Machine shop prices?

[MikinInd]

I just called a machine shop that was recommended to see what it would cost to have a John Deere A crankshaft worked on. To have the rod journals welded and ground back to standard and have the mains checked/polished they quoted $460 and a month and a half wait to get it back. To have the block bored if needed and cleaned it would be $280. I know machine work isn't cheap but that seems kinda high to me. Is that the going rate to have this kind of work done?

 

[jeffcat]

Doesn't sound that bad to me other than the long time period. We don't even have a machine shop around here anymore!

 

[fixerupper]

Doesn't sound too far out of line to me considering you can get $2000-$3000 into an engine overhaul on an old tractor real easy. $15000+ for an engine overhaul in a bigger tractor engine.

 

[Ted in NE-OH]

Since you would have to wait 1-1/2 months , the shop has plenty of work and id not hungry. Keep looking> The prices might be better in mid winter.

 

[Ted in NE-OH]

Since you would have to wait 1-1/2 months , the shop has plenty of work and is not hungry. Keep looking. The prices might be better in mid winter.

 

[jturbo10]

Sounds reasonable to me if they know what they are doing. Hard to find a machine shop that knows how to work on John Deere two cylinder engines. I suspect the long wait time is driven by backlog or he will be working the parts when he has gaps in his work load. Many of his customers need their engines ASAP in order to keep working and making a living. Antique tractors are usually needed only for parades or elective use with family.

 

[rrlund]

Come on up here. My son just broke ground on his new shop. Outgrew the old one already.

 

[george md]

Being a machine shop , I don't think the crank work is

out of line. Welding the rods will most likely warp the

shaft and it will need to be straightened if possible ,

if not you will have to grind the mains for alignment.

I am boring and sleeving an A block ,if you have not

done one you won't understand the time required to do one.

Many crank grinders are too small to reach the throw on

a long stroke engine and typical boring bars won't reach

the length of the cylinder.


george

 

[teddy52food]

You have to remember it takes a big enough grinder to do a stroke that long & they are not cheap. Also, not many shops weld them up anymore. Also takes a big boring bar to do those cylinders. If they have the equipment, they have to charge for it.

 

[Cliff Nelson]

As others have said, that is not out of line for prices. The wait time likely due to backlog and/or priority. Backlog also tells me they know what they are doing and everyone goes to them. Also remember, 'Cheaper is not always better'.

 

[Mike M]

It is best to find someone who has big enough equipment to bore one of those blocks with the studs left in them. If they have an old fashioned boring bar where the studs have to be removed to mount it you run a big risk of a ruined block from them trying to get rusted in studs out. Been burnt by that before.

 

[GaryinKs]

If you have the work done, what will the tractor be worth when you get it running?

 

[Mike M]

Unfortunately about what the 2 machine shop figures add up to.

 

[moresmoke]

Around here mid-winter is the hardest time to get work done. The shop I use is piled high with race car engines all winter long.

 

[Donald Lehman]

Machine shops are a dime a dozen. Machine shops who know what they are doing when it comes to grinding cranks and boring cylinders..........not so much. That little tid bit of acquired knowledge cost me on the high side of $10,000.

The guys who have more work than they can keep up with are usually the good ones. We have a local machinist/crank grinding/cylinder boring guy. We take work to him, tell him call me when it's done and pay whatever he charges, because you know the work is done right and you won't have to be tearing it down again in two weeks.

I would say those charges are reasonable.

 

[Dick2]

Dad bought a brand new 1948 Model G in 1948; we would have been money ahead if we had scrapped it the day that we got it home. It had a bent connecting rod first. Then we discovered that the crankshaft had been machined wrong on both ends - couldn't hold the flywheel nor the clutch hub tight to the crankshaft. Had the crankshaft welded up and new splines machined on each end.

Because of scoring in one cylinder from the bent connecting rod, we had to have the block bored out. A couple months after that a sandhole blew out in the bad cylinder and flooded the cylinder with coolant. Pulled the block and had the sand hole plugged by a special machine shop process.

We spent way more on repairs than the purchase price. As the saying goes: "Nobody ever told me that I'd have to buy that machine twice -- the second time across the parts counter".

How much do you really want to restore that tractor? That much, eh? Wow!

 

[ditchwitch]

why wouldnt you grind it undersize .10, .20, 30, or is the journal beat up.

 

[pinball]

Machine shops are far and few between if there good. One close to me charges 60 bucks an hour. not bad and they are good. The other charges 85 an hour. there also good. Its best to check around but remember you will get what you paid for. Some times its actually better to try to find a new part if you can than have it made. Just don't get in a hurry. Just my 3 cents worth

 

[jimg.allentown]

Most of the automotive machine shops in my area have gone out of business. Mostly due to lack of work. The same equipment is generally required for all engines in the automotive size class whether they are for cars, trucks, or farm equipment. Most automotive engines have become too complex and too expensive to warrant major repairs. Things like overhead cams, exotic timing chain setups, stretch bolts EVERYWHERE, and high priced gaskets and seals have made it impractical to repair these engines. Most machine shops call them "throw-away" engines.

 

[Dick2]

Fella I knew started with one "Honest" auto repair shop. Took over a couple more shops and then took over 4 more shops. With 7 auto repair shops, he took over a machine shop to assure that he had a place to rebuild things the right way. I'm not sure that he's rebuilding engines yet, but would look for that in the near future the way things are going. He makes sure that his shop managers do things right and no jerking the customers around. He will do exactly what you want done and will not try to sell you anything extra. Prices aren't cheap but you get quality work.

 

[jimg.allentown]

One of the folks that I advise and sometimes I do work for them came to me for some advice a few weeks ago. Seems that the wife went in to a chain store for a wheel alignment and o0il change. They came back to her and handed her an estimate for over $2100 to repair her daughter's car. They said it needed upper control arms and a left outer tie rod end. Seemed a bit high to me. She asked me if I would check it out. Turns out it really did need those parts. BUT, their prices were incredibly out of line. Here is the breakdown:

Control arms were $49 each with a lifetime free replacement warranty.
Tie rod end was $29.00 with lifetime warranty.
Job took me 6 hours. That included time to geo get the parts, time to sit in between operations, and just taking my own sweet time.

Now, that was RETAIL price for the parts. I can get commercial prices if I ask for them. So, the chain store had quoted $240 each for the control arms, $265 each for installation, $60 for the tie rod end, and $110 to install it. I can only call this one thing: robbery. I can understand that there needs to be some fair markup, and even at their $110 shop labor rate, the bill should have been UNDER $1000 and would still have made them a handsome level of profit.

I can see where an HONEST shop would be overwhelmed with work.