Carquest/NAPA 99% of the time is ----, the people who usually work there are the ones who aren't good enough to go off on their own or work for a better machine shop.

Jesus christ, go find a machinist that knows what the ---- he is doing when it comes to building a Honda, and try and find one who's built a few before that havn't blown to bits.

 

Around here there are none of those guys. We have a dirt track that people run stock cars on, but the only 4cyls people run are Mustangs. The shops here cater to these guys. There's no import scene except for AR Fabrication (Howard's a ********** btw) and the shops in Fairfax and MD. Most shops don't even do their own boring and decking and ----, they outsource that to Napa and Carquest. Places like AR Fab just mail order a bunch of parts and blocks and piece them together, then blow them up and charge out the ***. AR is seriously shady, and they're the only import speed shop around here.

Brian Arbogast (r.i.p.) had his machine work done at the same Napa and Carquest I went to and he had a 502whp Z6/Y8 before selling it to my friend Phil, so I think they do decent work usually.

 

I never knew that NAPA actually does this kind of work....just any old NAPA can get the job done?

This guy has a corner on the machining market in this town, if I wanted to get a serious good machine shop I'd have to go about 100 miles to Indy or Chicago. If anybody knows of a reputable but still affordable machine shop in either of these areas let me know.

Tell me more about this NAPA machining ---- though....that's interesting stuff since we've got a NAPA around here that has some older seemingly knowledgeable guys there.

 

The builder at our Napa makes tons of race engines. They even do porting and polishing and intricate stuff like that there. The main builder is Mark Hottle, from the Hottle family that's famous for stock car racing here at the local dirt tracks. He does 50% at least of the motor rebuilds in Winchester. Walk into the shop and there's a hundred motors sitting on the floor waiting in line. The guy is good generally, but mine has a ton of piston slap. Runs so far

 

Did my first vitara/tt rod turbo 98 ex myself recently. No help from shops. on 1900 miles already. Oh plus im ..

 

a good manual and a torque wrench are key. I think that its best to find a shop that can do the machine work, though. Piston to wall clearances are pretty crucial..

 

That's what I did. I had Napa hot tank the block and bore/hone for .5mm over. I notched the block and assembled myself. It's not hard. If you have all the parts you can put one together in an afternoon.

 

I'll agree. NAPA/Carquest is just really hit or miss around here I find. It sounds like you've got a hit though.

 

Well as far as piston to wall clearances goes couldn't I just get a set of standard bore pistons and throw a quick ball hone on that bitch and be good to go? I'm just wondering if a ball hone will be good enough to get the job done as far as a cross hatch goes.

 

It might be decent. I'm not 100% but i think the walls sort of ..."egg" over time and won't be perfectly round. Someone help me out here.