Napa Machine Shops?

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RustyDusty

RustyDusty

Rabid Cross-eyed Opossum!
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Anyone have any experience with a NAPA Machine Shop? Good/bad pricing? Also, this is my first time going to a machine shop, do you usually leave your lift chains bolted to the block for the shop, or hows that done?

Thanks!
Drake
 
I don't think you can make any generalizations about the quality/price of a machine shop just because it is associated with a NAPA parts store. You will need to ask locally of people that have had work done there. Very likely the owner has a NAPA franchise and NAPA will not have any involvement in the machine shop.

As far as the lift chains are concerned leaving them on the block is a good way to lose them.
 
Machine shops are all over the area when it comes to quality of work. You need to know what you want and then politely question the guy at the shop to see how well he knows what he is doing. And look the shop over-is it clean? Equipment looks to be in good repair? Ask local repair shops were they send their work. Thats about the best you can do until you have a regular place to go.
 
and find local, satisfied customers. Might have to spend a season at some carshows, dragstrips, etc. Or even ask for a list from the shop. Take this list with a large dose of salt..
 
all depends on the guy running the equipment & the equipment the shop has. your probably not going to get a racing quality engine out of a re-man type shop....
 
I have had a LOT of machine work done by a "NAPA" shop. In actuality the shop is an independent business, and the NAPA is an independent (non corporate owned) store.

As others have pointed out, not all shops are created equal, so shop around. Does the shop do a lot of Mopar work? Are they AERA members? Do they sponsor the local track or cars there?
 
The napa in my town does great work, I take most of my stuff there, but at times they do get backed up.
 
I used to manage the NAPA machine shop in Perry, Georgia from the early 90s to about 2000. I don't know about the rest of them, but we always did things right. Usually, NAPA stores hold a pretty high standard. I know we did.
 
Drake,

Leave nothing but what you are having machined. :)

Next up, find a shop with a reputation that preceeds them, not from a friend running 14's. If you see 15 or 20 20K and up engines in the shop, it has a dyno and seperate rooms for head assembly, block machining, engine assembly and you can eat off the floor, that's a good sign but not the end all.

3rd deal is find a shop that's been around more than 20 years by whatever name.

4th up is learn to use a mic, inside, outside etc. ALWAYS double check the work. Even the best shop can have a bad day and a reputable shop will always fix there muck ups, even if it means they find you a new block, crank, whatever.

Let me tell you a story about a machine shop I was refered to after my regular guy got an exclusive contract...... The block machining was great but the drunken head guy mucked up my heads bad......Not worth half the price I paid. He left lapping compound inside the ports, there were hunks of metal splayed out from his "valve guide replacement", three valve springs weren't even seated, valves were way too deep, etc..... This was from a supposed "Formula 1" race shop with a travel semi. Nothing but wanna be euro-trash, lol. Thank God my guy quit the exclusive NASCAR stuff... well I'm glad, he misses the money but not the travel. :)

In conclusion, the local NAPA would have done a better job on the heads than the "Formula For Disaster" and I've met a guy in Witchita KS that does beautiful head work on Porche, BMW and Ferrari heads for SCCA racers but his shop looks like a shack from hell.....
 
any shop's only as good as the guy running it, wether it be 1 guy or 5. The napa shop out here went under but mostly because no money was invested in it to keep up with the others. I just got my block/crank/rods & pistons back from my guy out here. He works at a machine shop run by Carquest Auto Parts. What an excellent jod he did on my 318. Just beatiful work and way cheaper than the other "bigname" shops out here.
But alot of people think of an auto parts machine shop as "less quality". But like others have said previously, get some recommendations from others.
 
Check with some other members in your area to find out what shop they,ve used?You might find a better shop to do a rebuild.I know my local NAPA would just have it sent out and built.So you will end up paying them a piece of the pie along with the builder.JMO
 
The NAPA shop in my area won't go the extra mile far as doing any performance upgrades (to heads anyways). I had to take my heads to another machine shop in order to get what I wanted done. So from now on they have my business.
 
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