Nickels Machining

19/03/2026

There have been many times someone has brought a part in and asked why it failed. Sometimes it's obvious, and other times I need more to go on. Every time it would be better is we did the disassembly. It allows us to get the full picture.
Speaking of pictures

Engine Professional Q225

17/03/2026

From Monday the 23rd thru Easter Weekend the shop will be open 7:00 to 3:00. The phones will not be answered before 8 am or after 3 pm. Daz is going on a holiday.

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06/02/2026

A fool and his money are soon . . ..
Now that I have your attention let me make it perfectly clear. I'm not calling anyone a fool. I was just thinking earlier this week about somethings I wanted to share.

First, I get a lot of calls from people who either want to freshen up an engine they're not having a problem with, or they want to build a spare engine to have on hand in case they have a failure.
Okay, I'm the fool. I always talk them out of it. It's not that I don't like getting engine rebuilds. I do. It's that is not in their best interest.

I'll tell you my story. I bought a Mustang once that had a blown engine. I put an engine in it to find out it also needed the transmission rebuilt, so I rebuilt the trans. It's running good now, so I checked it over for other issues. I ended up rebuilding the suspension, new steering rack and pump, new brakes (calipers and wheel cylinders, rotors, drums, master cylinder) I replace the carpet and had a door ding I was going to get fixed, then WHAM! I get hit from behind and the car was a right off. The guy's insurance paid me $1400 for my old Mustang.

That could just as easily happen to the person who just wants to freshen up their engine. If it's not broke, keep driving it. You don't know what's around the corner.

Second, is the customer who takes his car to a mechanic and is told the head gasket is leaking. The customer okays removing the head, and the mechanic sends it to us for inspection and milling. We find the valves are leaking and quote a rebuild. The mechanic comes back to us and says the customer is going to scrap the car, it's not worth fixing.

I'm doing some guessing and estimating here, but if the car was worth $2000 for the mechanic's labor, parts and our machining, it should be worth $2500 to do it right. If a few hundred dollars is going to make the difference in fixing your car, don't start the job. The mechanic still gets paid for pulling the head off. That's money you should have spent on another car.

Count the cost and plan for the worst. If the worst-case scenario isn't worth it, don't do it.

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06/02/2026

"Seven Easily Avoidable Engine Rebuild Mistakes"

Engine Professional Q225

11/01/2026

FRIDAY FUN: What Cam Do You Have Or Want in 2026???

06/01/2026

That’s using your grey matter

09/12/2025

Oh My Goodness, Christmas is just around the corner! We will close early on the 19th and be back on the 5th. That's the 5th of January. We're not closing early to be on a 5th of whiskey (an American thing).

Anyway, we are pushing hard to get as much work out the door as possible before we take off. We're busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony. With that said, if you have any questions in the next week and a half it would be so helpful if you could put them in an email ([email protected]). I will respond. Alternatively, you can contact me through messenger.

If you do choose to call, the phone may ring a bit before someone can stop what they're doing, wipe their hands and answer the phone. Please be patient.

Merry Christmas y'all. Have a safe holiday season.

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31/10/2025

Oh Yeah! We will be closed Monday and Tuesday for a horse race 😂
The remainder of the week the hours will be 7:00 to 3:00.
I'll be back on the 10th.

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30/09/2025

I have people come in from time to time wanting a block honed. Normally this is what you would do if you were only going to replace the piston rings, but sometimes they are buying new pistons. In my opinion, if you're going to lay out the money for a new set of pistons, then go ahead and buy the next oversize and give them a new bore.

Getting back to a hone only, if the bores don't have much wear in them honing and new rings will add some life to the engine on the cheap. Recently I had a block come in for a hone, and I told the guy it looked pretty good, just go home and run a dunny brush through it (known in the US as a di**le ball hone). He was concerned that would not give him a good enough finish. I assured him that is what's been done for years by mechanics everywhere. Not necessarily engine builders. We don't do re-ring. We remanufacture and blueprint.

Well, here's the proof. Short story, the dunny brush restored the finish to 90%.

We wanted to see what a ball hone was actually capable of doing to a cylinder wall. So we measured with a profilometer before and after.

17/09/2025