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LS7 Head Has Been Outdone!

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Old Aug 29, 2007 | 07:04 PM
  #101  
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Interesting thread. Been droppin in on it from time to time. Watched the vid. No numbers. Sounded good.
But whats the use of heads like these, if you're the only guy on the planet with them? Unless that alone is the point........
My customers dont like it when it takes me months to build a car. I cant imagine taking a year or better building a set of heads, when thats all you do.
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Old Aug 29, 2007 | 08:16 PM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by edcmat-l1
Interesting thread. Been droppin in on it from time to time. Watched the vid. No numbers. Sounded good.
But whats the use of heads like these, if you're the only guy on the planet with them? Unless that alone is the point........
My customers dont like it when it takes me months to build a car. I cant imagine taking a year or better building a set of heads, when thats all you do.
Arao appears to be like Hennessey...he knows who to give good customer service to and he seems to choose to simply **** some people. Sounds like a scumbag to me.

I called Arao about 4 weeks ago to get a price for his LSx 32-valve heads ($10,000 complete). If I gave him money and he didn't deliver I would get my money back after a few delays, if not I would pay him a visit and than get my money back. People that get screwed seem to let things go for years, very wierd.


.
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Old Dec 11, 2007 | 08:33 PM
  #103  
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Ok I have good news and bad news.

Someone was reading the thread and decided to contact me. Since I still have one of Russ's SBC heads I figured I would touch base. (I told him he could have it back and he never bothered to call, Boy if only I had the other one)

I spoke with Russ today after months. The good news is he is busy with Big Block Chevy jobs and will be for months.

Why is that good, well because you know he does not deliver. So I proposed to him to licening the SBC and the LSx stuff to me and let me get them made at another shop. He agreed that, that would be fine since he will not be able to do it.

So granted it may still be a little bit before the LSx is available but I guarentee I do what I say and they will actually get done.

At some point next year once I get the online store up in conjunction with my buddys parts store we would like to become a sponsor, this is a ways off but better late than never.

I will let you know when there is some progress to report.

Mark
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Old Dec 11, 2007 | 09:44 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by Quickin
Arao appears to be like Hennessey...he knows who to give good customer service to and he seems to choose to simply **** some people. Sounds like a scumbag to me.

I called Arao about 4 weeks ago to get a price for his LSx 32-valve heads ($10,000 complete). If I gave him money and he didn't deliver I would get my money back after a few delays, if not I would pay him a visit and than get my money back. People that get screwed seem to let things go for years, very wierd.


.
i dont know arao- but explain to me why he is a scumbag?

because he charges very very good or has to put up with time wasters-

their is always 2 sides to the story-

has arao ever come on this forum to agree or dis-agree with statements like your's---

i am in the spare parts business-we get a lot of time wasters that want the world and dont want to pay or they demand something that needs to be made up and takes a couple of weeks to be finished all done and delievered to their door in 15 minutes-


i think it is right to look after good repeated customers-why not **** bad customers over if they do the same to u at the start-
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Old Dec 11, 2007 | 09:54 PM
  #105  
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Perhaps you did not read the whole thread.

I know Russ personally and I pushed him repeatedly to finish 3 international orders that have been outstanding for a long time (meaning years). Billet Racing being one of them. He simply bury's his head in the sand with some orders for some unknown reason.

I am sorry to them that I was not able to help more.

I would like to get the LSx specs out of there ASAP in case any legal actions shut him down. I would hate to see this die on the drawing board before coming to fruition.
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Old Dec 12, 2007 | 11:17 PM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by Stroker396
Ok I have good news and bad news.

Someone was reading the thread and decided to contact me. Since I still have one of Russ's SBC heads I figured I would touch base. (I told him he could have it back and he never bothered to call, Boy if only I had the other one)

I spoke with Russ today after months. The good news is he is busy with Big Block Chevy jobs and will be for months.

Why is that good, well because you know he does not deliver. So I proposed to him to licening the SBC and the LSx stuff to me and let me get them made at another shop. He agreed that, that would be fine since he will not be able to do it.

So granted it may still be a little bit before the LSx is available but I guarentee I do what I say and they will actually get done.

At some point next year once I get the online store up in conjunction with my buddys parts store we would like to become a sponsor, this is a ways off but better late than never.

I will let you know when there is some progress to report.

Mark



Mark.... This is great news... I sure hope and pray this goes this way... I want the SBC heads B port for a tall deck 472... Keep us informed.. I will be ready May/June 08.... Hopefully by then it will be a go...


Blessings,
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Old Dec 13, 2007 | 12:11 AM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by njc.corp
i dont know arao- but explain to me why he is a scumbag?

because he charges very very good or has to put up with time wasters-

their is always 2 sides to the story-

has arao ever come on this forum to agree or dis-agree with statements like your's---

i am in the spare parts business-we get a lot of time wasters that want the world and dont want to pay or they demand something that needs to be made up and takes a couple of weeks to be finished all done and delievered to their door in 15 minutes-


i think it is right to look after good repeated customers-why not **** bad customers over if they do the same to u at the start-
You are probably not going to get a reply. Quickin is on vacation for a lil bit.

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Old Dec 20, 2007 | 10:37 PM
  #108  
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Phase 1 Complete.

I now have in my possession 1 of the 2 32V LSx heads as pictured way back on page 1. it is not nearly as finished as the other, but it is a good start. Russ was very co-operative and enthusiastic, I have all the specs on the parts, suppliers etc...

Next week Phase 2 - Source the CNC work (this could make or break the project)

Phase 3 - Requires capitol and so may be delayed (get a LS7 test mule, intake, PCM etc...) after all you all want proof.

Also I got to see this car up close and in person
http://www.highperformancepontiac.co.../photo_01.html

So sombody beat me to the Blown 396LT1 32V!!!
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Old Dec 20, 2007 | 11:59 PM
  #109  
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Wow, I'm glad these might actually hit the market. I doubt I'll ever have the money for a set, but I love new products. With you taking over production will you be able to do anything to drive down the cost?
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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 12:03 AM
  #110  
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I can't say just yet, have to wait until after next week, but I am working on it. After crunching some of the numbers I somehow doubt it.
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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 12:19 AM
  #111  
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Originally Posted by SOLLIDROLLAH
BTW. scroll to the bottom of this page

http://www.araoengineering.com/pakag...age%203%20Port

These things are flowing 440 cfm on the intake, ye they are for sbc egines but these will destroy etp canted healve heads, and if i'm not mistaken they have comedown in price, i believe they used to be 15,000.00 us for a set
Destroy is a very big word for a unproven product. The ETP canted valve heads are already proven to be 900hp capable with a single 4 barrel intake, with more power to be had. Those are pretty big shoes to fill in my opinion.
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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 01:04 AM
  #112  
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Hey Mark,

I hope you have better luck than I have in the past. I have known Russ since the early 90's. He used to be good friends with some old street race friends of mine.
We used to go to his shop quite often. MY car had the basic bolt-ons for a Mustang amd was running 11.90's on the motor. We went to his shop and he told me that I would run 10's if I had his heads on the car. I told him point blank... I will give you a deposit and you give me the heads, I will then run it at the track and if it doesn't run 10.99, I want my money back. If they ran what he claimed, I could have sold 1-2 sets a week to my customers.
Several years went by and he never had a set to put on my car, even though he said he would.
Russ has always been a stroke. The man has insane thoughts and is a good engineer, but very very flakey.
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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 01:14 AM
  #113  
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When I first approached Russ I thought what he was missing was sales and marketing and I came to find out that was not the case. I now have the ability to remove the flakeiness from the equation. I look forward to what will transpire next week hopefully more good news.

The only thing that will hold back the project at that point is funding which I am working on as well. If only LS7's grew on trees right.
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 03:08 AM
  #114  
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Hey Mark - what's news?
J
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 07:10 AM
  #115  
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 07:46 AM
  #116  
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The News is that what Russ does not know is that I know his patent expires in April 2008 and since he has not paid his fees since 2003 it probably is already expired.

So since I will have to pay for the new castings etc... I am thinking of redesigning the Gen one heads to not have to require machining of the engine block. It is going to be a long slow process until it gets under way.

From a business standpoint the LS will have to come second as there are ten times the amount of SBC's out there.

I returned the LSx prototype head to Russ, It was still far from finished and it would have cost quite a bit to finish myself. I guess some big contractor had expressed interest so Russ wanted it back to show.

It will happen it just takes time.
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 04:22 PM
  #117  
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Sounds good. Congrats on taking up this challenge.
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 05:05 PM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by Stroker396
........................................... From a business standpoint the LS will have to come second as there are ten times the amount of SBC's out there...........................
True, but in general, who's got the deep pockets, SBC guys or LS guys?

Just a thought. Scotty
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 07:51 PM
  #119  
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I agree with Scotty, even with all the SBC out there they are starting to become dinasors. Even out here in the sticks the LS series of motors are just taking over. Guys with the old SBC's are throwing in the towel. I believe the LSx's is were d' money's at!! Traver
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Old Feb 11, 2008 | 11:29 PM
  #120  
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...yeah so make the LS heads first.
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