[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by Denver

At this same time, because the crankshaft bearing surfaces were scuffed and scratched, I also told him to grind the crankshaft 0.10 under size and install new 0.10 oversize bearings. (I now believe that he did an inadequate job of cleaning the block.) He quoted me a price of $2500 to change out the leaking seal and replace it with a new rubber seal and to grind the crank and install the new bearings. He rebuilt the engine in May of 2007.

First, The crankshaft had NOT been ground 0.10 under size and new 0.10 oversize bearings had NOT been installed. All the rod bearing were completly hammered out. The crankshaft was destroyed and metal particals had contaminated the entire engine.

Second, The rear seal had NOT been replaced with a new rubber seal. The rear seal had been replaced with a rope seal and large quanities of silicon sealer instead.

When confronted with these facts, the engine builder, Greg Merrick, admitted to me that he had not gound the crankshaft, installed new proper sized bearings or replaced the rear seal with the correct seal as I had paid him to do, but he assured me that was OK, because he was the engine builder and he would determine what needed to be done to the engine.

If he was paid and didnt go through with the grinding he should have been determined to refund you the difference for the work he didnt do.
This is another topic I stirred the pot on a while back:
Unless you have dealt with the same engine builder for years and know you can bank on his work INSPECT and ASSEMBLE the engine yourself.