<VV> Plastigage vs. Micrometer

[Byron Comp]

And now the plot thickens yet again. I got a phone call this morning telling me that after re-assembling my engine yesterday, they discovered that a couple of valves still wouldn't hold their setting. So they pulled out the camshaft and checked it closer, only to discover that one of the lobes was 6 or 7/1000's undersized, too much to be used w/o welding it up & cutting back down. The shop he took it to said they didn't have any dies to use to grind it back down, so he's looking for a replacement cam. Remember, this is 2 months after I take him the car, telling him the valves won't hold their setting. Why would the camshaft be the last thing he checked instead of the first?
 
Will this d**n nightmare never end? I'm beginning to believe I should have had my head examined for ever listening to somebody's recommendation about letting this guy rebuild my engine & transmission. It looks like I'll now miss another year's convention because I won't have completed what I want to do before bringing my "baby" to the show.

Byron Comp
'64 Monza Vert (STILL in PIECES) near
Gainesville, FL


> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2012 12:41:55 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Byron Comp <byron.comp at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Plastigage vs Micrometer
> To: "virtualvairs at corvair.org" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
> Message-ID:
>     <1333654915.83110.YahooMailNeo at web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> 
> All this talk about Plastigage vs Micrometer leads me to relate the latest about 
> my '64 Monza Vert. When it started sounding loud after only 200 mi. I took 
> it back to the engine shop for investigation & repair. That was the end of 
> Jan. The owner/mech led me from one scenario to another: loose valves, broken 
> rocker studs, bent push-rods etc. etc. Then he finally admitted that he'd 
> never measured the crankshaft, AT ALL, before replacing ONLY A COUPLE main 
> bearings with STANDARD sizes. This apparently resulted in all kinds of mischief 
> in the engine, (I can only imagine)?so this time?he tore it down completely, 
> sent the crankshaft out to be machined and then had to wait for "special 
> made" oversized bearings, 0.0002, I think he said.
> ?
> So for the past 2 months he's been telling me, "I'm workin' on 
> it and I'll have it for ya soon." I'm moving out of state next week 
> and insist he have it ready for me by Monday. (He's already missed two 
> previous deadlines.)?I've already told him I'm not paying for any of his 
> time this go-'round, but I'm now thinking about withholding any payment, 
> even for additional parts,?until I've put about 500 mi. on it just to make 
> sure. What say ye?
> ?
> Oh, and one other thing; he told the VP of the local CORSA chapter, who I sicced 
> onto him today, (who, by the way, is the one who recommended this guy in the 
> first place) that when he first started on this engine two years + ago, that no 
> machine shops in the area would touch that engine, forcing him to try to do it 
> himself. Why would that be? Is something like that normal?
> ?
> Thanks,
> Byron (soon to be "back home again" in PA) Comp
> 
> '64 Monza Vert
> Gainesville, FL