Bromsgrove Engine Services
Classic engines rebuilt with experience
Asmall industrial unit on the outskirts of Bromsgrove hides an Aladdin’s cave of old school engineering excellence. Proprietors Greg Healey and Keith Allington have been working on old motors since 1987 and nothing phases them. On our visit we found a Lamborghini V10 block from a Gallardo in the parts washer ready for a rebuild. ‘We will take anything on,’ says Greg. ‘We are often the last chance saloon for people who have been elsewhere with no result. We like a challenge – it keeps life interesting. That Lambo engine dropped a rod and had crankshaft damage. We had to bore out the Alucil block and put ten, interference-fit, liners in. Tough stuff, but very rewarding.’
Business is booming with around 75 per cent of the work coming in from the classic industry. Minis are a speciality with racing development part of Keith and Greg’s remit. ‘We have worked on hundreds of engines,’ says Keith, ‘and know what works and what doesn’t.’
As with all good things their reputation went before them and pretty soon they had left their previous jobs and set up on their own. It all went well until 1990 when an unfortunate fire destroyed everything at their previous premises. ‘We almost packed it in,’ says Greg. ‘It wasn’t the fire but all the water used to hose it down that destroyed everything, all our machines, engines – the lot.’
Some of the machinery was rebuilt eventually, and they sought out new premises. Today, 27 years on, they are very glad they stuck with it. ‘Business is really good right now,’ says Keith, ‘we have to turn away work sometimes. That’s the only difficulty really, the sheer volume of work. There aren’t that many specialists doing what we do anymore.’
He’s right. This is proper engineering and the variety of kit, engines and tasks is impressive. Anything from repairing the engine block on a Vauxhall 30/98 or upgrading an A-series for track use, to reboring a modern diesel, nothing is off limits. It’s what you would expect from a pair of engineering addicts, with a 30-year record of excellence.
‘The unit is an Aladdin’s cave of old school engineering’