29-44 Labor Costing Study 2011:Layout 1 5/18/11 10:15 AM ......Clean all sheet metal/covers $62.01 $50.00 $50.00 56.25-67.78 Resurface flywheel $44.89 $45.00 $45.00 43.22-46.57 29-44

29-44 Labor Costing Study 2011:Layout 1 5/18/11 10:15 AM Page 29

Circle 30 for more information


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With millions ofthem out there invehicles ranging from

Mustangs to Rangers, to Crown Victorias to Expeditions, the4.6L Ford V8 engine is a very versatile powerplant.

Unfortunately, that versatility has come at the expense ofsimplicity.

Ford has built the 4.6L motors in both the Romeo EnginePlant, located in Romeo, MI, and at the Windsor Engine Plantand the Essex Engine Plant, both located in Windsor, Ontario,Canada. The 4.6L has been offered in 2-valve SOHC, 3-valveSOHC and 4-valve DOHC versions. The engines were alsooffered with both aluminum and cast iron blocks, depending

on application.According to Engine

Builder expert contributorsDoug Anderson and RoyBerndt, the variations inengine block, cylinderhead, front cover and inter-nal engine components canbe enough to keep you on your toes when you’re rebuilding one of these modular

motors. Says Anderson, “Ford has made a lot of changes overthe years, so building the right engine can be a challenge. Infact, if you include the front cover with the engine, there havebeen more than 10 short blocks and 20 long blocks used since1991, so there’s plenty of room to make a mistake if you’re notpaying attention.”

In the March 2006 issue of Engine Builder, contributing edi-tor Doug Anderson wrote an in-depth article outlining theparts and procedures necessary to properly rebuild theseengines for continued service. Anderson says since then thisengine has remained popular and – except for additional appli-actions – hasn’t really changed all that much. In fact, the 4.6LSOHC was named one of the 10 Best Engines by Wards forfour consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008.

You can find more information on Ford’s 4.6L V8 online at

www.enginebuildermag.com | ENGINE BUILDER 31

REGIONS NUMBER OF STATES

IN EACH REGION

EAST NORTH CENTRAL (5)EAST SOUTH CENTRAL (4)MIDDLE ATLANTIC (3)MOUNTAIN (8)NEW ENGLAND (6)PACIFIC (Including Hawaii) (4)SOUTH ATLANTIC (9)WEST NORTH CENTRAL (7)WEST SOUTH CENTRAL (4)

B Y D O U G K A U F M A N , E D I T O R [email protected]

Romeo Engine Plant employee Kevin Ruthenbery works on build-ing the 10 millionth engine produced at Ford's Romeo EnginePlant. The engine, a 4.6 liter 3-valve V-8, powered a new 2010Mustang GT.


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www.enginebuildermag.com.With the variety of components

used on the multiple version of theSOHC version of the 4.6L, it may bedifficult for you to know where youstand on price when it comes to

rebuilding this engine. While youshould never set your pricing directlybased on what any of your competitiondoes, it’s always helpful to understandthe ballpark you’re playing in.

To help, we present here our current

labor costing study on rebuilding theSOHC Ford 4.6L engine, which offersa look at national and regional averagelabor charges. The study covers varioushead, block and crankshaft service pro-cedures as well as miscellaneous labor

32 ENGINE BUILDER | May 2011

National Average, Median and Mode Labor Charges For Rebuilding The Ford 4.6L SOHC Engine

Service Average Median Mode 95% CI range

Head WorkClean/disassemble/estimate valve job $82.30 $70.00 $50.00 76.09-88.51Clean & pressure test cylinder heads $99.59 $95.18 $50.00 94.03-105.15Clean & dye inspect heads $80.94 $75.00 $50.00 73.68-88.20Basic valve job $204.94 $180.00 $150.00 193.02-216.863-angle valve job (both heads) $233.94 $220.00 $250.00 221.77-246.12Install 1 valve guide $20.90 $16.00 $10.00 19.04-22.78Install 8 guides $72.36 $64.00 $80.00 68.49-76.24Install 16 guides $134.70 $120.00 $160.00 125.06-144.35Machine and install 1 valve seat $30.26 $25.00 $25.00 28.22-35.50Machine and install 4 valve seats $71.42 $60.00 $60.00 66.73-76.10Machine and install 8 valve seats $128.27 $120.00 $80.00 119.92-136.62Test valve springs (8) $21.26 $20.00 $20.00 19.41-23.11Clean & surface 1 head $58.56 $55.00 $40.00 55.97-61.16Weld damage in combustion chamber $82.97 $75.00 $50.00 74.26-91.69Crack repair using pin (ea.) $56.53 $50.00 $100.00 49.04-64.02Install plug insert (ea.) $38.79 $30.00 $25.00 35.60-41.99Other thread repair $23.07 $20.00 $25.00 21.49-24.66Complete valve job (1 head) $148.81 $125.00 $150.00 139.01-158.61Machine & install cam bearings (per head) $109.23 $100.00 $100.00 94.91-123.55

Block WorkClean cylinder block $68.78 $60.00 $75.00 64.73-72.84Disassemble, clean short block & est. repairs $139.39 $125.00 $100.00 130.48-148.29Dye-penetrant inspect alum. block $74.66 $65.00 $75.00 68.25-81.72Magnetic powder inspect block $57.14 $50.00 $50.00 52.61-61.66Bore oversize and hone block $182.06 $175.50 $200.00 173.57-190.54Install cylinder sleeve & bore (1 sleeve) $114.69 $100.00 $100.00 108.42-120.96Resize big end of rods (per 8) $106.88 $96.00 $80.00 95.67-118.09Clean and magnetic inspect rods (per 8) $48.43 $40.00 $40.00 45.01-51.84Install rods on pistons (8) $63.40 $60.00 $80.00 58.72-68.07Resurface block decks $124.53 $120.00 $150.00 119.08-129.98Install core plugs (all) $33.80 $25.00 $20.00 22.05-24.98Thread repair insert (ea) $23.52 $20.00 $25.00 22.05-24.98Align hone $160.62 $150.00 $150.00 152.89-168.35

Crankshaft WorkClean crank & check for cracks $46.09 $44.00 $45.00 43.25-48.92Straighten crankshaft $47.28 $40.00 $40.00 42.17-52.39Grind crankshaft $129.11 $125.00 $125.00 123.76-134.46Polish crankshaft $46.10 $40.00 $40.00 43.17-49.03Balance crank $187.88 $185.00 $200.00 178.54-197.21

Miscellaneous OperationsInspect cam, polish journals as needed $37.80 $35.00 $25.00 34.53-41.08Assemble short block (crank, pistons, rods) $297.65 $280.00 $250.00 281.69-313.61Assemble long block (above + tin & timing) $520.20 $500.00 $600.00 491.01-549.39Clean all sheet metal/covers $62.01 $50.00 $50.00 56.25-67.78Resurface flywheel $44.89 $45.00 $45.00 43.22-46.57




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charges. The charts begin below. In addition,

the detailed chart on page 32 repre-sents the national average, median andmode labor charges for all of the pro-cedures covered in our survey.

The “average” for a specific laborcharge is the result of adding all of thecharges for that service from all respon-dents and then dividing that numberby the total number of respondents.The “median” is the result of rankingall of the survey responses from highestto lowest and then finding the numberthat falls exactly in the middle. The“mode” is simply the most-oftenreported number from all surveyrespondents.

Additionally, our chart provides the“95% Confidence Interval (CI)” range.In real terms, if you were to ask all ofthe machine shops in the country whattheir labor rates were for each opera-tion, it is 95 percent certain that the

“true” average labor cost would fallwithin this range.

Faithful readers of Engine Builderwill recognize our admonition thatknowing your costs is the only sureway to set your pricing. Your shop’soperational procedures may allow youto be more productive than thesecharts indicate. Conversely, you mayfind your costs are significantly higherthan others in your same area. Thesediscrepancies should not be seen asindicating that your costs are either toohigh or too low.

Instead, explains Bob Roberts,Market Research Manager for BabcoxResearch, they could indicate a varietyof entirely appropriate things.

“Some shops may include certainoperations while doing others,” saysRoberts. “This may lead to a higherdollar amount charged. Additionally,some shops may have given us an ‘each’price when we wanted ‘all’ or they may

have included an ‘all’ when we asked‘price each.’”

In some cases, we did not provide aregional breakdown for certain servic-es listed in the overall chart on page 32Roberts says while the overall resultsare statistically reliable, the way somerespondents answered the questionmay have skewed certain numbersslightly.

“Some shops reported to us thatthey perform some repairs on a ‘time’basis. We did not use a dollar-per-hourvalue if they provided it. A few shopsprice all their repairs on a ‘time’ basis.This is most common with weldingrepairs. Some shops do not perform allthe operations listed and this leads to asmaller number of observations andthus a less reliable average,” Robertssays. However, he says “In all cases, thenational average will be the most accu-rate figure.”

Pressure Test Cylinder HeadsClean/Estimate Valve Job

This survey and its results were coordinated by Babcox Research, the market research division of Babcox Media. BabcoxResearch specializes in custom research in all areas of the automotive aftermarket, offering complete research capabili-ties, including questionnaire design, database creation and report preparation. Surveys are conducted via mail, phone, fax,e-mail or the Internet.

Charges reported in this study were compiled through a survey faxed to nearly 1,700 machine shop members of theEngine Builders Association (AERA), as well as a sample of Engine Builder subscribers. A total of 300 completed question-naires were received for an effective return rate of about 5 percent.

For more information about this or other studies, or to have a custom study done for your company or industry, contactBob Roberts at Babcox Research: [email protected]; 330-670-1234, ext. 252. If you have suggestions about enginesto select for future labor cost studies, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].



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Dye Inspect Heads Basic Valve Job (both heads)

Three-Angle Valve Job Install 1 Valve Guide

Install 8 Valve GuidesInstall 16 Valve Guides




Install Spark Plug Insert (each) Other Thread Repair

Machine & Install 8 Valve SeatsTest Valve Springs

Machine & Install 4 SeatsMachine & Install 1 Seat




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Magnetic Particle Inspect Block Bore Oversize and Hone Block

Complete Valve Job (1 head) Clean Block

Disassemble & Clean Block & Estimate Dye Inspect Block




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Install Core Plugs (all)Resurface Block Decks

Install Rods on Pistons (8)Clean and Magnetic Inspect Rods (8)

Resize Big End of Rods (8)Install Cylinder Sleeve



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Thread Repair Insert (each)Align Hone

Grind Crankshaft Polish Crankshaft

Straighten CrankshaftClean Crank and Check for Cracks




Clean Sheet Metal Resurface Flywheel

Assemble Long BlockAssemble Short Block

Inspect Cam, Polish Journals as NeededBalance Crankshaft








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Documents

29-44 Labor Costing Study 2011:Layout 1 5/18/11 10:15 AM ......Clean all sheet metal/covers $62.01 $50.00 $50.00 56.25-67.78 Resurface flywheel $44.89 $45.00 $45.00 43.22-46.57 29-44