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400 Block Work

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Drag67Camaro

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey, My Dad and I are getting ready to take my 400 2 bolt block into the machine shop within a few weeks, I called to get some prices and suggestions and this is what the guy told me:
Bore, Deck, Align Hone, Magnaflux, Hot tank,
All for $550, sound good?

Motor is gonna be for street/strip maybe 550hp
No Spray
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Sounds about right to me. Just make sure when the align hone is done that they use the fasteners that will be used for final assembly. In other words, don't align hone with bolts then switch to studs for the final assembly. Don't forget new cam bearings.
 
#4 ·
its a bit high compared to what i pay around here, i think i paid 350 to get my last block done (same stuff as you list). by all means be positive it gets torque plate honed, and i'd reccomend zero decking, not just decking, but maybe thats what he means, for 550 it should be. for that money they should be doing top notch work with top notch equipment, imo. also get studs for your mains and use them when doing the block work.
good luck with it, you'll love your 400!
 
#8 ·
That is typically what the guys in these parts (myself included) pay for prepping a 400, so I'd say it's a fair deal alright. Where I get my 400 blocks, the guy is friends with a local machinist who does the prep work, which is really nice since he guarantees the block is not cracked. By this, I mean that if I take the block to the machinist and find out it is cracked, he will give me a new block and the machinist will magaflux it again free of charge until I get a sound block. There would be nothing worse than having to pay for magnafluxing over and over again, so let's hope your block shows no cracks.
 
#9 ·
My prices would be:
Remove Cam Bearings and all plugs ... 30
Oven clean and shot blast block .....100
Magnaflux block ......................50
Bore and hone .......................160
Additional for torque plates .........60
Align hone mains ....................140
Parallel deck block ..................90
Install new cam bearings and plugs ...40
Price of cam bearings and plugs ......35
Total .......705
 
#10 ·
well, seeing bills prices made me second guess my last bill, so i dug it up and checked it out. this is how it breaks down fyi; first off, i didn't consider anything more than was listed, tank, mag, bore, align hone, deck, and my break down was hot tank (and shot blast), 90$ (he mags every block so thats included) bore and hone w/ torque plate,148$ bhj deck,150$ line hone,90$ for a grand total of 478$ (so i was a bit off) then add race cam bearings, 50$, and soft plugs,10$ the total i paid for a complete ready to run block was 538$ . this guy is a racing buddy, but these are pretty much the same prices everyone pays. and this is not bubbas speedy engine rebuild either, he is a drag racer and builds drag and roundy round motors primarily, and top notch equipment is used. maybe its not as expensive around here as i thought. it is interesting to see what you guys are paying though.
 
#11 ·
Tech Tip: Have the crank rod & mains measured and polished; have it machined only if it needs it. Then get the matched set of main bearings, install main bearings/crank(with lube of choice) and torque the main caps. If you can turn the crank with your hand, you do not need a line bore. Doing it this way, you also avoid problems with extra slack in the timing chain. ;>)
 
#12 ·
Don't shop for machine work by price. I'd rather have someone like BillK do the job for $700 than someone that would cut corners (stuff the average hobbyist will never notice) and save a hundred or two. Not saying that your machinist buddy would necessarily cut corners . . . but I'd check some references just to be safe.
 
#13 ·
i agree eric. but thats what surprised me about bills prices vs my buddys. i have never seen bills work, and i'm sure its good quality, but this guy's work i know, and is running in several of the fastest drag cars in the northwest, including his own (7.59@182 on dot tires). maybe we are just getting that good of a deal, or prices are higher in bill's neck of the woods, i was just surprised.
but your right, by no means shop machine work on price, with performance stuff reputation is everything.
and oh yeah, i agree with gmranch, have the mainline checked first, dont change it it doesn't need it.
 
#14 ·
Allow me to offer my $0.02 on smaller shops if I may. Quite often, you will see superior quality for less coin through smaller shops. This is because the smaller shop doesn't have huge overhead, major staff payroll, OR major volume w/deadlines. The result will be a project that not only costs less, but often involves pride and care in the work done. With this in mind, it is not right to compare only by price. A smaller shop who really cares about their work will be able to charge less, yet still offer a superior end result. This is how they bring in their customers, as opposed to relying on huge ads and fancy-looking storefronts. My guess is that the machinist you are considering will prove himslef to you 100%, and I encourage you to give the smaller business man a chance. You'd be surprised what you might find.
 
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