Honest answers, including where the honest answer is that it depends.
How much does a full engine rebuild cost?+
Nobody can answer that seriously without seeing the engine, and a figure given over the phone is a figure that will change. What drives the cost: how many parts are actually reusable, whether the parts are still available or have to be remade, and the intended use — a road engine and a competition engine are not held to the same tolerances. We take dimensions first, then quote from real numbers. If the diagnosis calls for a strip-down, its cost is stated in advance.
How long does it take?+
A single machining operation is usually a matter of days. A complete rebuild runs to several weeks, and the machining is rarely what takes the time — sourcing is. Waiting on a set of pistons or valve guides for a rare engine can add weeks that have nothing to do with the workshop. The quotation states a schedule; if it has to move, you are told why and given a new date.
Do you work on the car itself?+
Not yet. For insurance reasons we do not work on a complete vehicle: we work only on engines and components brought to us. It is a planned next step, but we would rather state that plainly than promise it. In practice, removing the engine is down to you or your garage — and a head, a block or a crankshaft on its own travels perfectly well on a pallet, including from the other end of the country.
Do you work on the car itself?+
Not yet. For insurance reasons we do not work on a complete vehicle: we work only on engines and components brought to us. It is a planned next step, but we would rather state that plainly than promise it. In practice, removing the engine is down to you or your garage — and a head, a block or a crankshaft on its own travels perfectly well on a pallet, including from the other end of the country.
Which makes and engines do you work on?+
We are not tied to a marque. What we work on is mechanical: cast-iron and aluminium blocks, naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines, petrol and diesel, from a pre-war four-cylinder to a modern competition engine. Historic cars, motorsport and engines with character are where we spend most of our time — they are the ones that need measuring rather than looking up in a catalogue.
Which parts must I bring with the engine?+
Some parts are indispensable, because the machining is set up from them. A common example: valve seats cannot be cut without the valves. The seat is machined to the angle and diameter of the valve that will sit on it, and the valves are then lapped onto their seats to check the actual contact. Without them the work cannot be validated. Same logic for boring: it is set to the size of the chosen pistons, so the pistons have to be here before the block goes on the machine. If in doubt, send us a list of what you have — we will tell you what is missing before you make the trip.
Can I supply my own parts?+
Yes, and many customers do — sometimes because they already own a rare set. We measure the parts before fitting them, and we say so plainly if something is not fit to go in. What we cannot do is guarantee a part we did not choose: the work on it is covered, the part itself is not.
Do parts need to be clean before you receive them?+
Yes, and it is not fussiness. We work only on clean parts: a head full of oil and carbon cannot be measured properly or clamped cleanly in the machine, and the oil ends up in the machines and on the instruments. A rough degrease on your side is quite enough. If the part arrives exactly as it came out of the engine, cleaning becomes a job in its own right, billed by the hour — which nobody enjoys paying for. Better avoided.
What should be done with the parts after machining?+
Clean them thoroughly before reassembly, without exception — and that part is down to you. We blow the chips off with compressed air when the machining is done, but that is not cleaning: the abrasive dust left by honing, the particles in threads and oil passages need a proper degrease, which we do not carry out. One chip left in an oil gallery is enough to destroy a freshly rebuilt engine. In practice: degreaser, a brush through every oil passage, compressed air, then oil the machined surfaces straight away to keep rust off.
Do you work outside the Yvelines?+
The workshop is at Saint-Germain-de-la-Grange, thirty-five minutes west of Paris, and serves Paris, the Yvelines and the whole of the Île-de-France directly — Versailles, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Rambouillet, Mantes-la-Jolie, Poissy, Plaisir. Many customers happily drive a little further for work done properly. Beyond that we work across France by carrier: a head or a crankshaft travels perfectly well on a pallet. Trackside support at events is arranged case by case.
Do you take on single operations for professionals?+
Yes. Garages, restorers and preparation shops subcontract one operation to us regularly — a set of seats and guides, a crankshaft grind, a crack weld, a dimensional report — on their own schedule and with a written record they can hand to their own customer. Repeat work on a series of identical parts is welcome.
Is a tuned engine still reliable on the road?+
It depends entirely on what was asked of it. Power taken to the limit costs longevity — that is physics, not opinion. That is why we start from the use: a car that covers long distances is not built like one that does six race weekends a year. Tell us how you drive it and we will aim for the power you can actually use, which is usually more satisfying than the highest figure.
