Machine Shop Boo Boo/Tell Me What Is Fair

From a business owners stand point that sounds Very far.

 

I'd have him replace it and pay the cost of machining as you were going to do in the first place. If you don't mind being down to two cranks, maybe he can do your machining on the block and crank and give you replacement value off your bill.

 

Sounds fair to me Oldmics.

 

Look at the crack. Can you see where an existing crack propogated from? If yes, then forget it and tell him no harm done. If no previous crack tracks, thank him for replacing the crank.

 

Machine shop should pay for it. They also should have insurance to cover such accidents as well.

In any event, he will be liable once it gets to Small Claims Court.

Good luck.

 

I have trouble believing that a good crank broke in two just from falling over. Take a look at the fracture under a microscope. If there are striations in the break and some are rusty and some are clean then it was an old break. Give your machinist another one of your cores & see if he cuts you a break on machining.

Dan

 

What he said! first off I don't know that I would want a crank that snapped just from falling in my motor, he may have done you a favor, see if you can find a good crank and let him take something off your tab

 

Our shop would replace the crank or make good with a credit toward parts or machine work. Other shops won't. Avoid the "other" shops. Not sure if your old cranks was good or not but it sure sounds like your machinist is good. Best regards.

 

Yup sure enough I had missed a post, thank god you caught that hate to think what might have happend

 

Talk it out, give him all the machine work on that project. Sounds like a decent guy. I bet he appreciates a level-headed response and the bill may reflect that.

 

what about the customer that did it, he should pay up also, or did he hawl ass and hide?????

 

Thats what I'm thinking.

If it was already cracked, it should be visible in the surface of the break.

 

i have seen good A36 flame cut plate split in half after dropping to the floor and good 1045 bar stock have pockets visable after milling, i have seen new drill bits roll off a counter top and hit the floor and snap in two. the casting was probably bad, castings can be full of vains that cant see untill you drill or machine into the material........all and all......a good shop machinist should cover it, shit happens.....

 

your thinken what im thinken.

 

Oldmics,
I'm a bit west of B'more. To avoid some future problems, it not the shop name, how about a location?
Thanks,
RB

 

LOLOLOLOL dont you hate that. Now dont let that happen again. You will have the HAMB cops come out of the wood work.

 

RB35......give it a break, the shop didnt break the casting and...... the guy said he would make it right......shit happens, i dont care where you go to have machining done, steel, cast iron, pot metal....what ever, i have been milling, drilling and turning steel for over 25 years and you never know what your going to get into until you start the cut.

 

He definitely owes you a crank!!!
But it sounds like he knows that!

 

I'd be going after the customer who knocked it over.

Kinda like an antique store...you break it, you pay for it.

 

One of the first things I learned when I started to work in a
engine shop in '63 was that Y-block cranks were fragile and were
easy to break by just falling over. We stored all other cranks
standing on the flange end, to save space in the shop, but we
always laid the Y-block cranks down on their side.
I was shocked to hear that a big solid looking hunk of cast iron
like that could break by just falling over from standing on end
but it's true!
Since working in the machine shop when I was young, I went
to college and studied some business law. The legal answer is:
...when you dropped off your crank at the machine shop a
"bailment"(legal term) was created.Wikipedia will explain.
You are the "bailor" and he is the "bailee"
When he took possession of it in one piece it became his and
only his responsibility to preserve it's condition for you.
He owes you a crank without question...tell him to ask a lawyer.
If he didn't know they would break easily,you need another
machinist!

 

Have the crank checked, if it was already cracked and the drop just ended the deal, then let it go, you would have been out a crank anyhow~having him replace a defective piece with a good one wouldn't be cool. If the crank somehow broke fresh (with no previously existing crack), tell him to just get you a good finished 312 crank and call it a day.

I'm betting, from what you've told us, that he will replace the crank whether the one that broke was bad or not... how you handle it shows if you're as good as he is. As far as monetary value, that's a hard one for the same reasons I already said.

 

Does anyone who sells finishes rebuilt cranks list a core charge? That sounds like a fair market value to me. Assuming someone does that still with something that old...

 

You need to get a 292 truck crank.......forged

 

I told you what I think over on the y-block site, Y cranks are brittle but wont break by just falling over. Was this a std. crank? Did it have a square fillit or a radius? A good std. cast Y crank with a radius will handle 500+ HP, tipping it shouldn't break it (droping it from 5' is a different story) unless something is wrong already. That all being said the guy is still responsible.

I will also add, in 28 years of repairing crankshafts one thing I have learned is cast cranks, Y-Block or otherwise, if they have a rod journal that has been hot enough to turn it black/blue throw it away. If it is bent and you try to straiten it you will more than likely hear a little "tink" sound and it's all over.

 

Good idea but I would leave that to the shop owner.

 

1) The machine shop is taking care of it, read the thread.

2) The deductible on an insurance policy is probably more than the price of a crank, why get the insurance company involved?

3) WTF? Small claims court? The o.p. isn't getting screwed, both parties are taking care of the problem. An attitude like that is the reason that good shops to deal with are getting hard to find.

 

You should take your machinist out to lunch!! He gave you a crank(credit) to replace your junk.

 

Back at this post, he just needs a value for the crank. Matt Franklin got this far. So who else can help with a value?

 

If it was previouly cracked, look at the break-edge with a loupe (possibly with the naked eye as well) you should see 2 colors. The new break will be lighter and the old original crack will be darker.

Bob

 

"friends" & family always first ones to screw you, and they are comfortable about it!