summit racing ATK 6.0L blocks... horrible machine work.
03-02-2015, 06:15 PM
#1
summit racing ATK 6.0L blocks... horrible machine work. So I recently purchased a summit racing brand 6.0L iron LS block which is machined by ATK engines and relabeled as a summit racing product. They fully machine the block and bore it to 4.030" so you can slap a 408 rotating assembly right in at your house with no machine shop needed.
Well I dropped my block off to the engine builder last week and I just got the call that ATK did everything wrong. Horrible machine work by them. The cylinders measured 4.027" bore at the largest cylinder. None of the pistons would fit obviously. they not only are machined small, they are also tapered! the measurement changes as you go down the cylinder! There was even one that was so far out of round that you would never get a ring to seal on it. The cam bearings that they installed were some cheap junk so you need to press those out and start over on that also. Hes checking the deck of the block as we speak, I assume that will not measure out any better. So long story short, You think you will save money buying a fully machined block from ATK, but in reality you have to start over and every machining operation is getting re-done before you can assemble it.
Well I dropped my block off to the engine builder last week and I just got the call that ATK did everything wrong. Horrible machine work by them. The cylinders measured 4.027" bore at the largest cylinder. None of the pistons would fit obviously. they not only are machined small, they are also tapered! the measurement changes as you go down the cylinder! There was even one that was so far out of round that you would never get a ring to seal on it. The cam bearings that they installed were some cheap junk so you need to press those out and start over on that also. Hes checking the deck of the block as we speak, I assume that will not measure out any better. So long story short, You think you will save money buying a fully machined block from ATK, but in reality you have to start over and every machining operation is getting re-done before you can assemble it.
03-02-2015, 07:49 PM
#5
Summit told me it was an ATK block. I don't have time to send it back so were just gonna machine it all over again and get this motor together. Good thing is it's fixable. Just takes more work and money. Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up on what you can expect from them. Now after searching this, I found I am not the only one with this issue.
03-16-2015, 11:52 AM
#6
A post with no documentation or proof?
Do you have any documentation? How were the cylinders measured? It would be nice to see some facts (photos with measurements and tools used) to back up the accusations before blasting a company.
These are the very same blocks we use to build my reman and performance engines. We have not once ran into this issue, that's not to say that it couldn't happen, just haven't seen it. I have seen shops claim things like this so they can make $ as you are bringing them something they could have done and they dislike larger companies like us.
Something that brings that up is the cam bearing accusation...we install a good set of new Durabond Cam bearings, not junk. There really are no "junk" cam bearings out there.
If the pistons wouldn't fit in the bore, how is the shop checking deck height?Summit lists a spec for our cylinder bore size. We bore to within .003-.004 of finished size so for the bore to be -.003 tight it would have to be bored and not honed and that would be VERY obvious.
The only other similar story I heard about on this was a guy checking bore without a torque plate....obviously the wrong way to check.
Do you have any documentation? How were the cylinders measured? It would be nice to see some facts (photos with measurements and tools used) to back up the accusations before blasting a company.
These are the very same blocks we use to build my reman and performance engines. We have not once ran into this issue, that's not to say that it couldn't happen, just haven't seen it. I have seen shops claim things like this so they can make $ as you are bringing them something they could have done and they dislike larger companies like us.
Something that brings that up is the cam bearing accusation...we install a good set of new Durabond Cam bearings, not junk. There really are no "junk" cam bearings out there.
If the pistons wouldn't fit in the bore, how is the shop checking deck height?Summit lists a spec for our cylinder bore size. We bore to within .003-.004 of finished size so for the bore to be -.003 tight it would have to be bored and not honed and that would be VERY obvious.
The only other similar story I heard about on this was a guy checking bore without a torque plate....obviously the wrong way to check.
03-18-2015, 04:20 PM
#7
I will call the shop today and see if he documented his measurements and get you copies of it all. I was not talking about deck height, I was talking about the deck surface being level. This is still unknown but I want him to check it for me. As for bearings If they are durabond made in usa bearings I see no problem. I didnt look at them, I just know he pulled them out and used whatever he uses in all the race motors he builds. He may have been mistaken on the quality of bearing you use. If possible I would like summit to reimburse me for the additional machine work charges that I am now paying. I will send you any proof that I can.
Last edited by midwestjunk; 03-19-2015 at 09:35 AM.
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03-19-2015, 09:42 AM
#8
I just got off the phone with the engine builder. He documented the measurements of the block on some sort of build sheet notes he does before he starts any machine work. His shop is in another city so I wont be back up there until the motor is done and I am picking it up. I will get this sheet sent to you as soon as I get up there.