How long to machine engine?

Just another thought or two... the machine shop I used was highly recommended. They build racing engines for several local teams. Needless to say, they were very busy. But the way I see it, the squeeky wheel gets the grease. If you drop your stuff off and dissappear, it gets shoved to the back of the line. If you get in their face occasionally, your stuff bubbles back up to the top. The good thing is that the shop you are using must be busy, which means they are probably good at what they do and are in high demand. You just need to show them you are getting impatient without being too pushy. You can't force them to do the work, but you can take the work away from them. Just drop a few hints like, 'my racing buddies said you get stuff done quick, why are you taking so long with my engine?'