Finding a machine shop. Questions to ask. Eastern Pa, NJ

[AmadeusCharger500]

My regular shop seems to be phasing out doing old engines. They put me on a 6 month waiting list.
So its on to a search for a new shop. Someone wrote a good key question to ask in a post long ago.
I think it was to ask if the shop owns a deck plate for whatever engine you have. If not then I can rule them out?

Does this sound right? And is this any way to find a shop, by quizing them on their tools or am I just going to get someone P.O'd.

Are there other questions that can be asked?

How do you differentiate between a shop that really knows the difference in the workings of a mopar block and a chevy block?

I am starting to call some of the few people I know from local shows but that is really a small number, and I don't get to many shows.

[resq302]

Try looking up a guy called Nick's Machines.  He did our motors and has been doing them for over 25 years and has also been building race engines as well.  He recently designed a machine to do boring, decking,d and align honing all on the same machine so this way, everything will be square on the block and you don't take the chance of misalligning stuff bringing it over to another machine to do a different job.  The most recent engine he did was our el camino engine and it puts out more power than my 383 but then again, it is a 402 Chevy engine.  I highly recommend him.  He is located near New Brunswick NJ.

[bill440rt]

I had NT Racing do both my 440's in my '68 & '70 Chargers. He'll be doing my '69 440 as well. Highly recommended, he does everything from oval track to alcohol race engines. A stock bread & butter 440 was no problem for him. He does do a lot of Chevy engines, but really everything. Everyone I've spoken to that has used him loves his work.
Ironically, like Brian's machinist, his name is Nick also. He's located in Middlesex, not too far away from New Brunswick as well!!

[AmadeusCharger500]

Great.

Nick's Machines and Nt Racing.

I will give them a try tomorrow.

Are they both solo workers?

[bill440rt]

I believe Nick from NT Racing may have a few other guys there. There is also a place next door to him that dyno's the engines.

[resq302]

Nick from Nicks machine is a solo operation so you know the same guy that was working on the crank was the same guy that did everything else.  No guess work as to how one person did one part to the next.  I think it was like a 2 week turn around also or possibly a month.  Really fast compared to the first person that we had redo my 383 who took about 5 mos.

[AmadeusCharger500]

Sorry to bother you for this but do either have the contact for these shops.
NT Racing - 732-868-0286 ? Says it out of business
and I could not find Nick's Machines.

I am having no luck locally. One guy I talked to said the only places he knows do race engines. Are these old engines just not worked on very often?

[bsakal]

H.G. Associates in Limerick, Pa. does lots of Hi-Po stuff.
Doug Meyers in Collegeville, Pa. Does lots of Hi-Po stuff.
Stauffer's CarQuest Auto Parts in Phoenixville, Pa. 610-935-1521. Full machine shop, but send things to H.G. for balancing. They have a couple of old school guys there that know there stuff. Dave is in charge there.

Sorry I can't remember the #'s of the first 2 shops, they are listed though. Good Luck!

[Old Moparz]

Since you're looking at shops in New Jersey, here's a place that's been in business for some time & very reputable.

"North Jersey Performance & Machine, Inc." 12 Bland St., Emerson, NJ - 201-262-4736 
(Ask for Richy, he's the owner of the shop.)

They've rebuilt 2 engines, 1 four speed, & 1 rear end housing for me personally, all Mopar. They also did 2 other engines, both Chebbies, for 2 other friends of mine, & all have been fine. I've known & used this place for 22 years & they were originally recommended to me by a coworker & a mechanic friend of mine.

I've since moved to upstate New York, just over 1 hour away, but still travel back down to this shop to get work done. I'll be bringing a 440 engine to him later this year by the way.

[resq302]

Nick's Machine   -   732-257-8338