Golen 396 lt1

I see this all the time I recommend something to the customer and they ignore me, well thats on them. If they have the internet and think they are an expert and wont listen to me that's them, and since im in business to profit I wont turn away work like this. Ill explain to them no warranty ad its their choice. If I turn it away theyll go down the street and someone else will make the money.
I can understand him not wanting to loose a while engine over a crank. I do believe I read if you put a cast crank in certain motors he wont warranty it.
I know alot of the vette guys use him so they may have more insight, but I would have no problem using him, I would listen to his recommendations on build specs and be clear on warranty circumstances.
Putting a bottom end together isnt magic, it comes down to good machine work and proper clearances.
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Karl Ellwein is arguably one of, if not the best builder out there. He is a one man shop and attention to detail is top notch.
...and building a NA motor now and then adding a power adder later is not a good idea. REALLY think about your end goal and develope a solid plan to get there. Your driveline (includeing clutch) need to be addressed with the power goals you have in mind

Is that why no new MAF's have screens on them? So what exactly is your tuning experience since you claim to know more than someone does this for a living. Hell when I was only making 27xrwhp I left the car strapped down and swapped out descreened MAF ends and picked up 3rwhp, and the a/f didn't budge. And what the hell kind of air filter are you running that would let something big enough in to be caught by the MAF screen?
So I assume some tuners feel the increased flow yields "X" power more than screened.
One tuner I have high regard for, Ed Wright, feels screen should be left in because the MAF readings are more consistant. I am speaking about B/F body LT1 MAF
Care to support this statement?
Far as the MAF descreen thing, it depends on the intake tract. You have a bend right before the MAF and the screen IS a good thing. If the tract is straight and smooth on the approach then they are not needed.
If you want to do this well the first thing you need to do is scrap your plan and start over with actual meaningful research this time instead of looking at a magazine article.
My car is unusually fast for what it is and what is done so I have a good idea what actually works and IMO the vast majority of your plan is very poor.
Have you ever driven a powerful car? People throw around numbers like 4-5-600rwhp without ever having driven any more than 300rwhp and have no clue exactly what it is they are discussing and how hard it would be to handle or use on track much less on the street.
I doubt you are well versed in what works because many of the things you say dont work continue to put down good numbers (cc306s and LE stuff for instance)
Karl’s reputation and ability’s as a “builder” do not need any statement of “support” from me other than my opinion as stated. His knowledge of the LT1 platform is extensive and he has been an active drag racer in his LT1 powered B-body. His knowledge on what combination of parts and abilities of building motors is well documented. Like other builders he can put together a package the customer wants and also advise on what he would chose or do. In the end it is the customer’s decision on what path to take.
Instead of making condescending and assumptive comments of the OP’s? Just state wtf you prefer and leave it to that.
There is more than 1 qualified builder, including Golen, the OP can go to. If you have another opinion on who than say so. Just bashing his comments without offering any alternate suggestion unfortunately is your style.
OP. Builders like Golen offer a range of builds to fit within budgets. Whoever you chose understand that lower $ often means the parts are not = quality. Especially in cast vs. forged. Head & Cam combo will play a big part in end performance #’s. You can spec what components you want or consult with the builder on what their opinions are. IMHO I would choose one who is experienced in the LT1 platform. As mentioned there are advantages of using a “local” builder especially if issues arise after the build.
Advanced Induction and Lloyd Elliott are both well-known and offer very good head/cam combos. Karl & Golen both can build you a motor with those components.
You need to determine what your end performance goal is and $ resources to achieve that goal are. This board will offer “opinions” which is all my comments are. Consulting directly with a builder of choice will yield more definitive info with which you will ultimately have to make a decision on.
I told him he did poor research and to start over with his plan.
You have guys with wildly underperforming engines built and rebuilt(because they were junk) telling you what they think works. A positive review means a happy customer. What you need for meaningful research is to figure out which happy customers are SMART enough to know they actually got something good and who is just too mentally challenged to recognize they bought substandard parts.









