I have been lurkin for awhile now and I need to get my 312 in my wife's 56 T-Bird rebuilt. (stock) With all of the posts I have read it seams it is not for your average machine shop to do. Is that correct? Or am I reading to much into it? Does anybody have a recommendation for a shop in the Northern California Bay Area? I am willing to travel. I have contacted one local shop who said " well, the last one we did was a while ago and I think it was about $3000.00" does that price seam close? The body is off the frame at the paint shop and would like to get the motor back in the frame in the next few months.
Thanks for your help.
Rob

Can't help you with a local shop, but I'd guess that $3000 for a complete rebuild isn't out of the park. For insurance, a good start is to link from this sites opening page to John Mummert's site & go to his list of "assembly errors". His outfit is also a good parts source & is in El Cajon CA.  Also, needed is a factory manual, however, if your engine is a 312", some 1956 manuals spec'd the main cap torque far too high!  It can result in a ruined block!.. I'm sure you will get further guidance here.-  Good luck     


Paul

Any competent auto machine shop should be able to do the machine work to your block.You didnt say if you intend to assemble the engine yourself or have the machine shop do it? If they do the whole job three grand is in the ballpark.I just(2 weeks ago) had a 312 block cleaned, bored,honed,decked and 1 sleeve installed and the tab was right at 600 dollars.I reckon by the time the smoke cleared I have about 2300 dollars in the engine.Parts for our engines are considerably more money than SBC parts! The critical thing is that whoever puts the engine together needs to be familiar with Y blocks.As PF points out,there are several places you can get in trouble if you are not familiar with the problems involved.John Mummert is certainly the place to start if you need help,parts,etc.

All engines have their own little nuances when it comes to assembly.  The Ford Y is no exception.  The machine work itself is reasonably basic so just be sure to use a shop that has some experienced people doing the work.  If you are doing the assembly, then the key here is simply taking your time and paying attention to the little details assuming this is not your first engine build.  If this is your first engine build, it helps immensely if you have someone knowledgable guiding you along.  If the engine is being assembled elsewhere, then  using a shop that’s familiar with these engines helps.  If the shop is open minded and are not familiar with this engine, then they will not mind you giving them a copy of John Mummert’s ‘Assembly Errors’ to help them along.

Pricing will vary depending upon how much work you do versus having the work performed by someone else.  On my end the engines end up being ‘turn key’ or ready to run as they leave the shop so that ends up being more expensive simply due to the engine already being pre-run and broken in.  This simply means the carburetor, distributor, plugs, wires, oil, filters, camshaft break-in, potential oil leaks, etc. have already been taken care of prior to you having to concern yourself with those items when the engine is being prepared to be put back into the chassis.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I have used Clarke's Machine Shop in Mountain View for my engine machine work.  Talk to Steve.  There is TOE Performance Engine in Suisun City.  Who have done a lot of Y-Block engines in the Bay Area.  Talk to Tony.

To see of a shop is competent in knowing about Y blocks, ask where the 4 longer head bolts go, if they say anything but in the holes with the dowels, leave.

Thank you all for the reply's. I will be checking out the suggested shops and asking a lot of questions.
Just another follow up question, is there a difference between the parts ( cam, bearings,lifters, rings,etc...) that most shops use and the ones that Mummert uses. Or are Mummerts a must have? I don't want to do this again. I wish I was closer to Waco and Ted I have read a lot of good things about him and his work.

Shipping is really not that expensive. He Built mine and shipped it to western N.C.

-Gary Burnette-

Yes there is a difference in what shops use, Mummert has done his homework along with Ted, Schumman's and including myself and all parts used are proven Hardness, tolerances etc. No Chinese junk. I wouldn't let just any shop assemble it with out of the catalog parts, There are differnces.

55 Vicky & customline

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