Keith Black block repair

We sent a KB block back to them for repair. It was poorly saddled on the mains and needed to be reworked. Tom told us worst case would be 1018.00 for the repair. That was competitive with anybody else and he said he could turn it in 2-3 weeks.I'd heard some horror stories before but nobody else could turn it in less than 8 weeks.
After sitting for 5 days they called with an estimate of 2300.00 and the main caps are usable. That price included some additional stuff, honing cylinders etc. We said eliminate everything except the main repair. The estimate is still around 2000.00. The only thing a little out of the ordinary is some welding on the rear main seal since the crank is a little high. They said that was 200.00 which is fair.
Tom said he hates giving estimates without seeing the block but 2000.00 seems a little steep when they can't come up with some crazy work to justify the extra expense.
Is this the way it goes on block repair?
Thanks, Mike

 

Repair

Do yourself a favor and tell Tom to send your block back to you without any repairs done. Find another place to do it. After a phone conversation about a main repair on a near new block that had rear cap issue, I was led to believe the repair would be a fair price and done correct. The price was $1900.00 and the repair was junk. It took three months and they lost my seal adapter. They sent me another one later that wasn't align bored with the block. These guys are a joke and they lied to me from start to finish.

 

Ditto

My story at KB is the same as all the above, and NEXT time I will go to BAE. I got more than I bagained for at KB - larger bill, unclear communication, and a lot of execise in patience (which wore thin towards the end).
I have also heard good things about Santos. Good luck, Joe

 

Block Repair

Hey, For What Its Worth....i Had Rage Racing Repair My Block & I Can't Remember The Owner's Name & I'd Heard He May Have Sold The Business Since But These Guys Are Hands Down The Best I've Ever Delt With!. I Sent Him My Indy Maxx Alum. Block With Two Severe Windows & The Block Has Water Jackets, He Had It Repaired In 3 Weeks & It Was At My Door For $1850.00 Including Shipping!. And You Couldn't Even See Where The Repairs Had Been Made, & Yes This Included All The Machine Work & Two Extra Darton Sleeves!
Like I Said I Don't Know If He Still Owns It But The Last I Spoke With Them Their New Phone # Was 860-345-3004 & They Were Located @ 23 Killingworth Road In Higganum Ct. 06441.

Hope This Helps....

Bill Wade
Kamakazee Racing Tad503

 

Best kept sectret!!!!

For fast and good block repair give Ronnie Wells a call. He has done some great work at resonable prices. He is ex NASA welder and uses a special rod and reheats the block after repair. Also uses fixtures to help keep block from moving and mains in line when repairing. He does work for some of the pro race teams but many have never heard of him. He is located in Houston, TX.
Phone # is 713-417-4740.
Tell Bob said to give him a call.

 

Send it to Brad (BAE) Great work @resonable price! Had to wait for some sleeves but that was not his fault. Ductile iron is hard to get right now I guess.
All is done and done well!!

 

BAE...the best.