WHAT'S NEW?
September 2025: I have finished the inside of my building enough to move my tools, equipment and engine parts to my new building. I'm not as organized as I would like but JMAC Engine Shop is back up and running, at home! When I have thing better organized and set up I'll take some pictures and post them here and on the forums.
May 2025: It seems like I am burning the candle at both ends at the same time. I am dividing my time between building the inside of my building and working on engines. Both are screaming for my attention; both are important but I am only one man. I am getting inquiries for engines every week. Most of the British car enthusiasts have been very gracious and understanding, for that I am grateful!
My building is fully enclosed. I am insulating and building out the inside. I've got walls, storage areas, rest room, work benches to build, etc. etc. etc. I've had many friends come to help but mostly it is on me to build. It is coming along, slowly. It will be better than it has ever been.
My temporary work area is working out nicely but it is 20 minutes away from home. It takes time to get there and back; time is one thing I don't have enough of. On top of that I have had two engines that have taken more work than usual to get right. They have been to the machine shop 3 times each for corrections and changes. I didn't need that, but it is all part of this work. I refuse to allow an engine leave my shop that I am not completely satisfied is the product I want it to be.
I give God the glory and credit for the strength and willingness to keep going day after day. He has been most gracious!
My building is fully enclosed. I am insulating and building out the inside. I've got walls, storage areas, rest room, work benches to build, etc. etc. etc. I've had many friends come to help but mostly it is on me to build. It is coming along, slowly. It will be better than it has ever been.
My temporary work area is working out nicely but it is 20 minutes away from home. It takes time to get there and back; time is one thing I don't have enough of. On top of that I have had two engines that have taken more work than usual to get right. They have been to the machine shop 3 times each for corrections and changes. I didn't need that, but it is all part of this work. I refuse to allow an engine leave my shop that I am not completely satisfied is the product I want it to be.
I give God the glory and credit for the strength and willingness to keep going day after day. He has been most gracious!
March 2025: Time for an update on my rebuilding progress. I have turned out my first engines since the fire. I had to rebuild my test-run stand. All that remained of it was the frame; it was rusted and only a few steel pieces were left hanging on it. I cleaned, painted and replaced the wheels. The gauges were a gift from a recent customer and so were many of the accessory parts. The insurance company considered the run stand a tool and paid to replace the rest. The first engine I ran on it had been in the fire but was secured in a crate ready for shipping. It was in a corner that was the last area reached by the fire. It was not really harmed but I needed to prove that it would still run and that it would not leak, etc. I ran rough because I was using a points distributor with an Accel Sports coil. I replaced the distributor with a Flame Thrower electronic ignition dizzy and the next engine ran much better. I am still working out of my brother in law's machine shed with is very adequate and he and his son have been gracious to let me use it but it is very unhandy as it is 15 miles from my home.
My building is coming along. I had a new floor poured over the old one and while I was at it I installed radiant heat tubing for a heated floor. The steel frame is up and the roof is on. I must frame in the sides and get them on before getting the closed cell insulation sprayed to the underside of the roof. I feel like I am burning the candle at both ends and in the middle at the same time. But progress is being made. JMAC Engine Shop lives on.
My building is coming along. I had a new floor poured over the old one and while I was at it I installed radiant heat tubing for a heated floor. The steel frame is up and the roof is on. I must frame in the sides and get them on before getting the closed cell insulation sprayed to the underside of the roof. I feel like I am burning the candle at both ends and in the middle at the same time. But progress is being made. JMAC Engine Shop lives on.
December 2024: The building that has housed JMAC Engine Shop from the start has burned. It was an early morning fire. No one is sure where and how it started but was probably burning for an hour or two before I noticed it at 4:00 AM on December 14. It was a total loss! The building, my tools, parts, already rebuilt engines, and everything stored in my building were mostly destroyed. My wife and I were safe and our home was not affected. What was destroyed was just "stuff." I salvaged a few parts and engines but it could not destroy my knowledge or will to survive. JMAC Engine Shop lives on. I secured a space in my brother in law's heated machine shed. He cleared away a space big enough for me to build engines. I bought enough tools to start back in.
June 2023: I am building a high performance 1500 for testing. It will incorporate TR6 pistons into a 1500. They are lighter and the wrist pin is offset slightly to improve the torque curve RPM. The standard TR6 pistons are equal to the .040 over 1500 pistons in bore size. I will be further lightening the engine by using Maxpeeding rods and an aluminum flywheel. I will be enlarging the intake valve size to 1.438" and performing mild porting to the intake/exhaust ports. There will be approximately $1000 over a regular performance build because of the added machining, the rods and the flywheel. If you are interested in one of these high performance models, ask me about it. To follow this build click here and scroll almost to the bottom of the page.
July 2022: I added a new feature to my website for testimonials. It has been suggested by several customers that I should make a way for comments to be left for future visitors to this site. So I added the feature. Thank you for the suggestion; you know who you are.
December 2021: I made a decision as 2021 comes to an end. I have decided to narrow my rebuilding efforts back to Triumph Spitfire 1300's, 1500's (MG Midget 1500), GT6 and TR6 engines. I would rather focus and specialize in this style of engine and continue to provide a comprehensively rebuilt engine for these cars and not get overwhelmed by a backlog of projects. I will continue to try to keep Spitfire/Midget 1500s on a shelf ready to sell; this is something I have not been able to do since last year.
My apologies go out to all MGA, MGB, MG T-series, TR3/4/4a owners. When I am asked about rebuilding one of these engines I will consider doing one if I am not overly busy with Spitfire and TR6 engines. Expect to be referred to other comprehensive shops. Ask me for referrals.
Comments or questions can be sent to my email address: [email protected]
December 2021: I made a decision as 2021 comes to an end. I have decided to narrow my rebuilding efforts back to Triumph Spitfire 1300's, 1500's (MG Midget 1500), GT6 and TR6 engines. I would rather focus and specialize in this style of engine and continue to provide a comprehensively rebuilt engine for these cars and not get overwhelmed by a backlog of projects. I will continue to try to keep Spitfire/Midget 1500s on a shelf ready to sell; this is something I have not been able to do since last year.
My apologies go out to all MGA, MGB, MG T-series, TR3/4/4a owners. When I am asked about rebuilding one of these engines I will consider doing one if I am not overly busy with Spitfire and TR6 engines. Expect to be referred to other comprehensive shops. Ask me for referrals.
Comments or questions can be sent to my email address: [email protected]
