Most experienced l6 machine shop?

Alphabettispaghetti

Alphabettispaghetti

Club Member
It’s high time I clear space and make progress.

Where’s the best/most experienced L-gata machine shop in the uk? I need +3mm bores, plus all the usual on a bottom end(dynamic balancing etc).
 
Healey 12

Healey 12

Club Member
I had an engine built by these guys last year , very happy with it. I am not as technical as you though so I am no the correct person to go into intricate detail . They are known one of the best Escort BDA / Cosworth engine builders in the country!

jondel.co.uk

Engine Types

With nearly 40 years experience building racing engines, there are several types that we have worked on numerous times and have gained a vast amount of knowledge and skill based around. These inclu…
jondel.co.uk jondel.co.uk
 
Alphabettispaghetti

Alphabettispaghetti

Club Member
Healey 12 said:
I had an engine built by these guys last year , very happy with it. I am not as technical as you though so I am no the correct person to go into intricate detail . They are known one of the best Escort BDA / Cosworth engine builders in the country!

jondel.co.uk

Engine Types

With nearly 40 years experience building racing engines, there are several types that we have worked on numerous times and have gained a vast amount of knowledge and skill based around. These inclu…
jondel.co.uk jondel.co.uk
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Hi - what did you have done?
 
Mr.G

Mr.G

Club Member
I've been looking into this myself. Trying to find somewhere where they do everything from balancing, machine work and hot tanking.

These guys looked good and one to research.

 
Mr Ex Jnr

Mr Ex Jnr

Club Member
Dave Jarman no his stuff and builds plenty of engine seriously worth considering if any engine work is needed or rebuild
 
Albrecht

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
In my experience a general engine machine shop/engine reconditioner is quite a different thing than a 'specialist' in any particular type of engine. There's nothing particularly special in the usual machining required on a Nissan L-series engine (cylinder boring, line boring, block re-facing, crank grinding etc etc) but once you start to get into more individual requirements ('blueprinting', porting, combustion chamber re-shaping etc etc) you need somebody other than a general engine machine shop...

Being something of a DIY-er, I've used a few machine shops and - in my experience - you need to tell them EXACTLY what you want from them. Very likely they will do things 'their way' anyway.

I recommend FJ Payne & Son Ltd. in Eynsham, near Witney in Oxfordshire. They have done exactly what I asked of them several times, including work on a few precious (to me anyway...) ex-Works engine parts that are not replaceable. http://www.fjpayne.com/

...however, they are not the type of place that is going to port cylinder heads, notch the tops of your bores for valve clearance and other 'performance' related stuff.
 
Albrecht

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
CTM Performance Engineering in Dagenham have about 40 years of experience in hi-po related engine work, and they used to be the machine shop for Burton's. They have a few Nissan L6s under their belt and are certainly familiar with them. I have not used them myself for Nissan L6s, but I have had a couple of Ford Crossflow heads done there in the dim and distant past.

Contact Us

ctmperformance.com ctmperformance.com
 
jonbills

jonbills

Membership Secretary
Site Administrator
Albrecht said:
In my experience a general engine machine shop/engine reconditioner is quite a different thing than a 'specialist' in any particular type of engine. There's nothing particularly special in the usual machining required on a Nissan L-series engine (cylinder boring, line boring, block re-facing, crank grinding etc etc) but once you start to get into more individual requirements ('blueprinting', porting, combustion chamber re-shaping etc etc) you need somebody other than a general engine machine shop...

Being something of a DIY-er, I've used a few machine shops and - in my experience - you need to tell them EXACTLY what you want from them. Very likely they will do things 'their way' anyway.

I recommend FJ Payne & Son Ltd. in Eynsham, near Witney in Oxfordshire. They have done exactly what I asked of them several times, including work on a few precious (to me anyway...) ex-Works engine parts that are not replaceable. http://www.fjpayne.com/

...however, they are not the type of place that is going to port cylinder heads, notch the tops of your bores for valve clearance and other 'performance' related stuff.
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I completely agree with that - the actual machining (boring, balancing) on my engines has been done by Ivor Searle I think, but Phil told them EXACTLY what to do. So a question for you Jason - do you know exactly what you want the machine shop to do, in the language they understand, or do you need an engine builder who can specify to the machine shop what they need to do?
 
Alphabettispaghetti

Alphabettispaghetti

Club Member
jonbills said:
I completely agree with that - the actual machining (boring, balancing) on my engines has been done by Ivor Searle I think, but Phil told them EXACTLY what to do. So a question for you Jason - do you know exactly what you want the machine shop to do, in the language they understand, or do you need an engine builder who can specify to the machine shop what they need to do?
Click to expand...

I know exactly what I want down to the micron. It was more if any had a torque plate for the block etc. I don’t want the boring done on a lightweight machine like a Bridgeport etc
 
Albrecht

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Alphabettispaghetti said:
It was more if any had a torque plate for the block etc. I don’t want the boring done on a lightweight machine like a Bridgeport etc
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If a machine shop/engine reconditioner has a torque plate for a Nissan RB-series engine, it will also work on the L-series. Same bore spacing.

Can't imagine you'll find any of the more serious outfits using a Bridgeport mill to bore engine blocks with.
 
Alphabettispaghetti

Alphabettispaghetti

Club Member
Albrecht said:
If a machine shop/engine reconditioner has a torque plate for a Nissan RB-series engine, it will also work on the L-series. Same bore spacing.

Can't imagine you'll find any of the more serious outfits using a Bridgeport mill to bore engine blocks with.
Click to expand...

I did go and see one and it had a 12" riser fitted to the head!

I didn't realise the RB would fit, that could help. Just with the 'meat' being removed, every little helps.
 
Fairlineguy

Fairlineguy

Club Member
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