Trying to find a shop that can bore small bore engines is getting very difficult these days, even in a big city like Melbourne they are few and far between. They have either retired, died or just given up because it just isn't economical to rebuild motors these days, cheaper to just replace
G'day Norm,
Even back in the 1970's, it wasn't worthwhile reboring an alloy bore Briggs. It was cheaper to fit a new short block, after the 1973 Whitlam government import tariff reforms.
Fitting exchange rebores was standard practice with Victa 2-strokes though. As I recall, our shop was paying about $18 trade for these [including piston kit] from ER Nason in Elizabeth St Melbourne. They were a superb job; hot-tank cleaned and phosphate passivated, and they had the piston fitted, ready to install!
Then Victa decided to undercut the independents, and offered changeover rebores for ~$12 including separate piston kit. The barrels weren't cleaned at all, but that didn't take long to do.
