vintage chromoly

iTrader: (3)

No.

Often times the machinist has relationships with suppliers and gets great pricing. He adds 10% and makes a few bucks and you get the right stuff the first time for right around the same price as you would as a retail customer.

Also, when the parts you bring him that will inevitably be wrong don't work out, the clock keeps running while he sorts it out.

Trying to bird dog the build will get you nowhere.

I'm an electrician by trade. Whenever a customer tries to cut my throat with this crap, I run! If a guy wants to start out by being cheap, I know it will be a pain in my a$$ the entire job.

Crude Intentions

iTrader: (1)

Wow. Y'all have jacked mikes thread. He asked a simple question to those who have paid to have the whole ordeal done and are willing to divulge the info. Take this unrelated arguement elsewhere.

302Sport

back to the topic....

sonic700

Amen LOL. Sorry MIke

MILD THUNDER

iTrader: (3)

I had a single engine boat 10 years ago. To remove the engine, rebuild the engine (just rings, bearings, gaskets, valve job, dyno, more like a freshen up), and reinstall, was 7,000 dollars.

The way I see it, is this. If you dont like paying shop rates, do it yourself. But don't be fooled. So many guys think they are gonna save tens of thousands by building it themselves. Then when its all said and done, they realize how much money parts cost, and how little labor cost is involved.

Take assembling a short block for example. Guys think, hey, Im gonna assemble this baby myself. They have the machine shop do all the machine work on the blocks, boring, honing, balancing, etc, then they get it home and start assembling the parts they bought. They think initially they are gonna save thousands. Then they realized, they saved maybe a few hundred bucks, rather than just having the machine shop put it together, when its all said and done. Not to mention the cost of tools to properly measure and assemble things. And you definitly arent saving anything when the $hit comes apart, because you didnt know what the hell you were doing.

JPD Motorsports

Had motors pulled an re dropped. Basically to clean/paint bilge. Fee was 500 per motor so 1k to pull em an reinstall. Didn't do rebuilds or nothing to motors...

soldier4402

Old man always said nothing is ever free and and that includes labor. every mechanic, dry waller, carpenter says they dont make any money. I tend not to beleive that otherwise they wouldnt be doing it.

Unlimited jd

iTrader: (5)

Seems like more and more people expect you to work for free when it's a labor type job. Guy I know got a job at a bank in which he had no experience, or degree. Makes considerably more than I do as a firefighter or mechanic. Yet thought $100 for pads installed in his car was high...

brian41

iTrader: (1)

Between $5000 and $50,000 is a good estimate but it depends on whether you want to stay and watch, good parts or your parts, if your parts am I getting paid for the time I spent specing, phone time or looking them up (I like your parts......no warranty), blower, crabs, pistons, rings, good parts or crap parts, does it need exhaust, build it to proper specs or just slap it together, salt water (don't get me going with that)........lots of variables so ya 5-50.

Carry on I am going to grab some burger and buns and head to the bar and have them cook for me (to my specs)........ might as well grab a 6 pack on the way to make up for the cheap fack that facked me out of my lunch money.

soldier4402

brian I get your point and I know your probably being sarcastic. But the OP did say stock 454s which if you paif 50 grand even 25 grand to rebuild a stock 454 you would need your head examined.