Several things. Track record; ie. what kind of engines and how many do they build and how have they worked out. Capability; do they have the experience and equipment to do what I want done "in house". Mistakes; everyone makes them. I want a shop that makes very few of them and takes full responsibility for them when they do occur. Time; we all want it done yesterday, but I'll settle for reasonable. Cost; we all want great quality and dirt cheap pricing. I definitely want good quality, but again I'll settle for fair and reasonable regarding cost. Convenience; it would be nice if they are within 100 miles of home. At this point I'll put in a plug for my own machine shop choice. Belleville Automotive in Belleville,Il. This shop is owned and operated by Mark and Linda Shaefer. Mark is a long time dirt track stock car racer who won the local championship last year. He builds lots of engines of various types, especially circle trackers. He has torque plates for both big and small block Mopars. Mark and Linda have met all the requirements I listed above.