We recently visited an interesting business in Tucson. I learned about it through the owners, Larry and Stephanie Peto, who work out with me at the health club every morning. The name of their shop is Larry's Engine and Marine. It's a complete machine shop for rebuilding all kinds of engines for cars, trucks, and boats.

When we drove up, we saw a beautiful sleek boat parked outside. Inside we met Stephanie and the two dogs Chuy and Taco. Chuy (Chewy?) got his name because he chews on everything. They were both very friendly and licked my hands enthusiastically.

Stephanie took us on a tour of the facilities. It's a large shop; the buildings take up about a quarter of a block. They have room after room filled with every piece of equipment imaginable for working on engines. Among other things, they do computer engine balancing, and porting and flow testing of cylinder heads for cars, tow vehicles, RVs, and boats. Larry, a high-performance boat person himself, specializes in high-performance engine rebuilding. He and Stephanie have been in this business since 1975.

Larry obviously loves boats. There were several sleek-hulled, high-performance boats the shop, including at least one of his own. One had a 454 hp Chevy engine in it with quad carburetors. On the wall was hanging a fragment of the hull of a high-performance boat that had disintegrated with Larry in it. It looked like a broken shield--a reminder of mortality?

I was impressed by the two rooms devoted to computerized testing for engines. With state-of-the-art Dyno testing, an engine is hooked to a computer and analyzed for best possible performance and of course any necessary repairs. The room was sparkling white and clean. Their cleaning room for dirty engines looked better than the average teenager's bedroom.

Larry's father, Joe Peto, started the business in the 1940's, after World War II. The shop was originally one room with 3 stalls, but gradually more rooms and buildings and equipment were added. Joe worked on standard engines, and Larry did the high-performance ones.

When Joe retired 7 years ago, Larry and Stephanie bought him out and have since added more buildings and equipment. They have 4 employees, and they're all busy all the time. If I was concerned about my engine, I'd know it was in good hands at Larry's.

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