Tim's Performance

(Thought of the day) from Tim's performance.
I thank the good Lord to have people in my surrounding area and racers that live hours away willing to drive hours just to bring me their performance engines. Etc. Everything that I do I strive to give the best quality and Precision that I can give and I would never disrespect my competitors.

It really warms my heart and shows how blessed I really am.
When people drive hours one way to bypass local shops, it usually comes down to one thing: trust in specialized expertise.
​In the automotive machining and engine-building world, not all shops are created equal. A standard local machine shop is perfectly fine for resurfacing a cylinder head on a daily driver or doing a stock rebuild on a commuter car. But when it comes to high-performance builds, specialized racing applications, or precision custom machining, racers and enthusiasts are incredibly particular.
​Here is why customers will happily spend a day in the truck to bring their work to a specialist like Tim's Performance:
​1. High-Performance Expertise vs. General machining
​Most local machine shops survive on volume—doing stock to mild rebuilds.or more importantly, the specific institutional knowledge required for high-performance applications.If a customer is building a high-RPM engine, running a heavy nitrous setup, or converting to E85, they don't want a general practitioner; they want a specialist who understands advanced valvetrain geometry, custom clearance requirements, and structural integrity under extreme stress.
​2. Reputation and "Word of Mouth" in the Racing Community
​The racing and high-performance community is tight-knit. If a builder has a track record of putting together engines that make power and, crucially, stay together pass after pass, that reputation spreads.
• ​Racers talk at the track, on forums, and on social media. If someone sees a car consistently executing clean, fast passes without venting oil or hurting parts, they’re going to ask, "Who did your machining?" Once a shop is proven to deliver reliable horsepower, distance ceases to be an obstacle.
​3.Specialized Procedures
​Serious performance machining requires meticulous attention to detail that standard shops often can't justify financially.
• ​Procedures like precision cylinder head milling to an exact cubic centimeter volume, custom block Machining, dynamic crankshaft balancing for high RPMs, ect
• ​A customer would much rather drive three hours to a shop they know owns equipment and takes the time to use it correctly, rather than risk a local shop "getting close enough."
​4. The Cost of Doing It Twice
​In engine building, a single mathematical error or overlooked clearance can result in a catastrophic failure that destroys thousands of dollars in parts.
• ​To a enthusiast or racer, the cost of gas and a few hours on the highway is incredibly cheap insurance compared to the financial nightmare of dropping a valve, spinning a bearing, or lifting a head because a local shop didn't double-check the clearances.
​5. Clear Communication and Collaborative Building.
​When someone is investing significant money into a custom build, they want to work with a machinist who actually listens to their goals, understands their specific combination (carburetor choice, fuel type, vehicle weight, suspension setup), and builds the engine to match.
​Ultimately, people don't just pay for the metal that gets cut—they pay for the peace of mind that comes with knowing the job was done right by someone who lives and breathes high performance.

These are all the reasons why we strive for excellence and precision (quality not quantity) here at Tim's performance and motor machine some jobs takes longer because of this. I just can't thank people enough for their trust in us thank you all.

Tim eldred
Tim's performance

(Shop Update)

Tim's Performance and Motor Machine! 🔧🏁

​Hello everyone!
I wanted to give a quick shoutout and give a big thanks to all my customers. I am very grateful and blessed for the work that comes through the door no matter how small it is, we are working hard to get things done and back to our customers ASAP.

​We do want to apologize for our slower then normal turnaround times. To be completely transparent, our workflow would be moving a lot faster if a specific piece of shop equipment that we paid for over a year ago would actually be delivered as promised without delays. We are doing everything we can to work around this bottleneck, but it definitely slows the process down.
We could easily rush jobs out the door or use subpar workarounds to speed things up—but that isn't who we are. When we put my name on every project, we stand entirely behind our word and our craftsmanship. We refuse to compromise on quality just to hit a deadline.

Also as a friendly reminder Space in the shop is pretty Limited! To keep things from building up, we must ask that all completed projects be picked up within 30 days of being finished after the customer has been notified.
​Please note that any items left with us for more than 30 days after the customer has been notified of the completion will be considered abandoned and will become the property of the shop to be sold to cover the accrued costs of parts and labor.
If you need extra time to arrange pickup, just give me a holler ahead of time—I personally will be happy to work with you!

Also Effective immediately, due to certain circumstances in the past. Tim’s Performance and Motor Machine will no longer honor requests for free labor, free service's, or discounted pricing on any machining, engine building, or performance tuning.

Absolutely no free work or discounted rates will be applied to anything unless it is verbally agreed upon by me prior to the start of the job.
All routine machining, assembly ect, will be billed at our standard shop labor and machining rates.

We do appreciate your business.Thanks for your patience and support.
Tims Performance and Motor Machine!

Just wanted to post some information that most people get wrong.
Most people called them freeze plugs or expansion plugs but that's not accurate and what their purpose is actually for.

They are actually there to clean out the sand from the casting process. The term "freeze plug" is a massive misnomer that has stuck around for decades. In the automotive machining and engineering world, their technical name is core plugs, casting plugs, or welch plugs.
​Here is how it actually works and why that myth started:
​1. The Casting Process (Why They Exist)
​When an engine block is manufactured, it's created by pouring molten iron or aluminum into a mold made of tightly packed sand.
​To create the hollow water jackets (the passages inside the block where coolant flows), the foundry has to suspend intricate sand "cores" inside the mold.
​Once the metal cools and hardens, that sand core is trapped inside the solid block.
​The factory drills those large holes into the side of the block specifically so they can shake, blast, and wash all that burnt casting sand out of the water jackets.
​Once the block is completely cleaned out, those holes serve no further engineering purpose, so they are machined and plugged with metal discs or cups.
​2. Why Do People Call Them Freeze Plugs?
​The myth persists because of a lucky byproduct of their design. If someone runs straight water in their cooling system and the engine freezes, water expands as it turns to ice.
​Because these plugs are just pressed into the smooth sides of the block, the massive pressure of the expanding ice sometimes pushes the plugs right out of their bores. If the plug pops out, it occasionally relieves just enough pressure to save the thick outer walls of the block from cracking.
​3. Why You Can't Rely on Them
​Relying on a core plug to save a freezing engine block is a massive gamble, and usually a losing one.
​Ice expands in all directions: Ice doesn't just push sideways toward the plugs; it pushes against the cylinder walls, the lifter valley, and deep inside the internal webbing.
​Cracked blocks are still common: More often than not, an engine that freezes solid will still crack a cylinder wall or split open right down the side of the block even if the core plugs pop out.
​So, while they might occasionally act like a mechanical fuse by pure accident, their birthright is entirely about getting the sand out at the foundry.

(Thought of the day)
I usually don't work on Saturday and Sunday but I figured I'd do a little bit today. Cleaned and bored out a 2.3 Ford Lima for a customer that lives an hour north. Still got to hone it to spec and deck it. Thanks Jeff Calkins for the buisness.

(To everybody). I apologize for not posting anything here lately it's been a while since I have. I've just been really busy on personal life things will try to post more content soon. have a great day.

Putting some new seats and all new valves in a set of brodex 11x heads.

I would like to make an announcement that I've had issues with my [email protected] email address. I was able to finally access it yesterday and noticed I had a few emails from August. I would like to apologize for not getting back with anybody that left me a email. please feel free to contact me at my alternate email [email protected] Thank you.