Engine work is the deepest thing a repair shop can take on, and it is the point where most independent shops stop and send the car somewhere else.
Head gaskets, timing components, oil leaks that turn out to be seals, cooling failures that have already cost you a head, and rebuilds. It is a different job from replacing a part bolted to the outside of the engine.
An engine running badly and an engine that is damaged need different conversations. The first job is establishing which one you have, because the answer decides whether a repair is sensible at all.
Sometimes the arithmetic says the engine is worth less than the work it needs. That is worth saying early rather than halfway through.
If it has been hit and it also needs mechanical work, it does not need to go anywhere else.