Let the Paynes take the strain Article from "Classic & Sports Car" Magazine by Paul Hardiman Checking valve settings after guide and seat work on 4 1/2 Bentley   more from article   This involves boring out the old seat area, pushing in a hardened seat insert and recutting it to the right profile. In a bright corner of he workshop a Lagonda cylinder head is taking shape, a Bentley block is having its valve guides reamed by hand, and a Bugatti crank awaits balancing. Tim Payne prides himself on he fact that his firm can reclaim just about anything, and an ongong project is the huge Hispano Suiza alloy block which is being gradually stitched back together after being comprehensively butchered to get it out of the car. Helicoiling can replace damaged internal threads. An 8ft-long crank from a Gardner marine diesel resides on the floor awaiting rotary welding and grinding, which will restore it to its original dimensions, and elsewhere you'll find everything from outboard engines to the guts of a mud pump. The reception desk also has a small black museum of amusingly failed components. Since Tim took over, the workforce has doubled in size to 25, and turnaround times have come down, usually to a day or two. Paynes also keeps a good stock of consumables, such as Vandervell and Glacier bearings, gaskets, Hepolite, Mahle and Schmidt pistons, plus valves and cylinder head stretch bolts.