Cant find a reliable LSX builder. Anybody know of one?
 

I have been looking for a reliable engine builder for a while now. I have called a bunch of places, talked to builders on the phone, even met people in person.
These builders either don't respond with an estimate after being asked at lease twice or there bid is almost double what it should be.
I was refereed a builder by the shop working on my car and they said there communication was poor but put out a good product so after communicating with them....poorly for the past 2 month .I decided to deposit $27K into the builders account but they will just not respond to my final 3 simple questions. I cant get them to respond when I'm about the give them a ton of money....I can only imagine what it would be like if they had my money.
I need this engine done pretty soon and looking for a guarantee build date.
I have the build sheet to make there job easier. Looking for a turn key built 427 LSX motor with F1R pro charger. I need everything! All the way down to the harness. Thanks in advance for your advise.

Where you located? Give JR Competition Engines a call in Escondido CA 760-745-4540. Talk to Shaun or JR. They will take care of you.

Without a doubt, Jason Pettis at Pettis Performance in Southern, CA. He is one of the sharpest engine builders on the planet with power adders. I found him to offer excellent service before, during, and to this day. Two years AFTER he built my engine.

I'm in Nor Cal.
I talked to them and ask for an estimate 3 times on 3 different occasions.
Been to the shop and met both of them. Both nice guys and look like they know what they are doing but after asking anyone for an estimate more then a couple times and not getting it make me a little concerned about paying for an entire motor in advance. I have read of horror stories on some forums and don't want to be one. Thanks though!

I will call him tomorrow. Thanks!

I'd advise you to call Jason for the best results. He has always answered my emails but it can take a few days vs. a phone call. His estimates are extremely thorough and he had my engine on the dyno by the promise date.:thumbsup:

Here's some photos of his machine work:
https://lateral-g.net/forums/show...is+performance

You can also talk to Wegner Automotive. They do a lot of development work on the LSX platform. They were the official Spec LS builder for the NASCAR touring series as well. Call and talk to Casey Wegner. They are excellent to work with. 920-394-3558. They are in Wisconsin. Don't worry about that at all. I am in Pennsylvania and we got ours with no issue. :thumbsup:

Wegner Automotive is a LS specialist all the way. They are responsible for and develop alot of stuff that GM uses today in the LS world.

So the builders don't know what it costs to build the motor you want? Or is it that you just don't want to pay what it costs to build it. If the people in the business are telling you what it costs to build the motor... and you don't like what you're hearing... I'd say it may be you that has to figure it out.

Billy Briggs Racing engines. He is very well known and reputable, just finished up this LSX for Pro-stock motorcycle rider Eddie Krawick. He's up in Michigan, but is the best and you won't be disappointed. Do a google search on him if you are leary.

If you are set on a pro-charger Steve Morris race engines is the place to go to. He works hand in hand with Procharger doing R&D work and recently released the Provolute which has had some serious gains in HP just by bolting it on to the inlet. He has a website and its...he is also a top notch builder http://www.stevemorrisengines.com/

One more...QMP Racing in Chatsworth, CA

Something just does not add up with this. I'm not making excuses for them or trying to stir the pot, but there is only one reason I can think of for them not getting back to you. They don't want your business. Seems like you are having a lot of issues getting what you want from a number of different sources. My need to re-adjust the way you are going at it. Good luck. :cheers:

That would be my take on the situation. Business ain't that good that "everyone" is turning down a guys business... so some part of this story doesn't add up. Not slamming the OP... but it just doesn't make any sense.

In the LS world tons of guys use Texas Speed for all kinds of LSX combinations. I would think Wegner or those Texas would be the way to go for a longblock. As far as LSX cams go, I only buy from Thunder Racing.

What he said.....

Your right, it doesn't add up.
As I said before. I talked to both gentlemen on the phone and in person. I had a good experience with them.....NOTHING NEGATIVE. Just didn't get back to me. I don't want to sit here and talk about a specific company's business in a negative manner when I didn't have a negative experience with them.
My money is just as good as anyone else's.
Don't really know how to go about it differently? I call the shop, tell them what Im looking for and what it's going into and they don't get back to me. This happened to me with at least 4 shops.
I got a couple quotes from some reputable shops and when I'm about to send money...I cant get in contact with them for weeks. I don't want to send money to someone who cant communicate or answer simple questions....sorry.
I'm not really that difficult to deal with. My business is customer service and deal with people all day long so I know there is nothing I'm doing wrong.I got some names of a few shops on this post and thank you to the guys for the info. I will be calling in the next couple hours.

Shawn Miller at VA speed. Tom Nelson From NRE. LME Kurt urban.. there is a solid hand full of builders.

Thanks for all the info. A lot to take in. I will call a coupe more guys Monday and see what I come up with.

I spoke with Nelson at the SEMA show about building a motor. I know he can definetly get one done but didn't want to wait 6 months and pay a lot more because of his reputation. I haven't heard of the other guys......Thank you

Why not a Mast motor?

No...thats not the case. If some one just gives you a quote...do you just say yes? I don't.... I do my homework. I built many cars and motors and know what stuff cost.
I got a quote to have a complete turn key motor all the way down to the injectors for $42K with about 1000RWHP. I gave the build sheet to 2 different reputable company and got a quote from $28K to $30K. When I'm about to follow through......No response to phone calls or a couple emails. If I don't get a response after I leave 2 messaged and an email, I'm moving on.
If I'm going to spend $42K on a motor, I can get a TT NRE motor with 1600+ HP that is pretty much useless for my application.

JR and his partner are on this forum...
Ask them for your self. I know he was having a new born at the time so he told me to give him a couple weeks but a month later I spoke with him on the phone and reminded him about it. He just never got back to me.....Thats it. Wasn't a big deal

Lance Nist is a member here; "Pantera EFI".

Synergy in Fremont in good. Blu808 in San Jose.

Wegner, Texas Speed, MAST, etc.

I'm sure you do. However, the info is for the guy needing the engine, the OP.

:D

I completely understand what your saying and you are right about that but, I supplied the build sheet of what I wanted exactly and the cost is significantly different. Off by over $10K.
I'm in talks with someone now and seems pretty solid. I will update in the next few days. Thanks for the insights.

If you're going to do a stroker LS please make sure and talk to Kurt Urban about using offset pin pistons. Dramatically quieter on the stroker motors. The LS have an issue with a longer stroke in that the piston goes so far out the bottom of the cylinder, it rocks in the bore when the piston changes directions. I put in the offset pin pistons as per his advice (bought everything from him) and the engine was completely quiet even when dead cold. The previous piston was not, had the typical piston slap issue which with my quiet exhaust drove me nuts.

Once you pick an engine builder and you should trust them if you do, take their advice. The best engine builders have parts they trust due to tear downs and inspections for freshen ups.

I'm certainly not saying to put your head in the sand and let them run with it. I'm talking about the meat and potatos. (Crank, rods, pistons, rings, valve springs, push rods, etc)

I can't tell you who to go to in Cali, but I will give my .02 since you asked on this forum. Never give anybody that much money in advance. I don't care who they are and how many guys are swinging from there balls about how good and reputable they are. Not saying anything bad about any of the builders mentioned, but that's alot of money bro...just saying. 25-50% is a good down payment to let a builder know you are serious.

Yep, everybody needs motivation. I like to go in thirds if the parts bill isn't to large.

Had dealings with Casey Wegner and Kurt Urban. Great guys to deal with. They have that quiet confidence. No ego driven talk. Very knowledgable about LS stuff. Worth a call before swiping the card.

Not taking anything away from other talented builders here, just my experience. Thanks.

X2 for Billy Briggs. He built my 427 ls7 with procharger.

There are many great engine builders mentioned in this thread, but if you are really set on doing a pro-charger, you would be nuts if you do not speak with Steve Morris. This guy has been doing research and developement for pro-charger for so many years. His resume is huge, mad skills!!!

Good luck- Rich

i was looking into hke, but he broke his ankle the end of the year and has been tough to get ahold of. still looking.......

I just goggled his site. Seem to definitely know what he's doing. I'll hit him up tomorrow. I need to get this motor started asap because my chassis is showing up at the shop tomorrow and they will need the motor real soon...Thanks

I can tell you right now, most of the engine builders in this thread are at the top of the heap and aren't going to be your most economical option. Personally, an engine with big power is not the time to shop at walmart. Anybody can build a fairly reliable 350 chevy with a 3/4 cam. Building reliable BIG hp is a different story.

Buy a NRE crate turbo motor. Those are NICE!!!

Also, why a pro charger? If your going to spend the $$$$ go with some twins. Has way more wow factor then a pro charger.

Sorry I'm a little late with a response here but let me clarify a couple things. First of all, if this is who I think it is we had 2 conversations. The first was when you were brought to my shop by a local builder who I do business with. The conversation at the time was "what would it cost me for a power added LS engine making xxx hp". Of which you were given a rough verbal estimate. The second conversation may I remind you was a phone call made by me to you after hearing you were not pleased with the local builders quote to finish your car and I took it upon myself to call you and try to give you some guidance. Again telling you on the phone what it would cost you for an engine of the caliber you were looking for. At that time I did mention that I was way behind in the shop after the birth of my daughter and was trying hard to get caught up on the backlog of paying customers engines in the shop. At that time you had told me that you were not happy with the quote from the local builder and you were moving the project up north.
Now lets discuss some things that NEVER were mentioned, discussed or have happened. First, you never once mentioned to me any specifics of your build i.e... a stroked LS engine with an F1 Procharger. Secondly, I have searched my inbox and telephone message log and have found zero messages or any other correspondence. Now I don't know if you are speaking about me or my shop when you say that you came with a "build sheet of exactly what you wanted", so I won't say that's an outright lie, but I was NEVER provided with any information about a detailed build sheet. Again, all that you ever said to me was "how much to make xxx power?"
Lastly I will say this. If somehow during this massive growth spurt we have experienced in the last year you feel that you or your quote were overlooked, then I sincerely apologize and will do everything I can to rectify this situation. However our reputation for our service, attention to detail, and building the highest quality engines in the industry is impeccable and can be vouched for by many members on this board. And I will personally see to it that stays that way. If you would like to discuss this further I would suggest the best place to do this would be at my shop or contact me directly. My personal cell is listed below.
JR - (619) 400-7850

Perfect response --- and more like the "real story, behind the story".