage block. I just hear good ones are hard to come by.

 

[Buick Mark]

Funny how people want, but don't want to pay.
Skilled labor isn't cheap.

 

[Steve V]

As many of you know I am doing Buick work full time now, that being said I am not posting my prices on here for you all to pic apart. What I will say is attention to detail, accuracy, experience all cost. If you want cheap you won't get it right the 1st time I promise. Nobody is getting rich at the machine shop. There is countless hours that go into that type of work and not all of it is billed.