Atomic

iTrader: (42)

Remind me, after you took it out of your old truck, was it freshened up then, or at what point did you have it refreshed?

Thats a tricky situation...its obviously a failure due to machine work, but that fact that he told you what he was doing and you said "ok" might be a "clear of fault" in his mind. But then again it is clearly wrong from the recommendation of the people that spent millions in R&D making the pistons, and I would tend to agree with them over a guy with "experience" (refer to my earlier post).

The fact that the piston clearance was set up far too loose AS WELL AS the crank bearings failing says to me the machinist was negligent in the service you employed him to perform. I would expect, at minimum, free machine work on a new block, or if you decided you can reuse the block, free honing/boring and a new set of pistons if necessary. If you are intent on using a stock crank, one of those too since they should be very easy to come by. Basically you are owed what you paid for, no matter how many times it takes the builder to do his job.

Is this a guy that does a lot of LS engines? I get really tired of talking to shop owners/engine builders that still think the SBC is the best engine out there. I dont care if you have been making 800hp big blocks since the 60s, I want to know how many LS engines you have done AND how well those are doing and how long they are lasting. If the engines you are building are failing in under 500 miles and the pistons arent burned to a crisp, you are obviously doing something wrong. **** is not the same.

53RUSSELL

iTrader: (9)

The funny part is your cylinder walls look the same as mine and same with piston. My pistons didn't have coating on them but they have all fine scratches on the piston. Take a look at my teardown a while bback.

mitchellmade

iTrader: (13)

Atomic , your 100% right in both situations there old school small blocks are way different in building them as compared ls small blocks, and That machinist does owe him work but I wouldnt bring it back there

smokeshow

iTrader: (16)

It wasn't refreshened, it was rebuilt. Went from stock to forged rods and pistons with the stock crank. Block was honed, parts balanced, everything cleaned, all new bearings and gaskets, etc. So a brand new engine.

Even if he admitted that his overzealous over-honing was wrong and offered free machine work to fix it, I'm not sure I'd want him doing it anyway. Can't guarantee it would come out right the next time, and if it were bored out and was still messed up, then he would owe me a new block. Sticky situation. Might give him a call and see what he has to say...

Atomic

iTrader: (42)

If he offers to do the work for free, then let him try to redeem himself, but this time to your standards and not his. If it breaks again due to machining error he is clearly incompetent and you need another builder, and at that point I would at least want a partial refund.

1slow01Z71

iTrader: (36)

Once he is done, make sure to torque down a head and measure your cylinders and not just at one spot. Top, middle and bottom, iron blocks usually don't deform under load from the head fasteners but after this fiasco I'd check just to be safe.

I dealt with almost the same type of problem with a backwoods machine shop in Alabama, they were suppose to dummy the rotating assembly. Well they didn't because after I put it together and started running it, the damn piston skirts were hitting the crank counterweight. They basically told me to get fucked. That was the beginning of me doing everything myself, and not giving a **** what the experts said. Of your gut tells you somethings wrong, listen to it. Go do some research and confirm.

After 6 years I'm still a little torqued up about getting screwed out of countless hours of my time and about 10 grand between two motors. Which is why my truck has a stock 6.0 in it now.

joeyc125

iTrader: (7)

The sad reality is, people like you and I probably know more about what our specific engine needs as far as specs, clearances and dimensions than the machinist we choose. Unless you are lucky enough to have a very reputable LS builder close. I did lots of research on what I needed, when I brought it all to my machinist, he wanted to do it different. Bigger ring gaps, along with having the top ring looser than the second vs second a hair looser than the top. He wanted looser piston-wall clearance also. I just told him to do it my way, which he had no problem with after I explained my reasoning. Everything is working well for me so far.

Lucille

Slow, care to elaborate on which shop in backwoods Alabama or at least a location if you don't want to name them.

foose04

iTrader: (3)

It's thread like this that really bother me. I'm finally getting my garage setup to a point I could take my time and build a engine this year, my "first" engine build and would love the challenge. However, there is a part of me that would like to just have a known LS short block builder do the bottom end.

I've thought about getting one of those Summit Racing, 6.0 blocks already bored to 4.030 for 749, you would hope as many as i'm sure they are selling summit has a good machine shop on their team. Then again you never know.

1slow01Z71

iTrader: (36)

I have no idea what the name was, it was outside of Hartselle is about all I can tell you.