The cleanliness of a machine shop is not the best way to judge them for
the very nature of the business is grimy, messy, and causes dark grey grime
to coat everything (including the machinist) very quickly. I've seen
'clean' shops, they are also the ones that don't do any business either.
Hot tanking versus blasting. If you're working with the outside of an
engine block, bead blasting is a good way to go. It gives a slight tooth
to the metal for good paint adhesion and cleans all of the surface areas
nicely. What it does >NOT< do is clean internal passageways for oil. Hot
tanking will do both and the charge is usually very nominal. It's
definately worth taking all your sheetmetal for your engine (valve cover,
oil pan, baffles, etc) and have them tanked. It's much nicer putting
together an engine with clean parts.
All machinists are surly. It's part of the job. They do try to save
you
money, but that is often because the average customer only wants the barest
possible necessity done to their project for the lowest price. Since we're
talking about the lower end of a Triumph engine, I'd go for the extra
services. It won't cost much more and you'll have the peace of mind to
know that when the engine fails later (as they all do) that it wasn't
>that< part you didn't have done originally.
-Vegaman Dan
-66/69 Spitui
-Also an ex-NAPA man
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