Cstraub

iTrader: (1)

The added oil band was not added due to any issues we have encountered.

customblackbird

iTrader: (2)

so you decided to add another machining process to your kits for no reason....not buying it.

IF it aint broke dont fix it. Your adding costs to each piece due to the change, another step in the process. If there wasn't anything "wrong" with it you wouldn't have changed it. The oil band has a specific purpose, hence why its there.

Not attacking you Chris, just trying to understand your thinking to get the truth.

Cstraub

iTrader: (1)

No added cost as the op is done the same time as the other. With 2 other major companies coming out with their own similar kits I feel its better to stay ahead of the competition. It's easy to make modifications when you make the stuff in the USA. Modifications to parts made in China take months to change.

JCunningham

iTrader: (4)

so basicly there is no problems with the 1st and 2nd design? I may be wrong but I think I read in this long thread that the 2nd design was cheaper to produce then the 1st and thats why the 2nd design came about. CHE has the swirl pattern for oiling so to stay competitive as far as advertising goes you added more oiling channels?

Cstraub

iTrader: (1)

No issues at all. Both have been bought by others and the market in 2017 will have Chinese knock-offs of each other right down to the packaging with the foam.

Kinda like this lifter that comes in a clamshell just and from the layman's eye's looks like a Morel:

Real Morel on the Right. The one on the left was sold as a "Morel". 2 passes the customers Dart block engine was destroyed.

Cstraub

iTrader: (1)

Claude, owner of CHE, doesn't make parts in China.

Vegas02ta

iTrader: (5)

Stout products Chris. The products perform, look awesome and are smooth with operation. Long live my wet sleeved Darton ls1 . I wish all Happy Holidays & New Years . Ls1tech 4 life

mOtOrHeAd MiKe

iTrader: (8)

Agree and disagree.

Yes, we are the guinea pigs for industry. All of big business relies on extensive field testing in the hands of consumers (aka. the common man doing dumb **** engineers never thought of) to refine products.

And no, I seriously had to stop chasing the biggest and best products when building my engine. It seemed that every 6 months I had a chance to buy the newest thing to replace the outdated part. I lost money on a Comp trunnion kit when I sold it because of these Straub units (version 2); if I continued to work this way the engine would never be finished. I highly doubt the new variation is anything to get worked up about.

But, hey people gonna people.

ATK Engines

iTrader: (1)

Need to round them up at SEMA again like this past year with the Jeep knock off products!

On another note, installing a set of them right now for a 415CI LS3 build

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

Well that's scary. I literally just dropped some 5452's in a build I am getting close to finished with.

Any tips on identifying the fakes?

I think if the machining on the back of the tie-bar ["rivets?"] was as bad on the left I would have had bad thoughts but still concerning.

Cstraub

iTrader: (1)

Morel clamshell will have a label on on the side. Morel part number will be here, along with a date and an SO number (Shop Order). Stuff I supply from Morel to many sponsors has a small X on the tie bar.

Machined areas of the Morel will have no sharp edges. The Chinese stuff will cut you like a knife.

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

Much appreciated. I did hang onto the clamshell and had the label with what you indicated. I also remember the machining being pretty good or better. Used to be you could spot the fakes pretty easily but they are getting crafty! Heck; as so much mfg moves over there a lot of it might be made on the same machines by a "night shift" even--so similar mfg but no quality control.

All-In

I remember noticing the "X" on mine and asking Tim about that last year when I was also getting your rocker bushing kit for my 441 LS7 which btw, is running fine. I did not have any clearance issues with the bushings during installation into my rocker bodies.

Austinbelair

iTrader: (2)

Are the Straub and the Smith Bros the same? I bought some Smith and they, and the packaging, look identical to the Straub

Jontall

The same.

irrational

6- month update

ive been running this engine hard, started tuning at 4psi then 7psi and now im at 14psi with a 76mm turbo on my 4.8 with 317 heads and this trunion bushing kit, ls2 cam and patriot gold springs.

Have had zero issues in 113+ degree weather and now that its in the mid 40's to high 30's at night here in california ive still had no issues. Ive removed both valvecovers last week to check for premature wear and found nothing out of the ordinary. These heads will be removed and transplanted on to a new 6.0 build and ill take some pictures and post them in this thread.

Cstraub

iTrader: (1)

http://www.enginelabs.com/news/needl...-the-chevy-ls/

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

Glad these are getting some press and hopefully more testing, development, etc. will follow.

That being said, that article is a marketing piece only with no useful information. The author posts two different trunnion designs(pics) in there and I fear didn't even notice the difference.

Oil channels at 11 and 1? Yeah, if you ordered last February. Still my favorite design even if just for the micropolished trunnion..Just installed/sold my last set. :-/ No complaints from customers with the newer designs though.

redram2007

iTrader: (6)

I may have missed it but how high can you rev the engine with this trunion upgrade?

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

IMO, rockers aren't, and never were the limiting factor for RPM. There are guys out there turning 8000RPM+ with stock rockers. The indication for the trunnion upgrade is two-fold; the stock setup has a rotational travel and therefore lift limit to it, and the needles are not caged. The needle upgrades address both of these issues, and the bushing upgrade goes a step further and eliminates the needles altogether.