My late machine shop associate used to laugh about "Mopar freaks carrying 'Their Bible' with them when they came in to ask about getting something done". "The Bible" was the old Direct Connection 1000+page Race Manual. He understood their concerns, but he also was a one-man machine shop and had to be busy getting things done to keep his customers happy. That orientation was one reason that he sometimes didn't answer the phone, too!
One of Tommy's good traits was that he remembered that at one time, he was "young and learning", too. Which is where the friendship orientation came into the mix. That it turned out that he went to school with Dad's younger sisters didn't hurt anything either, as it sped-up the friend process, it seemed. That I was into cars and worked in Chevy Parts helped, too.
Still, he had his days that were not as good as he might have wanted them to be. In those days, we were sharing a space where he'd moved into, so I knew enough by that time to stay out of his way in getting things done. Many other machine shop owners I've known have been a little eccentric in this way, too.
Unfortunately, being that way can give the impression that they have "an attitude", and SOME do. Don't question them about what they do or how they do it, just "comply", it seems. So, in order to "get answers", some care is needed on the customer's part. Talk calmly as a friend rather than "a paying customer with demands", can tend to work best. What might be considered to be a normal question to a customer can be taken as "Sure I do that, as that's how it should be done", as if it was some challenge to their abilities or otherwise. In some cases, if you might have a friend that has had work done there before and has been a customer, it might be good to get them to introduce you and start a conversation about your car and what you want to do. As if this is a pre-qualifier situation.
As Tommy passed away a few years ago, I'm now in the position of looking for somebody else to do my engine things. So I'll be shopping around too.
ONE word of caution, as you have the block in your possession, be VERY careful about doing any further de-burring or casting flash removal on the inside of the engine. Same on using any ScotchBrite pads, too! These things can introduce grit and abrasive items into the mix in a place they don't need to be, especially after the machine work has been done and the shop cleaned everything they did, delivering you a clean block to deal with. At this point in time, consider all of that "good enough" as it was like that from the factory. Don't be potentially causing future failures, no matter what.
I can't address the higher prices in Canada, as to machine work or parts, but some machinists that I've known have been a little cranky to deal with, until you get to know them and they know you better. I always respected the orientation that if they were not busy, they weren't paying their bills. This last part can get overshadowed when customers, they perceive, don't understand this, by observation.
Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
