One of you, one of you

E

Alex

I'm no longer special ... after being dicked around by my engine builder for 2 3/4yrs I finally pulled the plug (too many issues). I just ordered an LS3 525, will heads/cam it, longtubes, fast 92, and call it a day. Price was very fair - $7800 (including shipping to Canada). Oh well, guess I'm one of the majority now - no monster engine!

On the positive side the car will finally be done :)

Plus there's always the big block ford I'm trying to convince Fran to wedge into my 917 ;)

090523-one-of-us.jpg
 
A

Ruth

If it makes you feel a little better, you are at the extreme edge of normal, if not beyond. You're the first person I know that actually bought the 525.
 
E

Alex

I know several that have bought it - I think Fran has one (either has or plans to have one)

The funny thing is, thinking about it, I'm just sad I lost 2 3/4yrs waiting, that's it. My cobra makes 490RWhp and moves damn quick. This will make close to that. Sure, I would have made closer to 700rwhp, but then I'd have massive fitment issues (redesign roll cage, rear window, etc...) and at the end of the day I just want to enjoy the car with my dad. Simple crate engine I can fire up and know it will last 100k+ miles (if not, I have a warranty, ahahahhaha) .... magic $40k engine may blow up on me after 5k. Or maybe not. It's a crap shoot.

If I were racing this would suck, but at the end of the day I just like building and collecting cars (my collection is up to a z06, 04 cobra, 01 diablo, 65 cobra, superlite, 917), not racing them, so I doubt I'd ever use that power anywhere, other than to end up in a ditch.
 
W

Wayne

Just to beat Alex, I put an ASA 525 cam in my LS376/480 a couple of months ago.
FWIW: All the internals use the same part numbers, valves,springs, retainers, rockers and pushrods. The cam is a bit lopey and I'm concerned about driveability. Mike Norris the LS tuning wizard said that my idle may need to be around 850-900RPM. But is sounds awesome with the Magnaflow (true) crossover muffler. Without tuning, at times the engine has a hard finding idle speed after a quick blip of throttle.
 
S

Mike

WMM said:
But is sounds awesome with the Magnaflow (true) crossover muffler. Without tuning, at times the engine has a hard finding idle speed after a quick blip of throttle.
Click to expand...

Wayne, do you have any pictures of your exhaust (installed) system, pipes, cross-over. I have the porsche Gbox so will have more working room than the ricardo. The "crossover" setup interests me and I'm trying to visualize the location of the system within the confines of the engine bay. If you do please PM me for my e-mail.

Thx, Sharkey
 
B

bob d

Alex you will probably appreciate the change because the car will be more drivable and not as risky. All that horsepower makes the SL-C a real handful, you cannot stick the throttle you have to roll it on, I think you will enjoy the new engine almost as much. Mine is pushing 545 RWHP with 475 lbs torque and it is all you really need till you start getting run out in third gear then fourth, thats when the extra HP will be needed.
 
E

Alex

KENS80V said:
Alex here is the matching engine controller kit for the LS3 525 engine #19259261

19259261 - GM Performance LS376/525HP Engine Controller Kit - Contains Pre-Programmed ECU, Harness, Sensors
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the one.

I just keep thinking of the dominator ecu because

+auto-tuning
+already attached the gas pedal it needs to my peadl assembly

but on the other hand

-it's more expensive
-the tuners I trust here are very familiar with hptuners/ls1edit/etc..., not so much the holley
-do I really need auto-tuning ...... the base tune should work okayish (to idle and go up and down the driveway), and once fully tuned it should be done.
 
E

Alex

shark said:
Who was your builder.. so nobody else goes through a similar situation.
Click to expand...

HKE .... Erik's supposed to be one of the best LS builders. He built Roberto's engine, and he's apparently shipping engines to other people, but mine sat there for 2 3/4yrs with no progress (ordered November 2009, gave up waiting July 2012). I left $27k upfront basically, never bothered him for the first year, and only started asking for progress updates when my life situation changed (father's cancer, etc...). And after being told '3-4weeks' every 3-4weeks starting January 2012 got old.

Go figure - you have a customer who loves crazy engines and high hp, left 2/3 of the money upfront, was willing to spend upwards of $40k on an engine (when you factor in the intake, dry sump, etc.. etc... etc..) and wanted to build more like it ... you'd think that would be your ideal #1 customer. Do whatever it takes to please them. What do I know *shrug*

Lesson learned - always buy performance parts on credit card. If more than 4weeks passes after a given deadline, cancel and charge back.
 
R

Rick S.

Alex, even tho we love giving you crap, on the one hand we are sorry that your hp quest didn't quite work out, but on the other we are happy that your new motor will soon be in your hands and into your SLC so you can enjoy driving it instead of sitting in the seat and making motor noises.

Can't wait to see pics of your 917.....
 
B

Ben Whittle

Yes, me too Alex, I know I always rib you about it but I'm genuinely sorry to hear that.

Stick with the LS for a while, it makes a lot of sense then maybe hit up NRE and put your money there?
 
D

Paul Osborn

EFNFAST said:
I'm no longer special ... after being dicked around by my engine builder for 2 3/4yrs I finally pulled the plug (too many issues). I just ordered an LS3 525, will heads/cam it, longtubes, fast 92, and call it a day. Price was very fair - $7800 (including shipping to Canada). Oh well, guess I'm one of the majority now - no monster engine!
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear, but you were FAR more patient than most customers would be.
 
Big-Foot

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
So sorry to hear of the Cancer challenges for your Dad...
Hopefully you got your money back from the "would-be" engine builder...
 
B

bob d

Alex if you still want to get into your engine at a later date, my builder took about 2 months, and is one of the best for reliability here in Atlanta. I can tell you ,I never had a say in what he was going to do, he insisted here is what I will do and only that, I told him how much HP I wanted and he took it from there, it has been no trouble since. I agree I do not have the patience for someone taking that long and never producing. I went through the same thing with my boat. Don't give up on HP if you still want it done. Someone can get it out still for you in a reasonable time. I contacted Katech about my motor, they were more money than what I wanted to spend, but they build for the Corvette race team, and Cadillac race team. Just a thought. Hope your Dad gets through his cancer, real stresser for that issue. Good Luck with getting your engine in.
 
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