To answer the original question..

I would say that you "SHOULD" be able to trust your machinist/builder..

However, if something goes amiss then from my past experiences, I would say find someone else..

I'm still fixing the problems of my EX-machinist/builder..

I trusted him, and when there was a problem, he said he fixed me up.. Cost me more $$$ too..

Guess what, more issues.. So when I had some of my problems fixed.. .002-.004 piston to bore by another top machinist/builder

The short block was much better.. So I started telling people of my issues, and it got back to the original machinist..

Here's where it gets back to Brian's point..

The original shop told me he would fix my still existing valve train issues for free.. That's right "FREE"..

So I took the whole engine to him, and gave him a chance to make good on his bad machine work..

So when I got the engine back, he said "Put it in and run it"

I said.. "No lash adjustments or anything?" He said.. "Nope, your good to go and this ones on me so please stop saying bad things about me"

When we got the engine back home, myself and Robbie started looking things over..

Noticed the lash was written on the intake.. .027-.024..

I call him and ask if that's what he set the lash at.. Yep cold.. (I have an all aluminum B1) so that would be about .041 hot..

Okay, now we're checking everything..

Found out that he re-used my old head gaskets, even though I gave him new ones, and painted them with silver spray paint.

So when we pull the heads we find out that the pass head wasn't even seated all the way down.. Dowel pin issue he never saw.. Must have damaged at his shop.

Water would have just filled cylinders in the rear.. (BTW.. he lost my head studs too, and said I never brought them)..

We also found a few rocker studs nuts were only holding 2-3 threads and would have surely come off.

Anyway, we put it back together and it ran well, but as I've posted before, I had valve train issues, (Al saw first hand) that were totally the result of faulty or never done at all machine work..

Just got my heads back, from a reputable Mopar Shop.. After 30 runs from "THE SHOP I TRUSTED" the heads needed all new guides.. (supposedly already done) new intake seats.. (badly beaten because of bad guides)

So now after another pile of $$$$ in this deal, I would say that I "Should Never Have Trusted This Shop" after the first crappy work..

EVEN FOR FREE..

I feel you Brian..


Chris..