Lamenting the closing down of machine shops

[2cams70]

For those of you in Victoria, Australia I have to report some very sad news. A week or two ago I visited Crankshaft Rebuilders, one of my favorite machine shops in Melbourne only to find the carpark empty and one or two remaining staff cleaning and packing stuff up. "Crankshaft Rebuilders is no more" is what I was told.

Very sad. I've known that shop since I was a kid when I often brought bits and pieces in for machining. Before I even had my driver's license in fact. Amongst everything else they could manufacture a crankshaft from scratch and unlike a lot of places no job was ever too small and they were always very creative with difficult repair cases.

Like a lot of these specialist engine machine shops the owner's background was with Repco in the 60's. For those that don't know Repco was the manufacturer of Australia's only Formula 1 engine. They were a major supplier of engine parts such as pistons and bearings to the local automotive manufacturing industry. ACL/Mahle bearings available today are part of this history. Many of these old guys are no more and there's no one left who wishes to take on these types of businesses or who has the same level of expertise.

Having a chat with the guy there it seems that the younger generation have little interest in messing around with engines. Unlike us there seems to be no interest in beginning playing around with mechanical things such as lawnmowers when young first before progressing on to more complex stuff such as car engines. You don't rebuild modern engines much. You just replace them. A lot of their business was with the American V8 fraternity. These days however you can buy a new crate engine from the USA for a cheap price and it's ready to go.

Orger Engiines did much of the major machining on my LTC engine. They still exist but under a different name and with a completely different focus. I'm not sure if the ownership is still the same. Now they are only involved with repairing modern engines for major OEMS. Perhaps this is easier because it is a more standardized environment where you don't have to think much and the wealthy OEMs don't complain about the cost and pay their bills regularly.

I'm guessing the situation is much the same throughout the world. Of course there are people who will take your complete engine, rebuild it to whatever specification you desire and return it. For those of us however who enjoy the challenge contracting out the machining, choosing the component parts, and doing the final assembly ourselves the choices are becoming limited.

Just to finish this rant does anyone have any recommendations for good machine shops around Melbourne who can be trusted to do quality work - especially with specialist engines such as the LTC. (Rohan?)

In the meantime RIP all good machine shops who have shut their doors. You will be very sadly missed.

[rgh0]

I did not realise that Crankshaft Rebuilders had gone. Got my last machined crank from them only a few months ago. Shops are getting thin on the ground with Orgers under different ownership not doing old engines anymore also. Head Stud Development in Moorabbin is one of the few left who I have used, Eddy there knows machining Twinks thankfully.

cheers
Rohan

[2cams70]

Head Stud Services in Moorabbin is one of the few left who I have used, Eddy there knows machining Twinks thankfully.

Thanks Rohan. Will check them out sometime.

[rgh0]

HMGem was used by a friend who also builds racing Twinks recently for some bottom end machining as they know the old Ford blocks and he was happy with their work. i have never used them and dont know if they know much they know about Twink heads.

cheers
Rohan

[HCA]

...I'm guessing the situation is much the same throughout the world....

Sadly, you are right. Near me in Toulouse is a shop that has specialised in historic racing and as good a place you will find on twincams - he will be cutting back soon as he cannot find any technicians able to do the fine work asked of him.

As Rohan knows, I am scouring the UK and France for a shop that will carry out the cam long bolt modification without much success. I am told that John Wilcox is able to do it, but the phone goes unanswered. Someone told me that he too is slowly winding down...

ps - if anyone knows a shop in Europe who can do this, please let me know?

[Andy8421]

I am afraid the same is true in the UK. General jobbing machine shops have pretty much disappeared, everything is CNC or 'additive manufacturing'. There are specialists focused on the classic market, but getting less and less as the proprietors retire.

One positive (if there is one) is that second hand machine tools are available at very low prices, particularly if you have space for industrial size machines and a 3 phase supply. These are too big for the hobby market, and 3 phase puts a lot of hobbyist off. I have managed to build a collection of machine tools over the last 10 years from closing machine shops, or schools selling off their equipment. I am particularly pleased with the Bridgeport mill that I purchased from a old chap who was shutting down his business nearby. You can spend more than the price of the machine on tooling, but eBay can be your friend. The Bridgeport uses 'R8' tooling which is specific to Bridgeport, and I was able to buy a collection of excellent R8 tooling on eBay at a very reasonable price. When the tooling arrived there was an accompanying letter saying that the seller had been a machinist at Lola cars, and all the tooling came from the Lola factory. I have no idea if it was true, but I whenever I use it, I tell myself it was last used to build a 'formula' car.

[vstibbard]

Ed is the best Rohan, he’s done a number of heads for me over past 25 years including my Martin 3 valve and more recently he reconditioned a set of 2.8RSR heads which he Prepared back in 94, the car was rallied and tracked extensively.
I heard last week that Ivan Tighes son Dean has purchased Crankshaft rebuilders from reputable source.
Cheers
Vaughan

[Frogelan]

I am not well placed to comment on the machine shop business, but it is indeed difficult to find precision engineering firms in GB.

But I have found a small firm near Paris who are happy to do small one off jobs: CMBI in Lagny sur Marne.

Hal, do send me more details of what you are trying to achieve and I will ask the question! I am about to have a few parts made up and will be happy to do this.

Andrew

[HCA]

Thanks Andrew.
If it can be done in France is better as it will save all the customs declarations on where TVA is paid !

Here are the bolts:

https://elantrikbits.com/long-bolt-camshaft-mod/

Each camshaft needs to be end drilled deeper and tapped to take these longer bolts. A difficulty might be that the bolts are UNC or UNF.

Appreciate your help!

[Davidb]

The same problem here in the Vancouver area--we used to be spoiled for choice. Well, forty years ago we were...
Now it is difficult to find somebody you can trust and if you need babbitt bearings you are SOL.

[h20hamelan]

3 of the 4 shops within 300km of here gone. The 4th is about to close. So, hope I get better sooner than later

https://thehill.com/changing-america/su ... se-by-2040

It was predicted by MIT in 1972

[ceejay]

You will find plenty of engine machine shops in regional areas in Vic, I have two in my town, and know of three others within 100KM, which, as you know, is just down the road when living in the bush, the local shop did the crank re-grind, L block boring/re-sleeve rebore to 83.5 on the 1700 Twink, I have other mates with old clunky Healey's, they reckon that all of the gurus are located in the big cities... I beg to differ with their opinion. The secret in working with/engaging any machine shop is detailed communication as to what you want done. Very happy with my local bloke who does a lot of hot V8 engine work, but he now understands more about twinks, but he has also worked on Cosworth BDA, so that would have to be a plus. His workshop rates are not eye watering either.

[2cams70]

You will find plenty of engine machine shops in regional areas in Vic, I have two in my town, and know of three others within 100KM, which, as you know, is just down the road when living in the bush, the local shop did the crank re-grind, L block boring/re-sleeve rebore to 83.5 on the 1700 Twink, I have other mates with old clunky Healey's, they reckon that all of the gurus are located in the big cities... I beg to differ with their opinion. The secret in working with/engaging any machine shop is detailed communication as to what you want done. Very happy with my local bloke who does a lot of hot V8 engine work, but he now understands more about twinks, but he has also worked on Cosworth BDA, so that would have to be a plus. His workshop rates are not eye watering either.

Thanks. Appreciate if you could name some names in that case in rural areas who have a reputation for doing quality work on these kind of specialist engines in the past. I'm sure they would appreciate some extra business!

[Donels]

I used John Wilcox last year for some machining and he was very busy with a whole row twin cam rebuilds on the go. It’s only John and his wife now and she was running the dyno, booking the jobs in and answering the phone. Right now is his busy time doing rebuilds for the coming season. Getting the phone answered can be difficult but you usually get a response to an email.

Ref other twink rebuilders I hear that John Smerthwaite is no longer doing twinks, only Coventry Climax engines.

For engine rebores, regrinds and general engine machining I use Coventry Boring and Metalling. They have been around for years and I’ve always had good service from them. They also do white metalling if you’re into really old stuff.

[HCA]

John and Rita Wilcox are out of the country for a while now, not returning until March 12 without even an answerphone at the shop. Not interested in supplying me parts to build a complete engine.

Watch this space I think…