Matt - Engine Builder Magazine

Matt

Matthew and Daniella Schroeder know what it’s like to make something out of nothing. They have managed to turn Matt’s Motor Worx, located in Montevideo, MN, into a diverse and thriving business that started with just four bare walls. Matt learns a lot from owning and driving a late model dirt stock car, and this gives him an edge on other builders in the area. This month, Engine Builder asked Matt and Daniella to give us – and you – a view from their shop.

EB: How did Matt’s Motor Worx get started?

MMW: We started our own shop in 1997 by purchasing a building that consisted of four walls. We put in an office, parts room and a separate engine assembly room – a must for an engine shop in our eyes. Matthew is an ASE Master Engine Machinist with 20 years experience. Daniella does all the bookwork as well as work a full time job at a custom frame shop.


The first year was hard; there was a lot of work. We were doing it all on our own. At the end of the first year, we had enough business to hire a full-time man, Steve Bloch, a hard working family man with over 20 years in production machine shops. He is a great asset to our business. Our 16-year-old son, Rick, started in the shop, at the bottom, like the rest of us – sweeping the floors. Now, he is up to grinding valves and removing engines after school.

EB: Approximately, what is your sales in dollars per year? What specific products do you produce?

MMW: We are in a small rural town in Minnesota. We did $143,000 in sales last year. We work on any and all engines, snowmobiles and four-wheelers, tractors as well as classic cars and race engines.

EB: What is your customer base?

 

MMW: We have the equipment and experience to make parts that are not available anymore. We do the machine work for the auto and implement dealers in town and the surrounding area, as well as many track champions at all the local race tracks.

EB: Who are Matt’s Motor Worx major competitors? How do you position yourself in the market against your competitors?

 

MMW: Since we opened in 1997, we  have prided ourselves on doing quality work without comebacks. This has worked well but, unfortunately, the other two jobber machine shops in the area have closed. The next closest shop is where I worked for 16 years before opening my own shop. I feel competition is good for business.

EB: How does your company promote and market its services?

MMW: We use some radio and newspaper. We like to sponsor at the local race tracks with racers I build engines for. Where else can thousands of people hear and see what you can do for them? Word of mouth is an excellent way to promote your business.

EB: Have production procedures in the shop changed over the past five years?

MMW: In order to keep up with demand, we had to upgrade equipment: we purchased a Rottler boring bar, a computer for bookwork, and AERA’s (Engine Rebuilders Association) PROSIS software to keep up-to-date on all the new motor specs." Although all of the equipment in the shop is not new, it is all maintained and serviced regularly in order to ensure quality work that can be produced profitably. This allows a new shop to run in the black instead of the red! You need a lot of equipment to do the job right. It doesn’t matter how much you know if you don’t have the equipment to back it up.

EB: What is a typical problem for your shop?

MMW: One of our biggest problems is getting customers to understand why we will only do the job to the highest quality and not cut corners. This is not always the cheapest route, but it is what defines our reputation. In a small town, a reputation for doing a bad job gets around 10 times more quickly than one for doing a good job.

EB: What kind of cleaning process do you use? Why?

MMW: We have a hot dip tank and a spray wash cabinet for doing aluminum. I use this because, in a small shop, I have time to do other work while the parts are soaking.

EB: What are the most popular engines being built in your shop?

MMW: That depends on the time of year. Winter is snowmobiles, spring and fall are tractors, spring and summer are race engines. All year long we also work on stock production for cars and trucks, and throw in a few muscle cars to complete it all.

You May Also Like

The Road to AAPEX Season 2, Ep 1

Last year, the idea was simple: Find a junker, fix it up with the best from the automotive aftermarket, and drive it to Las Vegas for AAPEX 2022. This year, it’s anything but simple. The automotive aftermarket is at the crossroads of change. Electric vehicles, driver assistance systems, autonomous vehicles, sustainability—it’s a shifting landscape. This

Last year, the idea was simple: Find a junker, fix it up with the best from the automotive aftermarket, and drive it to Las Vegas for AAPEX 2022. This year, it’s anything but simple.

The automotive aftermarket is at the crossroads of change. Electric vehicles, driver assistance systems, autonomous vehicles, sustainability—it’s a shifting landscape. This year, the Big Bosses at AAPEX, Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of Auto Care Association, and Paul McCarthy, president and CEO of MEMA Aftermarket, offered a challenge. Babcox Media’s Joe Keene, an ASE-certified technician, couldn’t refuse: Find and fix a rare Lincoln Blackwood and drive it down the Lincoln Highway to AAPEX 2023.

What’s a Ford Sidevalve Engine?

It looks like an ordinary inline 4-cylinder flathead engine. Essentially it is, but it has quite a cult following here in the UK.

The Drag & Drive Revolution

Following that first drag-and-drive event back in 2005, spinoffs of Drag Week have been happening all over the country, and the world, both large and small. In recent years, the trend has been completely blowing up!

The Evolution of Pro Mod Diesels

The advancements within the performance diesel world over the past 20 years have been nothing short of phenomenal. In fact, within just the last five to 10 years, that progress has been even more rapid and impressive, but few progressions have been more astonishing than those within the Pro Mod Diesel realm.

Top Fuel and Funny Car Engines

They’re the pinnacle of drag racing, and the engine builders, crew chiefs and teams who make these cars function at peak performance all season long are looking at every single area of the engine and the car to make it down the track as fast as possible.

Other Posts

Race Oils

Choosing the correct performance racing oil is essential to ensure optimal performance and longevity of your engine.

Facts About Engine Bearings

The experts all agree that cleanliness is the most important factor during installation, and the lack thereof is the most common problem that leads to bearing failure. But measuring is just as critical.

Does Connecting Rod Length Matter?

Over the years, we’ve gotten asked numerous times about connecting rod length and the impact that has on an engine’s horsepower and durability. As it turns out, this question is often overthought. It’s not so much the connecting rod length that matters as much as it is the correct piston pin height. The connecting rod

LTR Engine Build

This Late Model Engines build is centered around Concept Performance’s new LTR block, which is the first aftermarket as-cast aluminum Gen V LT block.