What's with this engine building business?

[mikeinsjc]

In trying to get engine-building advice, what combinations of this or that to use, I have noticed something that seems to be endemic to engine builders. The prevailing  attitude seems to be "the parts I use and the way I do things is THE ONLY WAY, and everyone else's way is not as good, and the parts they use are junk". This may be somewhat of an overstatement, but most of the time that's what I notice. I'm just a carpenter- engines aren't my forte. It seems to me someone who is very experienced in their field would be less dogmatic in their advice. If someone was really knowledgable, it would seems their attitude would be a little more humble, as in "that part will work just fine for your application", or "you really don't need to be too concerned about this or that for the power level of your engine", or "that's a waste of your money". I sense builders fall into two camps- all-out racers who would have you sink $8k in a 350hp  383, or backyard builders (like backyard dog breeders) who will through any pile of parts together with no regard as to whether they will work or not. I am speaking out of frustration, because I have two engines to build, and get advice running the gamut of the engine-building spectrum. I know there are good guys out there who really know their stuff, who know more than one way to skin a cat. It's just that I'm having trouble finding them. Any suggestions?

[Plum6Pak]

IMO, the best way to find out is check many of them and go with the one you feel is not just trying to sell you on their own ideas but rather on the best combination of parts to match what you are trying to accomplish. If you check with several you should see some similarities and if not, then I'd be confused too!! There are many knowledgeable people here that have gone through this and are very pleased with their success. I won't post any individual names here since it may leave someone out who would also be helpful but I'm sure you can come up with the right mix if you just check around a bit more. I did a parts search and found my engine builder out of California who is very reputable and has a huge portfolio. I'm sure there are a few others that are very trustworthy as well. Where are you located?

[Street_Challenged73]

Well, the person who comes to my mind for an engine build would have to be Chryco Psycho (Neil).  He's been around cars a long time and really knows what he's doing, whether you have a limited budget (as most of us do) or an unlimited budget to build the wildest engine possible.  I'd also have to say that the owner of Blo-fish knows his stuff, too.  Maybe you could post what engine you plan to do the build on, your expected budget, and what power range you would like to get.  Chances are people here can give you a good idea on what parts to use to achieve your goal of building an engine that suits your needs. :bigthumb:

[Chryco Psycho]

Matching parts is critical , you can easily throw away 30 hp or more with a bad parts match , nothing is more critical than the cam selection , next is the heads , porting to big can kill velocity , combustion chamber shape makes a big difference as well , next is intake , if the cam has a power band of say 1500-5500 & the intake works best from 3500 - 7500 don`t expect much from your engine

 I guess what i am saying is usually once a builder finds a combo that works he is more likely to build  it again then experiment

 for example we did 2 440+6 engines last year , I ported the heads on both & tuned the Ign & 6 packs on both , but 1 engine was built by another builder & he did the machining & picked the cam otherwise the engines were identical , both in 71 Challengers with stock intake & exhaust manifolds & both had auto trannys , on the Dyno my engine made 310 RWHP , the other engine made 205 RWHP   & both were tested on the same dyno , the other engine builder Promised that the engine would make him more than 400 RWHP , so the customer went back & asked where the other 1/2 of his engine was & showed the builder the dyno sheets