From the workbench
Babbitt bearings. Antique engines. The jobs other people reject.
Aldrich Engine Rebuilding is Shawn Aldrich’s machine shop in Willington, Connecticut. Babbitt bearings, antique engine restoration, flywheel grinding — and a reputation for taking on the jobs other people reject. Model A and T engines were his living for decades.
Featured in
“Shawn’s well‑equipped machine shop can and does handle many major engine rebuilding tasks, including decking blocks, surfacing flywheels and grinding cranks, but what he’s known for is babbitt.”
— David Traver Adolphus, Hemmings Classic Car
Feature
“I do the weird things most guys don’t want to do.”
Aldrich Engine Rebuilding is all about engines. While we specialize in antique motors we have the equipment and the know how to work on modern jobs of all types. Back‑logged, too many jobs, too little time? At Aldrich I can help get you back on schedule.
In the world of antique engines there are all kinds of passions. Ford, Chevy, Hudson you name it. My business name, Aldrich Engine Rebuilding says it all. I have a passion for engines...period. Know that when you contact me with your treasured project it will become my treasured project too.
Plus I offer flywheel grinding as a “while your driver waits for it” service. You won’t find that at just any old place. Got a question...give me a call.
The signature
What babbitt is, and why other shops won’t pour it.
The material in Shawn’s pots is Grade 2 babbitt — about 90 percent tin, 7.5 percent antimony, and 3.5 percent copper. The pot itself is from the 1940s. Shawn stirs the molten metal by hand because if it sits still the dissimilar metals settle into layers. He pours when it “flows like mercury.” He doesn’t pour on rainy days.
“Many people will tell you babbitt is a science. I will tell you it’s an art.”
The process
How a job goes at Aldrich
These engines are not modern engines. The process of working on them can be dramatically different. Here is the order things happen in, in Shawn’s own words.
- 01
Call first
Please call first, because of the unique nature of these working “works of art” it’s important to discuss the project to start the planning process.
- 02
DON’T disassemble the engine for shipping
Send everything to me as a complete unit. Do not ship an engine in disassembled parts unless you have cleared it with me before shipping. Parts may be damaged or lost.
- 03
We look at it together
Once your engine is in the shop we’ll take a closer look at it together, to get a better sense of what needs to be done.
- 04
I prepare the quote
When I’m satisfied I know what’s going to be involved I’ll prepare a quote for the job. We’ll discuss the quote, payment methods, schedule and the like.
- 05
We agree on the plan
Once we’ve agreed on a plan of action be prepared to store your vehicle for a while. Every antique engine presents unique challenges — wear & tear, previous repair work, part availability.
- 06
The real work begins
If, during the course of the job, anything comes up that’s unexpected or we didn’t discuss I will contact you with thoughts and recommendations before work continues.
Every antique engine presents unique challenges — wear & tear, previous repair work, part availability. These and other unpredictables make an exact calculation for when many jobs will be finished an inexact science, at best.
Shop specs
- Location
- Willington, Connecticut
- Workshop
- 1,700 sq ft · two floors
- Oldest engine restored
- 1905 Maxwell · Twin Cylinder · Bulb Head
- Head types
- Bulb · Over‑Head · Flat · “T” · “F”
- Engine types
- Auto · Light Industrial · Truck · Tractor · Marine · Motorcycle
- Tooling era
- Mostly pre‑1960s · some 1930s–40s
Willington, Connecticut
The shop
Currently at Aldrich we concentrate on antique engines. Our projects arrive from Connecticut, New England, New York, New Jersey and even further away.
Our workshop is 1,700 square feet over two floors allowing us to do the work under one roof. That’s important because once your engine has been broken down and the more those individual parts travel the higher the likelihood of something becoming lost. It is my personal policy to do as much work “in house” as possible and to “Send Out” only when necessary.
Every machine but one in the shop is American‑made. Most of them come from within 50 or 100 miles of the shop — the old machinery centers of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut. Little of the equipment dates to later than the Sixties; a few pieces are 1940s or 1930s.
Services
What we work on
Babbitt bearings are the signature. The rest of the engine is built around them. Every service below is performed in‑house in Willington.
Babbitt Bearings
Signature service
Engine Restoration & Rebuilding
Full engine
Flywheel Grinding
While‑you‑wait
“While your driver waits for it.” You won’t find that at just any old place.
Connecting Rods & Camshafts
Component work
Intake / Exhaust Manifolds
Manifold work
Cylinder Boring & Honing
Block work
Custom Machining
One‑offs
Custom Bushing Machining
One‑offs
Valve Jobs
Head work
Past work
A passion for jobs other machinists won’t touch!
Projects come from New England, Connecticut, and further away.
Pre‑war American cars
- Model T Ford
- Model A Ford
- Model B Ford
- V‑8 Ford 85 hp & 60 hp
- 1948 Packard 288 ci. 8‑cyl
- 1934 Buick Series 50 8‑cyl
- 1937 Hudson Terraplane 6‑cyl
- 1938–1939 Buick Series 40 8‑cyl
- 1931 Huppmobile 8‑cyl
- 1934 REO 6‑cyl
- 1923 Buick 6‑cyl
- 1932 Lincoln V‑8
- 1928 Buick Master 6
Tractors
- Fordson Tractor
- 1918 Cletrac Tractor
- Various John Deere Tractors
- 1948 IH Cub Tractor
Marine + post‑war
- Hercules 4‑cyl. Marine Engine
- Ford 144 / 170 / 260 / 289 / 289 Hi‑Po / 302 / 352 / 390
- 1932 Chevrolet 6‑cyl. through Small Block V‑8
- 1934 Lycoming 4 (for Dodge boat)
- 1963 Cadillac 390
Oldest in the shop
- 1905 Maxwell Twin Cylinder Bulb Head
- 1905 IH 1‑Lunger
Press
Featured in Hemmings
May issue feature
Hemmings Classic Car
Babbitting the big end: At work with Aldrich Engine Rebuilding
By David Traver Adolphus
Front cover
Hemmings Motor News
Direct line
Got a question? Give me a call.
The phone is an old style land line with a voice answering machine if I am not in the shop. Please do not text the phone number.
Serving Connecticut · New England · New York · New Jersey
352 River Road, Route 32 · Willington, CT 06279-1309