Nickels Machining

20/10/2026

This guy says how we all feel, but without the expletives.

15/10/2026

Anyone can build an engine, right?
no no no

It's never about just bolting parts together. Even if you bought all new parts, you can't just throw them together.

We machined a cranshaft for a customer one time and supplied the parts. He assembled the engine, installed it, and then had to pull the sump because of low oil pressure. Turned out we (I) supplied standard bearings when they should have been 10 under.

It was clearly my mistake about the bearings, but I told him, "you should have picked up on that when you checked the oil clearance." He said he never checks the oil clearance. He just figures it will be right.

Every engine we assemble gets measured during the inspection process, during and after machining, and again at final assembly. All of that is pretty basic, and any mechanic should be trained and able to do the same thing, but there's more.

In the decision process of building an engine for a customer, there's a lot of "rule of thumb." Look at your thumb. I want you to notice it's not "iron clad." This article illustrates that well.

EPQ226

14/10/2026

I’m asking everyone to respond in one of three ways

👍 for cash
💖 for bank transfer
😠 for card payments + increased prices

As everyone knows except the Labor Government, ending the ability of card payment systems to charge a transaction fee has been passed on to the business. The government never thinks things through. They just respond. I feel a better solution would have been to limit the amount they could charge a transaction fee on. 1.5% on a $1000 is a lot different than that same rate on $10k.

At any rate this is the world we live in now, and not the world we would like it to be. I am considering giving up my payment terminal, but I don’t want to do so without hearing from you. I understand most people don’t deal in cash anymore. It’s inconvenient to go stand in line at the bank to make a withdrawal, as a lot of people have limits on how much they can get from the ATM. Most people have the ability to do a bank transfer. There will be a lot of people who will continue to use bank cards, myself included (so far).

If you’re not one of my account customers and you pay cash on delivery, or if you have a strong opinion about the topic, then please respond in one of the three ways and leave a comment if you like. If you’re leaving a comment, please be selective of your wording. It’s okay to be angry and or frustrated, but you’ll get more people to listen if you’re language is not offensive.

13/10/2026

Due to the old guy being away, Melbourne Cup week we will be closed Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week hours will be 7:00 to 3:00. Phone lines open at 8:00.

09/10/2026

Thank you Aaron at Bendigo Creative for doing what I could never find the time to do myself. The new website looks great.

Engine reconditioning and precision machining in Bendigo, including crankshaft grinding, cylinder heads, boring, honing, balancing and more.

22/09/2026

PSA
This Friday the 25th we will be closed in recognition of the Friday Before My Wife's Birthday. Happy Birthday Cindy

09/07/2026

Evidently I have an HR Department now. How much is that going to cost me?

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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