I hate machine shops..

-
unknownsnake

unknownsnake

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2009
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
49
Location
Mason, MI
So I finally think I am making head room on my dart. I dropped off my rear end to be assembled. I got the rear end out of a Newport or something (c-body) and took it to a machine shop in Oklahoma (where I was stationed at time). Come to find out they warped my housing! I called all the machine shops in area and they all recommended him! 350 bucks I have into the housing...
ok thats my vent!:mumum::mumum:
 
If i was you id make him pay for it Considering they did it they are supposed to be a reputable shop but guess noones perfect so what are they going to do about it?
 
I do'nt know I live in MI now and there in OK and they don't answer the phone.....
 
You didn't explain exactly what happened. A shop I took my Dana to nearly wreck the tubes. At least they didn't charge me for the work although the new Mopar bearing housings were scrap. I then found a shop who could explain what and how they would narrow it which give me some confidence that it would be done right.
 
thats all the info I got today. I haven't gone to look at it. They just said it was warped and I needed new one
 
I would take it somewhere else and get a second opinion, maybe even a third. Never know, someone might just need an A-body 83/4 for their own project.... and hoping you'll sell a "warped" housing cheap.....just my opinion.
 
Also, I do agree about machine shops. I built a motor for one of my friends a few years ago. It was a 440 for his mud drag truck. This was a high$$$ build...Edelbrock alum heads, crane gold rockers, performer rpm, hughes cam, file fit rings, Diamond forged pistons, forged crank, eagle h-beam rods, etc, etc.
Well got the motor up and going and after a week of driving the passenger side rocker gear was making a hellacious noise. Pulled the cover off and there was alum shavings everywhere, ruined all the rocker arms. Thought it was a complete rocker failure, so called Crane and they were generous enough to send a complete new set!! Well got it all buttoned back up and a week later...the same thing....so okay okay it's something else.
Well, to spare some time, the "machine shop" put the cam bearings in wrong!!! This was a very reputable shop. My cousin Donnie, an ASE certified mechanic, and MOPAR nut and Guru went up there with my bud to have a talk with them. Of all nerve of the shop they said we beat the cam in with a hammer and twisted the bearings in their bore!! WTF!! Well, the truth came out as my cousin talked to the dude who put the bearings in...cousin asked him if he knew how to put bearings in a BB mopar and the dude answered..."like a small block chebbie" Incorrect sir!! You have to make sure the oil holes in the bearings line up with the holes in the block to oil the valve train!!! Busted sucka!!
Results.....they had to pay for all damage done and put someone "experienced" on it and built it all FREE of charge!!
So, i went as far as to buying my own cam bearing remover/installer tool from SnapOn...just don't trust em anymore....however, Angelo at the machine shop I use now knows what he's doing.
 
Get it double checked to make sure it's warped. If it is, call the place that did it and give them a chance to make it right. If they don't want to cooperate, threaten to call the local base where you were stationed and have them "blacklisted." If they get a lot of military business, they won't want that.
 
why do you say they warped it? it is not uncommon to find a warped used housing
just because they are informing you that the housing you brought them is warped, does not mean they warped it
 
caferacerx said:
why do you say they warped it? it is not uncommon to find a warped used housing
just because they are informing you that the housing you brought them is warped, does not mean they warped it
Click to expand...

Agreed. Never know what you're getting in used parts especially from junk yards and/or wrecked cars.
 
FWIW, I've never in my life seen a straight housing. All of them are out to some degree.

Talking about stock housings, of course.
 
unknownsnake said:
So I finally think I am making head room on my dart. I dropped off my rear end to be assembled. I got the rear end out of a Newport or something (c-body) and took it to a machine shop in Oklahoma (where I was stationed at time). Come to find out they warped my housing! I called all the machine shops in area and they all recommended him! 350 bucks I have into the housing...
ok thats my vent!:mumum::mumum:
Click to expand...


Man do I feel ya, I got ripped off from Stan Mizell (used to race hemi cudas) and his shop came recommended by the local repair shops here.
At least you didn't over pay by more than $5,000.00

I went to Navy legal, and to two other lawyers...

"If i was you id make him pay for it Considering they did it they are supposed to be a reputable shop but guess noones perfect so what are they going to do about it?"

...so how do you propose to do that? None of the lawyers I saw-saw any money in litagation. They did not care. Not profitable. They wanted to chase ambulances. Even legal aides that I knew personally shrugged and said, Tough Luck."

I don't know why I am not in prison for killing those clowns. I was dangerously upset. It angers me to think about it.
 
caferacerx said:
why do you say they warped it? it is not uncommon to find a warped used housing
just because they are informing you that the housing you brought them is warped, does not mean they warped it
Click to expand...

Yep. The 9" housing that I narrowed in my dart was warped. Once I aligned the axles with a jig I welded it up. It was off maybe 1/8" or so, but functions just fine. My money says that it came from the factory that way.
 
The important thing with housings is that the bearing bores in the ends are concentric with the bores for the centre bearings. When housings are narrowed bars and sleeves should be used to line them up before welding the bearing housings onto the tubes. Other major welding done wrong such as on stiffeners and spring supports can cause warping too.
 
Just my 2 cents...but always pick the machine shops brain...see if they know what they are doing...what I mean is like with the cam bearings...if they dont know walk out....dont know how many shops I have walked out on when all they talk about is chevy of ford.....I am a machinist but not in the automotive field...so I have an idea how it should be done and if they cannot explain it to me I wont trust them....as far as the rear end goes I have heard it can be hit or miss for warpage....espeially if it wasnt checked before the work was done...I am very meticulous when it comes to any kind of machine work being done...I measure bores...everything before it goes so I know where it will clean up so they dont over machine it...then it gets rechecked when its done...while in the shop...it may offend some shops but I want a good product and am afraid once it leaves the shop they wont own up to there mistakes...
 
Ya it just sucks that I am on a budget and I already over spent on the rear end as it is. I seen two rear ends on here few weeks ago for around 200 and I am being hit with some crazy number for a different housing
 
friesza said:
Just my 2 cents...but always pick the machine shops brain...see if they know what they are doing.......
Click to expand...

What good does that do if you talk to a (machine) competent crook who has a bunch of clowns working for him. He knows how things work, but is too lazy to verify the work, and is out to gouge you.

Stan Mizell could talk the talk, came recommended, had a reputation of success with Mopar, owned two shops in two cities, and still ripped me off.

It took him a YEAR to return my car to me. THey had law suits all the time and new how to work against them-found out later, of course.
 
greymouser7 said:
What good does that do if you talk to a (machine) competent crook who has a bunch of clowns working for him. He knows how things work, but is too lazy to verify the work, and is out to gouge you.

Stan Mizell could talk the talk, came recommended, had a reputation of success with Mopar, owned two shops in two cities, and still ripped me off.

It took him a YEAR to return my car to me. THey had law suits all the time and new how to work against them-found out later, of course.
Click to expand...

Thats why I verify the work being done....by checking everything while it is still at there shop...I always ask before I have work done so it keeps them honest...if they wont let me they dont get my business....trust me if I had money to buy my own equipment I would...
Yeah there are some real scumbags out there that talk the talk but dont walk it....thats why I check and document everything....and by being patient and selecting carefully...word of mouth to me means nothing...I have done that before and been burned...I always ask to tour the shop...and I try and talk to everyone...even the guy that is the lackey that just tears down and cleans parts....I can come to a conclusion very quickly about the shop that way...
 
starting to think this new shop is trying to scam me to.... they want 600 bucks to shorting one they have and 600 to assemble! Whoa 1200 bucks! No way
 
unknownsnake said:
starting to think this new shop is trying to scam me to.... they want 600 bucks to shorting one they have and 600 to assemble! Whoa 1200 bucks! No way
Click to expand...


Have you talked to DTS in Ionia?

They seem to be experienced. I had them build me a drive shaft and it turned out well.

It doesn't hurt to check around.
 
I don't mean this in a derrogatory way, so please don't take it that way. It sounds to me like part of the problem is that you don't have a lot of knowledge about what it takes to do true quality machine work. It's not cheap. It is a skill that takes years to learn. You're not gonna get that for Wal Mart prices. What I recommend is to try to learn some of this yourself. Setting up differential gears is not difficult. Maybe you could learn to do that part and farm out the rest. I will say this. 600 bucks is pretty stout to shorten a housing. That's not a complex process. That I would be leery of. Maybe 200-250 tops and that includes new flange ends and installing them. Any more than that and I find someone else. ...but again, even shortening a housing isn't hard and does not really require specialized equipment. Just things most any gearhead should have around the shop. Do a search on here. There's a good thread here where a member did a great job shortening his housing. You'll see there's really nothing to it. My advice is, if you're gonna own one of these cars, you should endeavor to learn to do all on it that you can.
 
dts in warren did my 8 1/4 back in 1997, it was almost $800 back then, new 3.91 gear and auburn posi carrier. they cleaned and painted it black. still works great today, car is driven 2,000 to 5,000 miles each year, so got around 35--40,000 miles on it
 
I read many mixed messages here. The OP says "they warped my housing", but sounds like he assumes they did something to distort it. Others say they often come from the factory out of perfect alignment. Aren't we talking about a cast iron housing? I think cast iron will crack before it yields much, so doubt one could warp it with mechanical force. It will shift slightly over time and from heat, which is why race builders prefer to start with a "seasoned" block. The OP later suggests maybe their "your housing is warped" line was an attempt to up-sell. I would question them "what could make it warp?" and "what are the tolerances on bearing locations and does it meet them?" (as others suggest). If it seems they were giving a line, find another shop.

Re machine shops in general. One post justifies the high cost because they are highly skilled professionals. Another relates how one didn't install cam bearings correctly - ASSumed "same as a Chevy". Wouldn't any competent auto machine shop have a manual for most domestic engines and read it step by step? Any competent machinist should see the holes in the cam bearings and wonder if they should align with holes in the block.

My early experience was taking a pair of heads for a rebuild and not knowing to remove the rocker arms. The shop returned them with the rocker arms loose in a box and parts missing (had to visit a junkyard). I also found years later that the "hardened valve seats" I had them install were regular steel. Since then I do everything I can myself and ask many questions. If they don't like pointed questions, they aren't proud of their work and I walk.
 
I would check out Moser the last housing I had shortened I reused the original ends and with new spring perches installed was around $145 to do plus shipping of course which was around $35 each way to Iowa.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top