Trouble finding a small engine machine shop in Texas

C

Chris Parman

Well-Known Member
Hello All, I was wondering if anyone knows of a small machine shop (in the Continental United States) that performs cylinder boring and honing with respect to lawn mower engines.
 
I have a vehicle repair shop in my area that does my boring on engines that I rebuild. You may want to try some of your local independent shops to see if they bore, or they may know another shop that they send their work to. The shop that I use primarily does larger vehicles.
 
None lleft in our area. I did years ago but it is no longer cost effective to rebuild the smaller engines, the local techs have no idea how to do it.
 
There is a speed shop near me that will do it but their cost, my labor and parts makes it cheaper to replace the engine. If it just needs honed to break the glaze it can be cost effective. For what the shop charges i could buy a Lisle 15000 hone and fit my own oversize pistons but just not worth it financially.
 
The mower race shops usually have contacts that rebore engines.
Down here there are almost no oversized pistons except for the older flat head engines.
 
I'm in Texas, I found a place near Houston that will bore & hone for $55. So I will tear down my GXV120 and GXV140 and send them down. I plan to go 0.50 over STD bore to get a little more HP.
 
Might you share thier name? The shop who did it here in Dallas stopped since the guy who did it left, and he owned all the tools . . . Commercially, maybe not, but for an individual, a rebuild is so much cheaper than an *equivalent* replacement it's stupid. (IE I do not consider Chinese dung equivalent in any way (well, maybe other than as a sea anchor) to something like a Honda GX . . .).
 
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Chris Parman said:
I'm in Texas, I found a place near Houston that will bore & hone for $55. So I will tear down my GXV120 and GXV140 and send them down. I plan to go 0.50 over STD bore to get a little more HP.
Click to expand...

I used to build 5hp briggs for kart racing. I really doubt you will see any performance increase with a .5mm overbore. You would be better off getting a performance cam. That you will notice. Don't know your application but if you are planning to up the revs over stock may want to remove the govenor gear. That will give out before the con rod. You can thin the flywheel key and advance the timing a few degrees too. If you do the cam and timing buy and extra recoil assy and pull the starter rope like you mean it. Saw a guy break a finger when a built 5hp briggs kicked back trying to start it.
 
Chris Parman said:
I'm in Texas, I found a place near Houston that will bore & hone for $55. So I will tear down my GXV120 and GXV140 and send them down. I plan to go 0.50 over STD bore to get a little more HP.
Click to expand...

I've worked in small machine shops before and can't understand why it would be difficult for any machine shop to bore a small engine.

What gives? Set up should be a little time consuming. But boring it, after set up, should be a snap.
 
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