LSX TV Forums - Interviews http://www.lsxtv.com/forum We interview anybody worth interviewing. en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:57:42 GMT vBulletin 5 http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg LSX TV Forums - Interviews http://www.lsxtv.com/forum Interview: Horace Mast of Mast Motorsports http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/interview-horace-mast-mast-motorsports-3016.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:42:50 GMT When the LS1 engine first appeared in the 1997 Corvette, it was a radical redesign from GM’s tried-and-true iron block engines. Many engine experts were skeptical at first that the aluminum block LS1 engines could hold up to the heaps of horsepower they had planned, but their doubts were soon put to rest. Today, the LS-series of GM engines are among the most prolific and popular in the racing world. A combination of light weight, strong architecture, and a devoted aftermarket have helped the LS engines make strong statements both on the street and at the drag strip.



Few people are as familiar or as handy with LS engines as Horace Mast, the 27-year-old founder of Mast Motorsports. A self-described "engine guy," Horace got his start tinkering diesel engines in an effort to get as much power as possible out of them. He was always obsessed with horsepower, which carried over into his college career. He and a team from Texas A&M entered the Formula SAE contest in 2006 with a one-cylinder, supercharged engine that ran on ethanol. They took first place in the Western division with their race car, which helped to catapult Horace into a career as an engine builder.

Today, Mast Motorsports is an aftermarket company completely devoted to tuning the LS series of engines. They specialize in EFI hardware and software that has come to define 21st century engine tuning. From Variable Valve Timing to nitrous injection, Mast Motorsports does it all, and we got a chance to interview Horace and get his take on the past, present, and future of LS engines.


Mr. Mast himself, standing with one of his many powerful engine creations

powerTV: Thanks for taking time to talk with us Horace. Let’s start at the beginning: How did Mast Motorsports start?

Horace Mast: Well, I started it right after I graduated from mechanical engineering school at Texas A&M. I had been involved in some school projects where I was doing some engine design. I just saw an opportunity in the electronics field and I wanted to get into powertrain solutions for the automotive aftermarket. So, I started working on computers specifically for the LS engines because I thought they had the most potential and two of my engineers from A&M joined with me to get it up and running.

powerTV: What is it about the potential of LS engines that drew you to them?

Mast: I think what drew me to them was, first off, the amount of horsepower that was a foundation that the Generation IV platform provided. The foundation was so well suited for doing different combinations and making more horsepower out of them. It was very well positioned, I saw the market opportunity, as it was by far the fastest growing engine market. It had the newest technology and I felt like I was more up to date with fuel injection like VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and other things. So I felt like we would have a competitive advantage in the market place if we focused on it.


Mast makes complete wiring harnesses for a variety of engine combinations

powerTV: Can you tell us what you think are the best qualities of the LS engines versus the weakest qualities?

Mast: Some of the best qualities of that engine platform are how many combinations you can build from the base architecture. There is everything from a 5.3 to a 7.4 liter engine and they’re built from the same block architecture. There is so much GM provided with their OEM parts. I think its best qualities are not only its cost structure, which is competitive, but the range of products you can develop. It is very versatile. As far as the weakest, I guess compared to the market it doesn’t really have that many weak points. The cost structure is probably still a little high compared to the older small blocks, but it has come down in the last several years and it will come down more and be even more competitive in price.

powerTV: Why build your own EFI systems for the LS series of engines?

Mast: We worked on the fuel injection system first because we wanted to have control over all of the calibration and we wanted to have control over all of the harnessing and provide it to the end user, not only for our internal engines but to sell separately. And it kind of comes back to being able to control and the capabilities of having control over your own EFI system. It really comes down to being able to provide the best product for the end user, and if we’re working with the GM Delphi unit or an aftermarket system that isn’t as powerful but costs more money, we think we’re able to come out with a very cost effective and very powerful EFI system. It adds a lot of value to the power trains we provide.

powerTV: How do you feel about forced induction? Do you think more factory cars will come with forced induction?

Mast: It is a good candidate for forced induction in that it accepts forced induction very well. I don’t think forced induction is the future of LSX engines. I think its obvious direct injection is the future of LSX engines to increase efficiency moving forward with GM’s new Generation V platform. With the OEM front I think we’re gonna see even smaller displacements and more direct injection to keep the fuel economy up.


A complete engine setup from Mast is assured to work in perfect harmony, as every part has been tested to ensure it is the right part for the job

powerTV: As an LSX builder, what are some key musts when it comes to building an engine, and what are some common misconceptions?

Mast: I think one of the key musts, and it is something we really focus on, is the quality of the preparation of the building an engine from the ground up. We put so much work into making sure our main and rod bearings are torqued down right and have the correct tolerances.

I think as an engine builder, it really comes down to the amount of time and effort and quality you put in to the shortblock. It is key that to build it really correctly, you have to get every little detail, the piston ring gaps, everything has to be right. I think a lot of people still have been throwing these things together, and they’ve been lasting for years, which is a good thing. But I think one of the key things is the time and effort you put into building the short block; the preparation and getting the specs.

powerTV: What are some key questions you ask a customer when you are building them an engine?

Mast: The main three points are you have to know what application it is, usually that is the first question, and you have to know what they expect for performance. RPM is one of the hardest things, the valvetrain with all the forces, so you have to know what RPM range. If they are going high displacement you have to keep the revs down. So, knowing the application is key, knowing the durability requirements, and knowing the environment. Is it going to sit in a garage for six months and then get thrashed like crazy for six months at the track. These are all things we have to know so we can really spec out the right engine.

powerTV: How do you think the new 2010 Camaro buyer might be different?

Mast: Well the 2010 Camaro buyer, obviously you have all sorts of buyers out there. They’ve been waiting a year for it to come out and they can’t wait to modify it. Then you have the people who just want to make slight changes. You know it’s a new generation of F-body, and at this time, its not so clear what the Generation 5 owner, who that is or what they want. So it’s very important to understand what your customers are looking for.

I think right now what people want, as far as performance, they are trying to get more performance out of their engine and still keep that every day drivability in a brand new car. And that’s what they are looking at smaller cams than people in a Generation IV might jump up to. Also, I think it really helps our cylinder head sales, our cylinder head sales have jumped up quite a bit, without having to go to a more aggressive camshaft. I think the new Generation V owners are looking for drivability as well as performance than Generation IV owners as that car is much older.


In addition to wiring harnesses and whole engines, Mast also has a line of cylinder heads they have been working hard at

powerTV: Can you tell us what is one of the wildest engine combinations you’ve ever worked on?

Mast: Well we’ve done several over-the-top ones. There are two that stick out of my mind. We built a championship off-road racing engine, a 396, that produced over 800 horsepower with a single carburetor and single plane intake manifold. That was a really interesting engine to build. It not only had to make a lot of horsepower at low RPMs, but it had to be real durable too because it would be bouncing around off road. That engine was very successful.

The other we built had to run on pump gas, it had to run on 90 octane. It was a 427 engine with low compression and it used our cylinder heads and it made something like 1,200 horsepower on nitrous. That was a very interesting build because it had to make a lot of horsepower on low octane and compression. Those are probably two of the most over-the-top, unusual applications that stick out in my mind.

powerTV: How do you think technology like Variable Valve Timing and Direct Injection will affect the performance of LS engines?

Mast: Well I think the effect of variable valve timing is the wider, broader torque curve we’re able to develop using it. And I think we’re kind of using it to its maximum efficiency with the products we have. It is already affecting the performance of these engines, and I think we’ve proved that with some of the engines and marine applications we’ve put out in the past couple of years.

I think Direct Injection is really quite intriguing. The power potential of Direct Injection in a small block is going to be very interesting to find because you’re really removing all of the fuel in the cylinder, which the unburnt fuel is taking up space, but it’s also fuel you lose over the overlap. You’re gaining efficiency of the vaporization of the fuel the way its injected. So it’s going to be interesting when that technology comes out and it goes mainstream to see how the torque curve compares against carburetors and regular fuel injection.

I believe the Direct Injection is going to be really efficient to this performance and fuel efficiency is going be much much higher from the factory and for the aftermarket when companies are able to control and modify it better. So torque and fuel efficiency are going to be improved a lot.


Some of the products in the pipeline include a set of Mast-built and designed roller rockers

powerTV: Can you let us in on any products you’re preparing to release soon?

Mast: As far as automotive aftermarket products, we are in the next four to six weeks, we’re going to start releasing and selling our line of rocker arms. Not just for all the GM OEM heads but for our own heads as well. It is a project we have been working on for two years now, it’s something we want to get right and not rush to market with it. We’re going to have a lot of combinations and a lot of applications as well for the rocker arms. It is not a totally unique design, but it has a combination of features you don’t really find as far as a roller rocker.

We’re also working on a plethora of new cylinder heads in the next few months. A lot of canted valves, cylinder heads designed for circle track engines from the circle track program we’re getting up and running for the circle tracker racers out there. We’ve really pressed hard to compete with using an LS engine in that market against the big boys and the smaller outfits that specialize there. We’re going to have a very respectable product when it comes out.

There is a lot of non-automotive aftermarket products we are working on too, some things that are really going to surprise people in 2011. There are some really great things to come from our company in 2011, so we’re really excited about it.

powerTV: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, and we’re looking forward to seeing what is next from Mast Motorsports!

Mast Motorsports
www.mastmotorsports.com
Phone: 866-551-4916 ]]> When the LS1 engine first appeared in the 1997 Corvette, it was a radical redesign from GM’s tried-and-true iron block engines. Many engine experts were skeptical at first that the aluminum block LS1 engines could hold up to the heaps of horsepower they had planned, but their doubts were soon put to rest. Today, the LS-series of GM engines are among the most prolific and popular in the racing world. A combination of light weight, strong architecture, and a devoted aftermarket have helped the LS engines make strong statements both on the street and at the drag strip.







Few people are as familiar or as handy with LS engines as Horace Mast, the 27-year-old founder of Mast Motorsports. A self-described "engine guy," Horace got his start tinkering diesel engines in an effort to get as much power as possible out of them. He was always obsessed with horsepower, which carried over into his college career. He and a team from Texas A&M entered the Formula SAE contest in 2006 with a one-cylinder, supercharged engine that ran on ethanol. They took first place in the Western division with their race car, which helped to catapult Horace into a career as an engine builder.



Today, Mast Motorsports is an aftermarket company completely devoted to tuning the LS series of engines. They specialize in EFI hardware and software that has come to define 21st century engine tuning. From Variable Valve Timing to nitrous injection, Mast Motorsports does it all, and we got a chance to interview Horace and get his take on the past, present, and future of LS engines.





Mr. Mast himself, standing with one of his many powerful engine creations



powerTV: Thanks for taking time to talk with us Horace. Let’s start at the beginning: How did Mast Motorsports start?



Horace Mast: Well, I started it right after I graduated from mechanical engineering school at Texas A&M. I had been involved in some school projects where I was doing some engine design. I just saw an opportunity in the electronics field and I wanted to get into powertrain solutions for the automotive aftermarket. So, I started working on computers specifically for the LS engines because I thought they had the most potential and two of my engineers from A&M joined with me to get it up and running.



powerTV: What is it about the potential of LS engines that drew you to them?



Mast: I think what drew me to them was, first off, the amount of horsepower that was a foundation that the Generation IV platform provided. The foundation was so well suited for doing different combinations and making more horsepower out of them. It was very well positioned, I saw the market opportunity, as it was by far the fastest growing engine market. It had the newest technology and I felt like I was more up to date with fuel injection like VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and other things. So I felt like we would have a competitive advantage in the market place if we focused on it.





Mast makes complete wiring harnesses for a variety of engine combinations



powerTV: Can you tell us what you think are the best qualities of the LS engines versus the weakest qualities?



Mast: Some of the best qualities of that engine platform are how many combinations you can build from the base architecture. There is everything from a 5.3 to a 7.4 liter engine and they’re built from the same block architecture. There is so much GM provided with their OEM parts. I think its best qualities are not only its cost structure, which is competitive, but the range of products you can develop. It is very versatile. As far as the weakest, I guess compared to the market it doesn’t really have that many weak points. The cost structure is probably still a little high compared to the older small blocks, but it has come down in the last several years and it will come down more and be even more competitive in price.



powerTV: Why build your own EFI systems for the LS series of engines?



Mast: We worked on the fuel injection system first because we wanted to have control over all of the calibration and we wanted to have control over all of the harnessing and provide it to the end user, not only for our internal engines but to sell separately. And it kind of comes back to being able to control and the capabilities of having control over your own EFI system. It really comes down to being able to provide the best product for the end user, and if we’re working with the GM Delphi unit or an aftermarket system that isn’t as powerful but costs more money, we think we’re able to come out with a very cost effective and very powerful EFI system. It adds a lot of value to the power trains we provide.



powerTV: How do you feel about forced induction? Do you think more factory cars will come with forced induction?



Mast: It is a good candidate for forced induction in that it accepts forced induction very well. I don’t think forced induction is the future of LSX engines. I think its obvious direct injection is the future of LSX engines to increase efficiency moving forward with GM’s new Generation V platform. With the OEM front I think we’re gonna see even smaller displacements and more direct injection to keep the fuel economy up.





A complete engine setup from Mast is assured to work in perfect harmony, as every part has been tested to ensure it is the right part for the job



powerTV: As an LSX builder, what are some key musts when it comes to building an engine, and what are some common misconceptions?



Mast: I think one of the key musts, and it is something we really focus on, is the quality of the preparation of the building an engine from the ground up. We put so much work into making sure our main and rod bearings are torqued down right and have the correct tolerances.



I think as an engine builder, it really comes down to the amount of time and effort and quality you put in to the shortblock. It is key that to build it really correctly, you have to get every little detail, the piston ring gaps, everything has to be right. I think a lot of people still have been throwing these things together, and they’ve been lasting for years, which is a good thing. But I think one of the key things is the time and effort you put into building the short block; the preparation and getting the specs.



powerTV: What are some key questions you ask a customer when you are building them an engine?



Mast: The main three points are you have to know what application it is, usually that is the first question, and you have to know what they expect for performance. RPM is one of the hardest things, the valvetrain with all the forces, so you have to know what RPM range. If they are going high displacement you have to keep the revs down. So, knowing the application is key, knowing the durability requirements, and knowing the environment. Is it going to sit in a garage for six months and then get thrashed like crazy for six months at the track. These are all things we have to know so we can really spec out the right engine.



powerTV: How do you think the new 2010 Camaro buyer might be different?



Mast: Well the 2010 Camaro buyer, obviously you have all sorts of buyers out there. They’ve been waiting a year for it to come out and they can’t wait to modify it. Then you have the people who just want to make slight changes. You know it’s a new generation of F-body, and at this time, its not so clear what the Generation 5 owner, who that is or what they want. So it’s very important to understand what your customers are looking for.



I think right now what people want, as far as performance, they are trying to get more performance out of their engine and still keep that every day drivability in a brand new car. And that’s what they are looking at smaller cams than people in a Generation IV might jump up to. Also, I think it really helps our cylinder head sales, our cylinder head sales have jumped up quite a bit, without having to go to a more aggressive camshaft. I think the new Generation V owners are looking for drivability as well as performance than Generation IV owners as that car is much older.





In addition to wiring harnesses and whole engines, Mast also has a line of cylinder heads they have been working hard at



powerTV: Can you tell us what is one of the wildest engine combinations you’ve ever worked on?



Mast: Well we’ve done several over-the-top ones. There are two that stick out of my mind. We built a championship off-road racing engine, a 396, that produced over 800 horsepower with a single carburetor and single plane intake manifold. That was a really interesting engine to build. It not only had to make a lot of horsepower at low RPMs, but it had to be real durable too because it would be bouncing around off road. That engine was very successful.



The other we built had to run on pump gas, it had to run on 90 octane. It was a 427 engine with low compression and it used our cylinder heads and it made something like 1,200 horsepower on nitrous. That was a very interesting build because it had to make a lot of horsepower on low octane and compression. Those are probably two of the most over-the-top, unusual applications that stick out in my mind.



powerTV: How do you think technology like Variable Valve Timing and Direct Injection will affect the performance of LS engines?



Mast: Well I think the effect of variable valve timing is the wider, broader torque curve we’re able to develop using it. And I think we’re kind of using it to its maximum efficiency with the products we have. It is already affecting the performance of these engines, and I think we’ve proved that with some of the engines and marine applications we’ve put out in the past couple of years.



I think Direct Injection is really quite intriguing. The power potential of Direct Injection in a small block is going to be very interesting to find because you’re really removing all of the fuel in the cylinder, which the unburnt fuel is taking up space, but it’s also fuel you lose over the overlap. You’re gaining efficiency of the vaporization of the fuel the way its injected. So it’s going to be interesting when that technology comes out and it goes mainstream to see how the torque curve compares against carburetors and regular fuel injection.



I believe the Direct Injection is going to be really efficient to this performance and fuel efficiency is going be much much higher from the factory and for the aftermarket when companies are able to control and modify it better. So torque and fuel efficiency are going to be improved a lot.





Some of the products in the pipeline include a set of Mast-built and designed roller rockers



powerTV: Can you let us in on any products you’re preparing to release soon?



Mast: As far as automotive aftermarket products, we are in the next four to six weeks, we’re going to start releasing and selling our line of rocker arms. Not just for all the GM OEM heads but for our own heads as well. It is a project we have been working on for two years now, it’s something we want to get right and not rush to market with it. We’re going to have a lot of combinations and a lot of applications as well for the rocker arms. It is not a totally unique design, but it has a combination of features you don’t really find as far as a roller rocker.



We’re also working on a plethora of new cylinder heads in the next few months. A lot of canted valves, cylinder heads designed for circle track engines from the circle track program we’re getting up and running for the circle tracker racers out there. We’ve really pressed hard to compete with using an LS engine in that market against the big boys and the smaller outfits that specialize there. We’re going to have a very respectable product when it comes out.



There is a lot of non-automotive aftermarket products we are working on too, some things that are really going to surprise people in 2011. There are some really great things to come from our company in 2011, so we’re really excited about it.



powerTV: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, and we’re looking forward to seeing what is next from Mast Motorsports!



Mast Motorsports

www.mastmotorsports.com

Phone: 866-551-4916
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]]> Interviews Chris DeMorro http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/interview-horace-mast-mast-motorsports-3016.html <![CDATA[10 Questions with COMP's Brian Reese on LSX Technology]]> http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/10-questions-comps-brian-reese-lsx-2775.html Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:00:02 GMT It’s sometimes hard to measure where a phenomenon originates. Yet, with General Motors’ LS engine, it can be traced back to 1997; that is, at least for us, the consumers. For GM, the journey started long before that. Beginning with a blank sheet of paper, the General’s new engines would share very little with its 45-year-old predecessor. Rather, this new engine would incorporate nearly every major innovation gleaned from performance testing, racing, and longevity of the aforementioned small-block. Cross-drilled, six-bolt main caps, advanced oiling journals and larger volume cooling were all integrated into the LS’ design, while the cylinder heads received large, vertical rectangular ports feeding designed cylinder chambers chambers. If GM was going to make this big of a step, they were going to think three steps ahead.



The LS - appropriately - first arrived beneath the clamshell of the C5 Corvette, closely followed by the F-Body brethren, Camaro and Firebird. The LS soon found itself propelling most, if not all of GM’s rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks, but it wasn’t long before these new motors found purchase between the shock towers of classic muscle cars, hot rods, kit cars, off-road trucks and buggies and nearly anything else that people could find. This quick infiltration into the world of custom applications brought with it all of the performance aftermarket’s attention.

Brian Reese and COMP

Nearly a decade later, as the LS engine sprouted new branches to its expansive family tree, COMP Cams (CPG) welcomed Brian Reese as Director of Business Development. Once the former Director of Engineering at SLP Performance Parts, Reese specialized in developing aftermarket performance products specifically for late-model engines. Since then, Reese was promoted to Vice President of Engineering and Business Development for CPG. A graduate of Ohio State University (with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Business Management), Reese started at General Motors where he worked at the Warren Technical Center and Milford Proving Grounds.


CPG's VP of Engineering and Business Development, Brian Reese flanked by two of COMP's dyno-mule LS engines.

When asked about the change to CPG, Reese explained, “I’ve watched COMP grow quickly over the last several years and evolve as one of the true powerhouses of the aftermarket. When owners Ron Coleman and Scooter Brothers presented me such a unique position that allows me to be involved in so many ways, it became quickly apparent this was an opportunity I should pursue.”

Today, the aftermarket is flush with performance products for the 13-year-old powerplant. Ranging from the subtle to the sublime, hot rodders and cruisers, racers and builders can share alike their passion for performance thanks to the innovations made by the industry. From top to bottom, in and out, today’s LS engines can be reworked, rebuild, and renovated to meet nearly every imaginable performance goal (be it a daily driver, a weekend cruiser, a gnarly street machine, or a quarter-mile bruiser). We sat down with Brian Reese to pick his brain about his vision for the LSX future, the development of performance parts, and why switching to fuel injection isn’t as scary as many might think.

powerTV: Brian, thanks for sitting down with us. I know how busy you guys are, especially with so much coming up.

Brian Reese: It's my pleasure. Yeah, we're getting ready for SEMA right now! [laughs]

powerTV: It's hard to believe the LS engine is nearly 15 years old; how surprised were you with how the LS has taken off like it has?

Reese: We recognized the potential of the LS platform the minute it launched. There's practically nothing to not like; it makes great power, it's still a simple push rod, overhead valve engine, it's all aluminum! It responds very well to performance mods and it's easy to modify. Heck, a bone-stock LS1 outperforms a well-built performance SBC.

The LS1 was destined to be an excellent performance platform; the rotating assembly's lightweight, the stock heads are better than most high performance aftermarket SBC heads, and the valve train is lightweight and excellent for high RPM. So yeah, we knew the LS was a winner from the beginning.


Brian Reese was one of the key speakers at the AETC a couple years ago.

powerTV: There's lots of talk about how the LS - especially the LS3 - can "do it all," namely performance and economy. What's your take on this? Is it true?

Reese: You bet. We were one of the leading manufacturers to support the SEMA street rod emissions program. We started working with Jim McFarland and SEMA in 2006 and were able to successfully match the emissions standards for 2006 with our EFI package and a host of specially-matched aftermarket performance parts.

Thanks to that, we are now marketing a self-tuning EFI system under the FAST brand, which is a direct outcome of our efforts with SEMA and CARB. We've got a lot of stuff in the works that'll work for hot rodders using the new LS engine in their kit cars and street rods.

powerTV: The number of people racing competitively with LS engines is growing day by day; is there enough stuff out there to be truly competitive?

Reese: You better believe it. We introduced the first racing LS block [under the RHS brand] last year. We're working really hard to develop this foundation for racing. I expect the platform will be fully integrated with mainstream racing within two years. Ask me this again come SEMA time!

I'm telling you, racing drives both the performance aftermarket and future OEM developments. The LS1 itself was based on successful designs born through racing. The LS rectangular cylinder port (LS7 and LS3) are almost line-for-line copies of the NASCAR Buick heads used by Bobby Allison. Seriously,if you don't believe me, take a look a how the intake gasket from the NASCAR Buick head fits an LS7 head EXACTLY, line-for-line on the ports and even the bolt holes are perfectly in place. That port was born in racing and became the standard port on GM’s LS3 and LS7.


Reese promises that the EZ EFI takes the voodoo black magic out of converting your carbureted muscle car to fuel injection with a painless, effortless plug-and-play replacement package.

powerTV: That being said, from your experience, what are the pros and cons of cathedral port, rectangle port, and raised rectangle (LS7) ports from a manifold, head, and cam design?

Reese: The offset rocker heads are much better, as the port improves dramatically. Rolling the valve angle on the LS7 and raising the port is further improvement. These are well established cylinder head design improvement steps, so no surprise that they work great. The only real con I can think of is the expense of swapping manifolds and rockers to work with the LS3 or LS7 heads. The pros are obvious, the LS3 and LS7 heads are far superior. The bigger port volume will support larger cubic inch too.

powerTV: What has it that you guys saw as the prevailing combination (cam, valve train, heads) for aftermarket forced induction on an LS motor? What would be some improvements to these?

Reese: Hottest trend is the LSR cam series. These camshafts have been very specifically tailored for niche engine specs. For instance, we have different cams for each type of forced induction, which specifically compliment the characteristics of that configurations; we offer centrifical blower, roots blower, rear mount turbo, etc. Our lobe profiles update as fast as we can generate cylinder heads and valve springs which demand more aggressive design. I can promise the heads and springs will never leapfrog the cam lobes, we have lobes that exceed both today.


This computer design showcases RHS' architecture for its first race-bred LS block which the CPG brand launched last year.

powerTV: GM's LQ4 iron block (with LS heads) is quickly becoming a favorite among those using forced induction; can you educate us why the LQ4 is so good for boost?

Reese: Simply because it is cast iron. It is almost the same dimensionally as the aluminum, but made from cast iron, making it that much stronger. A good block yes, but still just an OEM block, never intended to be boosted and limited to 4 head bolts per cylinder. For high levels of boost, aftermarket blocks such as the RHS LS Race block with 6-head bolts per cylinder are still preferred, as they have been engineering specifically for duty in extreme boost and racing applications.

powerTV: Obviously, there's a big curve of how far enthusiasts will push their LS-powered "driver." What thought goes into developing products that can appeal to nearly every range of performance enthusiast (from the daily driver to the all-out hard core racer)?

Reese: We deal with this every day. Most of our divisions cater to everyone, from street enthusiast through professional racer, but most of our business is street/strip because the market is far larger than professional racing. We're very well represented in all forms of racing, though, but racing all combined is still smaller than the street/strip customer base, simple fact. We enjoy both and both receive equal efforts and enthusiasm. The LS is probably the most universal engine in that street/strip and professional race parts are mostly interchangeable. A 1,000hp street LS engine is fairly simple and common.


With a wide variety of cam profiles for the performance LSX enthusiast on hand and a rich catalog of unique or custom cam grind data at their fingertips, we can provide an ideal camshaft for nearly any combination imaginable.

powerTV: So, from a cam perspective, if you have the same spec engine in a LS and SBC configuration, how do you engineer their profiles (does LS motors like more lift, duration, etc. and why)?

Reese: It is more important to compare head characteristics than engine "type." Most LS and SBC heads are vastly different. The lift number depends on various inputs and objectives, but generically speaking it will be governed by the flow characteristic of the head. If airflow stalls at .500 lift, there isn’t going to be much reason to open the valve to .650 lift. Duration is going to be driven by RPM range and engine duty or objective, but will also be dependent on the head flow characteristics and bore/stroke. Induction type is critical to selecting the cam design, will be dependent on carb, EFI, turbo, blower, nitrous, etc.

powerTV: You bring up a good point; the future of performance GM engines appears to be in forced induction. If that's so, what do you foresee the aftermarket coming out with to improve upon factory-supercharged engines?

Reese: Better superchargers and intercoolers for one; and the infrastructure of the engine sufficient to support higher levels of boost. The 6-bolt heads and blocks in the aftermarket are a direct response to increased demand for boost.


FAST's LSX intake has been a boon for performance-seeking LS-powered car enthusiasts, offering more intake volume and greater overall horsepower and torque than factory manifolds.

powerTV: FAST's LS manifolds have been pretty successful, implying that there's some power to be hand with changing the intake manifold. What was the biggest challenge in getting the LS manifold to make power?

Reese: The biggest challenge is staying within the physical envelope available for a manifold based on the packaging of all relevant vehicles, and making a design that is easily compatible with over 13 years worth of models (1997-2010). The making power end of it isn’t the hard part! Packaging and bending tubes to fit is extremely hard. Bends in runners are death to performance, but a necessity when it comes to any car with a hood!

powerTV: So then, how has the aftermarket encouraged the general interest in LS performance to grow?

Reese: For us, our general willingness to take risks and bring new products to market is what drives us to support the LS platform. Our LS growth has been phenomenal. To support this momentum, we've got a large portion of our team working practically full time on LS projects. The LS is the SBC of today and we fully expect its legacy to continue on a rapid path. It only took 10 years to cover the same ground with aftermarket performance parts as it took nearly 40 years to accomplish on the traditional SBC. Mainstream racing is coming, and coming fast. I expect LS engines will have a dominating presence in racing within five years.

]]> It’s sometimes hard to measure where a phenomenon originates. Yet, with General Motors’ LS engine, it can be traced back to 1997; that is, at least for us, the consumers. For GM, the journey started long before that. Beginning with a blank sheet of paper, the General’s new engines would share very little with its 45-year-old predecessor. Rather, this new engine would incorporate nearly every major innovation gleaned from performance testing, racing, and longevity of the aforementioned small-block. Cross-drilled, six-bolt main caps, advanced oiling journals and larger volume cooling were all integrated into the LS’ design, while the cylinder heads received large, vertical rectangular ports feeding designed cylinder chambers chambers. If GM was going to make this big of a step, they were going to think three steps ahead.







The LS - appropriately - first arrived beneath the clamshell of the C5 Corvette, closely followed by the F-Body brethren, Camaro and Firebird. The LS soon found itself propelling most, if not all of GM’s rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks, but it wasn’t long before these new motors found purchase between the shock towers of classic muscle cars, hot rods, kit cars, off-road trucks and buggies and nearly anything else that people could find. This quick infiltration into the world of custom applications brought with it all of the performance aftermarket’s attention.



Brian Reese and COMP



Nearly a decade later, as the LS engine sprouted new branches to its expansive family tree, COMP Cams (CPG) welcomed Brian Reese as Director of Business Development. Once the former Director of Engineering at SLP Performance Parts, Reese specialized in developing aftermarket performance products specifically for late-model engines. Since then, Reese was promoted to Vice President of Engineering and Business Development for CPG. A graduate of Ohio State University (with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Business Management), Reese started at General Motors where he worked at the Warren Technical Center and Milford Proving Grounds.





CPG's VP of Engineering and Business Development, Brian Reese flanked by two of COMP's dyno-mule LS engines.



When asked about the change to CPG, Reese explained, “I’ve watched COMP grow quickly over the last several years and evolve as one of the true powerhouses of the aftermarket. When owners Ron Coleman and Scooter Brothers presented me such a unique position that allows me to be involved in so many ways, it became quickly apparent this was an opportunity I should pursue.”



Today, the aftermarket is flush with performance products for the 13-year-old powerplant. Ranging from the subtle to the sublime, hot rodders and cruisers, racers and builders can share alike their passion for performance thanks to the innovations made by the industry. From top to bottom, in and out, today’s LS engines can be reworked, rebuild, and renovated to meet nearly every imaginable performance goal (be it a daily driver, a weekend cruiser, a gnarly street machine, or a quarter-mile bruiser). We sat down with Brian Reese to pick his brain about his vision for the LSX future, the development of performance parts, and why switching to fuel injection isn’t as scary as many might think.



powerTV: Brian, thanks for sitting down with us. I know how busy you guys are, especially with so much coming up.



Brian Reese: It's my pleasure. Yeah, we're getting ready for SEMA right now! [laughs]



powerTV: It's hard to believe the LS engine is nearly 15 years old; how surprised were you with how the LS has taken off like it has?



Reese: We recognized the potential of the LS platform the minute it launched. There's practically nothing to not like; it makes great power, it's still a simple push rod, overhead valve engine, it's all aluminum! It responds very well to performance mods and it's easy to modify. Heck, a bone-stock LS1 outperforms a well-built performance SBC.



The LS1 was destined to be an excellent performance platform; the rotating assembly's lightweight, the stock heads are better than most high performance aftermarket SBC heads, and the valve train is lightweight and excellent for high RPM. So yeah, we knew the LS was a winner from the beginning.





Brian Reese was one of the key speakers at the AETC a couple years ago.



powerTV: There's lots of talk about how the LS - especially the LS3 - can "do it all," namely performance and economy. What's your take on this? Is it true?



Reese: You bet. We were one of the leading manufacturers to support the SEMA street rod emissions program. We started working with Jim McFarland and SEMA in 2006 and were able to successfully match the emissions standards for 2006 with our EFI package and a host of specially-matched aftermarket performance parts.



Thanks to that, we are now marketing a self-tuning EFI system under the FAST brand, which is a direct outcome of our efforts with SEMA and CARB. We've got a lot of stuff in the works that'll work for hot rodders using the new LS engine in their kit cars and street rods.



powerTV: The number of people racing competitively with LS engines is growing day by day; is there enough stuff out there to be truly competitive?



Reese: You better believe it. We introduced the first racing LS block [under the RHS brand] last year. We're working really hard to develop this foundation for racing. I expect the platform will be fully integrated with mainstream racing within two years. Ask me this again come SEMA time!



I'm telling you, racing drives both the performance aftermarket and future OEM developments. The LS1 itself was based on successful designs born through racing. The LS rectangular cylinder port (LS7 and LS3) are almost line-for-line copies of the NASCAR Buick heads used by Bobby Allison. Seriously,if you don't believe me, take a look a how the intake gasket from the NASCAR Buick head fits an LS7 head EXACTLY, line-for-line on the ports and even the bolt holes are perfectly in place. That port was born in racing and became the standard port on GM’s LS3 and LS7.





Reese promises that the EZ EFI takes the voodoo black magic out of converting your carbureted muscle car to fuel injection with a painless, effortless plug-and-play replacement package.



powerTV: That being said, from your experience, what are the pros and cons of cathedral port, rectangle port, and raised rectangle (LS7) ports from a manifold, head, and cam design?



Reese: The offset rocker heads are much better, as the port improves dramatically. Rolling the valve angle on the LS7 and raising the port is further improvement. These are well established cylinder head design improvement steps, so no surprise that they work great. The only real con I can think of is the expense of swapping manifolds and rockers to work with the LS3 or LS7 heads. The pros are obvious, the LS3 and LS7 heads are far superior. The bigger port volume will support larger cubic inch too.



powerTV: What has it that you guys saw as the prevailing combination (cam, valve train, heads) for aftermarket forced induction on an LS motor? What would be some improvements to these?



Reese: Hottest trend is the LSR cam series. These camshafts have been very specifically tailored for niche engine specs. For instance, we have different cams for each type of forced induction, which specifically compliment the characteristics of that configurations; we offer centrifical blower, roots blower, rear mount turbo, etc. Our lobe profiles update as fast as we can generate cylinder heads and valve springs which demand more aggressive design. I can promise the heads and springs will never leapfrog the cam lobes, we have lobes that exceed both today.





This computer design showcases RHS' architecture for its first race-bred LS block which the CPG brand launched last year.



powerTV: GM's LQ4 iron block (with LS heads) is quickly becoming a favorite among those using forced induction; can you educate us why the LQ4 is so good for boost?



Reese: Simply because it is cast iron. It is almost the same dimensionally as the aluminum, but made from cast iron, making it that much stronger. A good block yes, but still just an OEM block, never intended to be boosted and limited to 4 head bolts per cylinder. For high levels of boost, aftermarket blocks such as the RHS LS Race block with 6-head bolts per cylinder are still preferred, as they have been engineering specifically for duty in extreme boost and racing applications.



powerTV: Obviously, there's a big curve of how far enthusiasts will push their LS-powered "driver." What thought goes into developing products that can appeal to nearly every range of performance enthusiast (from the daily driver to the all-out hard core racer)?



Reese: We deal with this every day. Most of our divisions cater to everyone, from street enthusiast through professional racer, but most of our business is street/strip because the market is far larger than professional racing. We're very well represented in all forms of racing, though, but racing all combined is still smaller than the street/strip customer base, simple fact. We enjoy both and both receive equal efforts and enthusiasm. The LS is probably the most universal engine in that street/strip and professional race parts are mostly interchangeable. A 1,000hp street LS engine is fairly simple and common.





With a wide variety of cam profiles for the performance LSX enthusiast on hand and a rich catalog of unique or custom cam grind data at their fingertips, we can provide an ideal camshaft for nearly any combination imaginable.



powerTV: So, from a cam perspective, if you have the same spec engine in a LS and SBC configuration, how do you engineer their profiles (does LS motors like more lift, duration, etc. and why)?



Reese: It is more important to compare head characteristics than engine "type." Most LS and SBC heads are vastly different. The lift number depends on various inputs and objectives, but generically speaking it will be governed by the flow characteristic of the head. If airflow stalls at .500 lift, there isn’t going to be much reason to open the valve to .650 lift. Duration is going to be driven by RPM range and engine duty or objective, but will also be dependent on the head flow characteristics and bore/stroke. Induction type is critical to selecting the cam design, will be dependent on carb, EFI, turbo, blower, nitrous, etc.



powerTV: You bring up a good point; the future of performance GM engines appears to be in forced induction. If that's so, what do you foresee the aftermarket coming out with to improve upon factory-supercharged engines?



Reese: Better superchargers and intercoolers for one; and the infrastructure of the engine sufficient to support higher levels of boost. The 6-bolt heads and blocks in the aftermarket are a direct response to increased demand for boost.





FAST's LSX intake has been a boon for performance-seeking LS-powered car enthusiasts, offering more intake volume and greater overall horsepower and torque than factory manifolds.



powerTV: FAST's LS manifolds have been pretty successful, implying that there's some power to be hand with changing the intake manifold. What was the biggest challenge in getting the LS manifold to make power?



Reese: The biggest challenge is staying within the physical envelope available for a manifold based on the packaging of all relevant vehicles, and making a design that is easily compatible with over 13 years worth of models (1997-2010). The making power end of it isn’t the hard part! Packaging and bending tubes to fit is extremely hard. Bends in runners are death to performance, but a necessity when it comes to any car with a hood!



powerTV: So then, how has the aftermarket encouraged the general interest in LS performance to grow?



Reese: For us, our general willingness to take risks and bring new products to market is what drives us to support the LS platform. Our LS growth has been phenomenal. To support this momentum, we've got a large portion of our team working practically full time on LS projects. The LS is the SBC of today and we fully expect its legacy to continue on a rapid path. It only took 10 years to cover the same ground with aftermarket performance parts as it took nearly 40 years to accomplish on the traditional SBC. Mainstream racing is coming, and coming fast. I expect LS engines will have a dominating presence in racing within five years.




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]]> Interviews Kevin Shaw http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/10-questions-comps-brian-reese-lsx-2775.html <![CDATA[Q&A: Bill Mitchell Sr. discusses World Products Engine Builder Program]]> http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/q-bill-mitchell-sr-discusses-world-2687.html Tue, 18 May 2010 21:01:40 GMT Undoubtedly, anyone who considers themselves a "car guy," especially one with a love for big horsepower, is familiar with World Products. If not, you've seriously been barking up the wrong tree. World Products was formed in 1987 by noted engine builder Bill Mitchell Sr. in an effort to fill the performance void. Working to develop and produce an affordable cast iron cylinder head for performance enthusiasts, Mitchell offered the Dart II small block Chevrolet cylinder head.

Since then, World Products has churned out countless lines of successful products including complete crate engines for performance machines. Big block Chevrolet enthusiasts were targeted next with World's Merlin series of cylinder heads and engine blocks. Today, the line has expanded to include both aluminum and cast iron blocks and cylinder heads, followed by a line of intake manifolds.


Image courtesy of World Products

Since it's humble beginnings, World Products has successfully created a trusted and valued name for itself thanks to its broad range of performance engines and associated components for nearly any make and application. Blue Oval loyalists were wowed by the Man O’ War replacement blocks for Ford 302/351 engines, while late-model GM enthusiasts were entreated with the Warhawk line of blocks and cylinder heads for GM LS1 ad LS7 engines. Recently, World Products turned its attention to the Mopar enthusiasts by casting iron, aluminum and composite HEMI and Wedge blocks.


World's 572 Merlin engine continues as one of World's most popular crate engines. All Merlin motors use on the best internal components from the aftermarket like of ARP, Clevite, Eagle, Fel-Pro, Mahle, Manley, Moroso and MSD. And, of course, each Merlin 572 is assembled by experienced, professional engine builders, carefully broken in, and dyno tested.

"We have put about 4,000 engines into the system out of our own shop, and we have more than 10,000 dyno pulls on those combinations," explained Mitchell. "So particularly when you get into some of the more popular ones, some of them have had 400 dyno pulls. So the numbers are there - we know what they do.”

In 2009, World Products announced a completely new approach to conducting business with the announcement of the World Engine Builder Program. For years, Mitchell and crew heard the complaints of fellow engine builders that World Products and Bill Mitchell Hardcore – which served as both a supplier and a competitor to them – was simply too big for them to compete with. In response and after much consideration, they turned over the consumer end of their business to a nationwide network of engine builders that purchase World Products parts. The program allows all selected engine builders access to all of World's resources to build any of World's listed crate engines.

We spoke with Bill Mitchell Sr. to learn more about the Engine Builder Program and what it offers their customers.

PowerTV: This is a huge change in how you do business, can you explain exactly what is the Engine Builder Program?

Bill Mitchell: "The program is the last 20 years worth of engines that we’ve built, the bill of materials, and so forth, that we’ve turned over to engine builders that buy parts from us. We stopped competing with the customer and we gave the customer the work. We still promote the business as usual, but everything that we have is available to the engine builders. I guess you would say the business side of an engine is more difficult than the mechanical side.

"There are about 85 line items in an engine, so the average engine builder has to sit down and order 85 different parts. What we’ve done is set up a group of warehouses that have the same bill of materials that are made available to the engine builders in the program, and the builder, so he chooses, can call any of the warehouses and order all 85 parts on a single invoice.

"We got tired of the engine builders at the trade shows coming up and telling us we were too big of a competitor to them. Which, I’m going to say we were. We were selling 600-700 engines a year."


Bill Mitchell Sr. flanked by the Warhawk 427 and World's stellar 528 cui all-aluminum HEMI, the two producing a combined 1300 horsepower!

PowerTV: OK, so how does an engine builder to become a part of the program?

Bill Mitchell: "He has to buy casting packages from us. Meaning, if you just buy engine blocks, you don’t qualify. If you buy engine blocks, cylinder heads, and manifolds, you qualify. How many packages you buy determines your rating. There are several different ratings, One-, Two-, and Three-star. Right now there are about 38 engine builders in the program.

"We create the demand, but the deal that an engine builder creates, when a customer calls and shops a builder for price, he’s got to be competitive on the pricing. The response from the engine builders has been awesome. We’ve really tried to analyze this a lot, and the only thing we can come up with is that the consumers will shop locations, because there are just an ungodly amount of quirks from engine builder to engine builders. And everybody in the program is getting sales. I mean everybody’s happy with it."


World's 427 Cruiser engine packs a helluva punch for a small block. Available in several configurations, World's Motown small blocks range from a 495hp street motor to a 680hp high-compression race engine. Those looking to loose almost 100 lbs., World's aluminum block option is ideal for those who seek "optimum acceleration, braking and handling."

PowerTV: How does the program benefit racers out there? I mean, these are a lot of options to build and assemble engines.

Bill Mitchell: "The customer now has choice. He has choice of location and price. When we were building the engines, we didn’t deviate whatsoever on the combination. Every engine was exactly like the one from the catalog, and we could build them for you ahead of time and put them in stock at places like Jeg’s and so forth. Whatever it said in the catalog, that’s what you got.

"If you wanted to put a different piston in or something, you couldn’t do that. But now you can. The consumer now has lots of choice on the combination, he can positively shop price. I mean so far, to the consumer, it seems like a home run."


Engine builders like ProMar Performance Engines now can build "official" World Products performance engines using all of the same resources, data and materials - providing more localized service.

PowerTV: Is there a universal sort of tech support for customers amongst the builders in the program?

Bill Mitchell: "Well, we have one guy that was our lead assembler, he’s on extension 35 and all the engine builders have his extension and that’s who they talk to. So the same guy that ran the shop is available to the engine builders. If you were an engine builder, ever bit of tech that was available to our employees in the shop when we were building an engine would be available to you, and the consumer has the same amount of tech that he’s always had. We’ll refer a guy to an engine builder near his location, but we don’t prefer any one over the other."

PowerTV: Is there an open dialogue on your products between the engine builders?

Bill Mitchell: "You know I really don’t know. Whether they are speaking to each other, I really have no way of knowing that. Knowing them and being in the engine building business myself, none of them speak to each other. They all think that they know everything. That would be great if they did, but you and I both know that they don’t; they are all competing with each other."


Famed performance gurus, Detroit Competition Engineering too have joined the ranks of the World Engine Builder Program. This allows regional builders to provide better customer service and improved client one-on-one communication to provide them with the best package to suit their needs.

PowerTV: Can the engine builders stray off the beaten path and perform any modifications to the engines?

Bill Mitchell: "Absolutely! We know that there’s a couple of builders that build them exactly to a 'T' as our bill of materials, and to be honest, they are the smarter ones because people have run thousands of them and we know what they do. But most of the guys all think they are better than anybody, and they all modify them. As long as that’s between them and the customer. Once they get the sale, it’s a relationship between them and the customer. We’re just helping them get the sale."

PowerTV: Do you monitor in some way the work of the engine builders in order to maintain a positive quality level?

Bill Mitchell: "We try and urge the customers to send in pictures of their rides and tell us who is building the engines. The program is pretty new so we don’t have enough feedback yet, but when we do we are actually going to add feedback comments on the website. But we want to make it where for the engine builder, its in his best interest to get the guy to send in the pictures of his car and brag about the engine and the engine builder. If any breakage were to occur with our engines, we’d probably be hearing about it the second phone call right after they call the engine builder. And so far we haven’t had any of that happen."

PowerTV: What do you see in the future for this program and for World Products?

Bill Mitchell: "I think we’ll just see where it goes. I’ve been listening to engine builders for 15 years tell us that we’re competing against them, well now we’re giving them all the business. So we’re giving them what they ask for, let’s see where it goes. So far, so good.

"We have had literally hundreds, maybe thousands of consumers call and ask for the bill of materials that is only available to the engine builders, and we are going to print the bill of materials and put them on the website for sale. We think if we can sell those, it’ll inspire them to go to the engine builder even more. So that’s something will be available in the next 60-90 days."

In Conclusion
So, if you’re a self proclaimed "car guy" and more specifically, a high performance enthusiast looking for a powerful crate engine for your ride, project vehicle or restoration, you have now have more options than ever to get your hands on World Products’ reliable and proven line of engines and components. Through your local racing engine builder, you can have access to famed engine builder Bill Mitchell Sr.'s years of racing experience to provide you with the best power combination imaginable for your project. No guessing. No wasted time and effort. This is the nation-wide, customizable powertrain service that you've been waiting for!

]]> Undoubtedly, anyone who considers themselves a "car guy," especially one with a love for big horsepower, is familiar with World Products. If not, you've seriously been barking up the wrong tree. World Products was formed in 1987 by noted engine builder Bill Mitchell Sr. in an effort to fill the performance void. Working to develop and produce an affordable cast iron cylinder head for performance enthusiasts, Mitchell offered the Dart II small block Chevrolet cylinder head.



Since then, World Products has churned out countless lines of successful products including complete crate engines for performance machines. Big block Chevrolet enthusiasts were targeted next with World's Merlin series of cylinder heads and engine blocks. Today, the line has expanded to include both aluminum and cast iron blocks and cylinder heads, followed by a line of intake manifolds.





Image courtesy of World Products



Since it's humble beginnings, World Products has successfully created a trusted and valued name for itself thanks to its broad range of performance engines and associated components for nearly any make and application. Blue Oval loyalists were wowed by the Man O’ War replacement blocks for Ford 302/351 engines, while late-model GM enthusiasts were entreated with the Warhawk line of blocks and cylinder heads for GM LS1 ad LS7 engines. Recently, World Products turned its attention to the Mopar enthusiasts by casting iron, aluminum and composite HEMI and Wedge blocks.





World's 572 Merlin engine continues as one of World's most popular crate engines. All Merlin motors use on the best internal components from the aftermarket like of ARP, Clevite, Eagle, Fel-Pro, Mahle, Manley, Moroso and MSD. And, of course, each Merlin 572 is assembled by experienced, professional engine builders, carefully broken in, and dyno tested.



"We have put about 4,000 engines into the system out of our own shop, and we have more than 10,000 dyno pulls on those combinations," explained Mitchell. "So particularly when you get into some of the more popular ones, some of them have had 400 dyno pulls. So the numbers are there - we know what they do.”



In 2009, World Products announced a completely new approach to conducting business with the announcement of the World Engine Builder Program. For years, Mitchell and crew heard the complaints of fellow engine builders that World Products and Bill Mitchell Hardcore – which served as both a supplier and a competitor to them – was simply too big for them to compete with. In response and after much consideration, they turned over the consumer end of their business to a nationwide network of engine builders that purchase World Products parts. The program allows all selected engine builders access to all of World's resources to build any of World's listed crate engines.



We spoke with Bill Mitchell Sr. to learn more about the Engine Builder Program and what it offers their customers.



PowerTV: This is a huge change in how you do business, can you explain exactly what is the Engine Builder Program?



Bill Mitchell: "The program is the last 20 years worth of engines that we’ve built, the bill of materials, and so forth, that we’ve turned over to engine builders that buy parts from us. We stopped competing with the customer and we gave the customer the work. We still promote the business as usual, but everything that we have is available to the engine builders. I guess you would say the business side of an engine is more difficult than the mechanical side.



"There are about 85 line items in an engine, so the average engine builder has to sit down and order 85 different parts. What we’ve done is set up a group of warehouses that have the same bill of materials that are made available to the engine builders in the program, and the builder, so he chooses, can call any of the warehouses and order all 85 parts on a single invoice.



"We got tired of the engine builders at the trade shows coming up and telling us we were too big of a competitor to them. Which, I’m going to say we were. We were selling 600-700 engines a year."





Bill Mitchell Sr. flanked by the Warhawk 427 and World's stellar 528 cui all-aluminum HEMI, the two producing a combined 1300 horsepower!



PowerTV: OK, so how does an engine builder to become a part of the program?



Bill Mitchell: "He has to buy casting packages from us. Meaning, if you just buy engine blocks, you don’t qualify. If you buy engine blocks, cylinder heads, and manifolds, you qualify. How many packages you buy determines your rating. There are several different ratings, One-, Two-, and Three-star. Right now there are about 38 engine builders in the program.



"We create the demand, but the deal that an engine builder creates, when a customer calls and shops a builder for price, he’s got to be competitive on the pricing. The response from the engine builders has been awesome. We’ve really tried to analyze this a lot, and the only thing we can come up with is that the consumers will shop locations, because there are just an ungodly amount of quirks from engine builder to engine builders. And everybody in the program is getting sales. I mean everybody’s happy with it."





World's 427 Cruiser engine packs a helluva punch for a small block. Available in several configurations, World's Motown small blocks range from a 495hp street motor to a 680hp high-compression race engine. Those looking to loose almost 100 lbs., World's aluminum block option is ideal for those who seek "optimum acceleration, braking and handling."



PowerTV: How does the program benefit racers out there? I mean, these are a lot of options to build and assemble engines.



Bill Mitchell: "The customer now has choice. He has choice of location and price. When we were building the engines, we didn’t deviate whatsoever on the combination. Every engine was exactly like the one from the catalog, and we could build them for you ahead of time and put them in stock at places like Jeg’s and so forth. Whatever it said in the catalog, that’s what you got.



"If you wanted to put a different piston in or something, you couldn’t do that. But now you can. The consumer now has lots of choice on the combination, he can positively shop price. I mean so far, to the consumer, it seems like a home run."





Engine builders like ProMar Performance Engines now can build "official" World Products performance engines using all of the same resources, data and materials - providing more localized service.



PowerTV: Is there a universal sort of tech support for customers amongst the builders in the program?



Bill Mitchell: "Well, we have one guy that was our lead assembler, he’s on extension 35 and all the engine builders have his extension and that’s who they talk to. So the same guy that ran the shop is available to the engine builders. If you were an engine builder, ever bit of tech that was available to our employees in the shop when we were building an engine would be available to you, and the consumer has the same amount of tech that he’s always had. We’ll refer a guy to an engine builder near his location, but we don’t prefer any one over the other."



PowerTV: Is there an open dialogue on your products between the engine builders?



Bill Mitchell: "You know I really don’t know. Whether they are speaking to each other, I really have no way of knowing that. Knowing them and being in the engine building business myself, none of them speak to each other. They all think that they know everything. That would be great if they did, but you and I both know that they don’t; they are all competing with each other."





Famed performance gurus, Detroit Competition Engineering too have joined the ranks of the World Engine Builder Program. This allows regional builders to provide better customer service and improved client one-on-one communication to provide them with the best package to suit their needs.



PowerTV: Can the engine builders stray off the beaten path and perform any modifications to the engines?



Bill Mitchell: "Absolutely! We know that there’s a couple of builders that build them exactly to a 'T' as our bill of materials, and to be honest, they are the smarter ones because people have run thousands of them and we know what they do. But most of the guys all think they are better than anybody, and they all modify them. As long as that’s between them and the customer. Once they get the sale, it’s a relationship between them and the customer. We’re just helping them get the sale."



PowerTV: Do you monitor in some way the work of the engine builders in order to maintain a positive quality level?



Bill Mitchell: "We try and urge the customers to send in pictures of their rides and tell us who is building the engines. The program is pretty new so we don’t have enough feedback yet, but when we do we are actually going to add feedback comments on the website. But we want to make it where for the engine builder, its in his best interest to get the guy to send in the pictures of his car and brag about the engine and the engine builder. If any breakage were to occur with our engines, we’d probably be hearing about it the second phone call right after they call the engine builder. And so far we haven’t had any of that happen."



PowerTV: What do you see in the future for this program and for World Products?



Bill Mitchell: "I think we’ll just see where it goes. I’ve been listening to engine builders for 15 years tell us that we’re competing against them, well now we’re giving them all the business. So we’re giving them what they ask for, let’s see where it goes. So far, so good.



"We have had literally hundreds, maybe thousands of consumers call and ask for the bill of materials that is only available to the engine builders, and we are going to print the bill of materials and put them on the website for sale. We think if we can sell those, it’ll inspire them to go to the engine builder even more. So that’s something will be available in the next 60-90 days."



In Conclusion

So, if you’re a self proclaimed "car guy" and more specifically, a high performance enthusiast looking for a powerful crate engine for your ride, project vehicle or restoration, you have now have more options than ever to get your hands on World Products’ reliable and proven line of engines and components. Through your local racing engine builder, you can have access to famed engine builder Bill Mitchell Sr.'s years of racing experience to provide you with the best power combination imaginable for your project. No guessing. No wasted time and effort. This is the nation-wide, customizable powertrain service that you've been waiting for!




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]]> Interviews Drew http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/q-bill-mitchell-sr-discusses-world-2687.html <![CDATA[Robin Lawrence breaks into the 10's with LSA-powered 2010 Camaro]]> http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/robin-lawrence-breaks-into-10s-lsa-2576.html Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:46:46 GMT “Uncle Robin” Lawrence has spent his life entrenched in the high performance automotive world. For more than a decade, he has been a mainstay and one of the most well-known names in street legal drag racing with the NMCA and NMRA series, first competing in the EFI index class before competing in Factory Stock, Real Street, and most recently, Nostalgia Pro Street. Along the way, his cars have been testbeds for several manufacturers, and his expertise in the automotive aftermarket industry has graced the pages of many publications over the years.



In 2008, Robin, at the insisting of his good friend and former race announcer Dr. Jamie Mayer, embarked on a project in conjunction with Hot Rod Magazine involving a new 2010 Camaro in which he would replace the stock LS3 engine with a Cadillac CTS-V LSA mill.

Lawrence spent much of 2009 tweaking on the new GM muscle car, swapping out aftermarket bolt-on parts and trying to find the right combination, all while working closely with Hot Rod editorially as a “Test Car” of sorts. After making some more adjustments over the winter, he made a stop at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky on his way to the inaugural Camaro5 event in Cecil, Georgia this past weekend. There he ripped off the cars’ first sub 11-second pass, a 10.92 at 125.95 MPH, before making it official with a string of high 10-second runs in Georgia.

PowerTV spoke with Robin about his racing endeavours, the Camaro project car, and his experience at this past weekends inaugural Camaro5 event in Georgia.

PowerTV: We haven’t seen you on the NMCA or NMRA trail in some time. What have you been up to?

Robin Lawrence: Actually, on the NMRA trail, I was at the Bradenton race, and had worked with Dan Baumann on his combination, and he qualified #1 in Real Street and runner-up’ed, and also with Crag Baldwin on his Real Street combination. With Craig more of a consulting role and with Dan more of a crew chief and consultant so to speak.

We had the Camaro at Memphis last year, at the Finals. We really ran out of time and the availability on components really hurt us, but we really didn’t have the combination sorted out and that kept us from showing our real potentional.



PowerTV: Do you plan on returning to competitive, heads-up racing?

Robin Lawrence: Yeah. This Camaro project that we talked about this weekend, was basically tying up some loose ends from when I was sponsored by GM Performance Parts. That Camaro is actually going to be put back to 99% stock. So my priority, once we wrap up that Camaro, which we’re doing now, is to race the LSX Nova. I’ve been doing some dyno testing with the Nova with another engine, and we just received another intake manifold from Hughes Racing Enterprises, and we’re converting that car over to the new Holley Dominator EFI Fuel Injection system. The car has been in and we’ve run it before in Nostalgia Pro Street, so we’re going to stay in that class. We’re going to try to hit some of the True Street series events, and then whatever NMCA races are within an eight hour driving distance.

PowerTV: Tell us a little about your 2010 Camaro project.

Robin Lawrence: Originally, with the Camaro project, what we wanted to do was take a brand new Camaro and do some performance enhancements in what a typical average guy might install on his Camaro. And we wanted to discuss that and share in some of the passion and excitement that the new Camaro is bringing about, and just showcase those modifications editorially at different events to try to share with other people what we’re doing and what the possibilities are with the new Camaro.

We ordered the car in October of 2008, and our car was produced on the second day of production…it's VIN number 219. It was originally ordered as a yellow car, and at the SEMA show, Hot Rod Magazine decided they wanted to follow or cover some of those modifications in several parts.

If you remember the Hot Rod test car back in 1967, they had a '67 Camaro they did all kinds of modifications to. Well, Hot Rod wanted to model that, and so they basically said we’ll layout a plan of normal, typical components and modifications, and dyno’ing and track testing. Drag Radials, cold air intake, headers, catback exhaust, and things like that.

We ran the car with various stages of nitrous, header configurations, two different camshafts, cylinder heads, different intakes, different exhaust systems, an by the time we got done with the naturally aspirated side of it, we were about 464 horsepower at the wheels, and when we sprayed it, around 515 horsepower at the wheels.



PowerTV: Why the decision to put an LSA-based motor in the Camaro?

Robin Lawrence: The rumors after the bankruptcy were that they had discussed a Z28 prior to the bankruptcy. When all the stuff was coming down, from what I was told, that whole project was canceled, it was gone. Later on, there were more rumors that that project may get revived, and some of them that we were hearing was that the serious contender to be installed in a Z28 would be the LSA, Cadillac CTS-V engine. And so, the thought process was, hey, let’s put one of these engines in the car and show people what the potential of the LSA engine is.

It was funny, in the original conversations. Dr. Jamie Meyer wanted me to turn the earth, with three stages of nitrous and compound superchargers…whatever it took the haul ass. So we really never got a baseline with a stock CTS-V engine. I was going right for what the average guy would bolt onto his Z28 engine…heads, cam, pulleys, cylinder heads, fuel system.



PowerTV: What challenges did you encounter with the LSA swap and trying to put the car into the 10’s?

Robin Lawrence: The big thing with any heavy car - and we fought this problem with the six-speed manual from the factory – if the car is 4000-plus pounds and has a 3.45 gear, getting the car to launch with that heavy of a car and use the clutch was extremely stressful on the clutch. Automatic cars fair just a little bit better because they have a stiffer first gear ratio plus you have the potential slippage of the torque converter to get the car out of the hole. The big problem with that is the 6L80 is not a performance transmission. So, we decided that what we would do is put a 6L80E transmission in the car. Putting that in the car probably solved 50% of our problems.

The biggest physical issue with putting the LSA engine in the Camaro is the upper intercooler top hits the cowl section, and so that needed to be modified, sectioned, re-welded, move the intercooler, and relocate the inlet and outlet lines for the water for the intercooler.

Other than that, the CTS-V, the stack on the pulley system is like a Corvette, so its very close-lock, whereas the Camaro is like a truck, which is [the] furthest away from the block of all three. And so the only issue I had was not being able to reinstall either one of my air conditioning compressors from the LS3 or the CTS-V. Otherwise, the alternator plugged in, I had to fabricate some couplers for the power steering, but other than that, everything was pretty elementary.

PowerTV: What role has your relationship with GMPP played in this project?

Robin Lawrence: It was a project that was brainstormed by Dr. Jamie Meyer [of GMPP]. Really, other than providing the engine, their role was mainly a parts and components supplier. As far as technical advice, there was little or none.



PowerTV: How was your experience at the Camaro5 event?

Robin Lawrence: Not too bad. Got to meet some very nice people. The industry seems to be very upbeat because the vendors didn’t hold anything back. A lot of the players in this type of industry were present. I think the car show, dragstrip, and the autocross were utilized. There were definitely a few kinks in the situation, however, the weather was beautiful, and people had a great time going down the dragstrip. It really underscored the passion that is out there for the new Camaro.

Current car specifications:

• GMPP CTS-V LSA Crate engine
• Kooks headers and full exhaust system
• Lunati cam
• GMPP CNC cylinder heads
• Performance Transmissions 4L80E transmission
• ProTorque converter with 4000 RPM stall
• Lingenfelter pulley system, 63-pound injectors, fuel pump, blower coupler, and intercooler
• ATI balancer with 10% overdrive
• Bosch intercooler pump
• 100% stock rearend
• One piece Jerry Bickel-built driveshaft
• Stock starter
• Abaco Mass air meter
• Mickey Thompson 305/45/18 ET Drag Radial tires
• VP 100 unleaded fuel
• Tuned with HP Tuners tuning software

]]> “Uncle Robin” Lawrence has spent his life entrenched in the high performance automotive world. For more than a decade, he has been a mainstay and one of the most well-known names in street legal drag racing with the NMCA and NMRA series, first competing in the EFI index class before competing in Factory Stock, Real Street, and most recently, Nostalgia Pro Street. Along the way, his cars have been testbeds for several manufacturers, and his expertise in the automotive aftermarket industry has graced the pages of many publications over the years.







In 2008, Robin, at the insisting of his good friend and former race announcer Dr. Jamie Mayer, embarked on a project in conjunction with Hot Rod Magazine involving a new 2010 Camaro in which he would replace the stock LS3 engine with a Cadillac CTS-V LSA mill.



Lawrence spent much of 2009 tweaking on the new GM muscle car, swapping out aftermarket bolt-on parts and trying to find the right combination, all while working closely with Hot Rod editorially as a “Test Car” of sorts. After making some more adjustments over the winter, he made a stop at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky on his way to the inaugural Camaro5 event in Cecil, Georgia this past weekend. There he ripped off the cars’ first sub 11-second pass, a 10.92 at 125.95 MPH, before making it official with a string of high 10-second runs in Georgia.



PowerTV spoke with Robin about his racing endeavours, the Camaro project car, and his experience at this past weekends inaugural Camaro5 event in Georgia.



PowerTV: We haven’t seen you on the NMCA or NMRA trail in some time. What have you been up to?



Robin Lawrence: Actually, on the NMRA trail, I was at the Bradenton race, and had worked with Dan Baumann on his combination, and he qualified #1 in Real Street and runner-up’ed, and also with Crag Baldwin on his Real Street combination. With Craig more of a consulting role and with Dan more of a crew chief and consultant so to speak.



We had the Camaro at Memphis last year, at the Finals. We really ran out of time and the availability on components really hurt us, but we really didn’t have the combination sorted out and that kept us from showing our real potentional.







PowerTV: Do you plan on returning to competitive, heads-up racing?



Robin Lawrence: Yeah. This Camaro project that we talked about this weekend, was basically tying up some loose ends from when I was sponsored by GM Performance Parts. That Camaro is actually going to be put back to 99% stock. So my priority, once we wrap up that Camaro, which we’re doing now, is to race the LSX Nova. I’ve been doing some dyno testing with the Nova with another engine, and we just received another intake manifold from Hughes Racing Enterprises, and we’re converting that car over to the new Holley Dominator EFI Fuel Injection system. The car has been in and we’ve run it before in Nostalgia Pro Street, so we’re going to stay in that class. We’re going to try to hit some of the True Street series events, and then whatever NMCA races are within an eight hour driving distance.



PowerTV: Tell us a little about your 2010 Camaro project.



Robin Lawrence: Originally, with the Camaro project, what we wanted to do was take a brand new Camaro and do some performance enhancements in what a typical average guy might install on his Camaro. And we wanted to discuss that and share in some of the passion and excitement that the new Camaro is bringing about, and just showcase those modifications editorially at different events to try to share with other people what we’re doing and what the possibilities are with the new Camaro.



We ordered the car in October of 2008, and our car was produced on the second day of production…it's VIN number 219. It was originally ordered as a yellow car, and at the SEMA show, Hot Rod Magazine decided they wanted to follow or cover some of those modifications in several parts.



If you remember the Hot Rod test car back in 1967, they had a '67 Camaro they did all kinds of modifications to. Well, Hot Rod wanted to model that, and so they basically said we’ll layout a plan of normal, typical components and modifications, and dyno’ing and track testing. Drag Radials, cold air intake, headers, catback exhaust, and things like that.



We ran the car with various stages of nitrous, header configurations, two different camshafts, cylinder heads, different intakes, different exhaust systems, an by the time we got done with the naturally aspirated side of it, we were about 464 horsepower at the wheels, and when we sprayed it, around 515 horsepower at the wheels.







PowerTV: Why the decision to put an LSA-based motor in the Camaro?



Robin Lawrence: The rumors after the bankruptcy were that they had discussed a Z28 prior to the bankruptcy. When all the stuff was coming down, from what I was told, that whole project was canceled, it was gone. Later on, there were more rumors that that project may get revived, and some of them that we were hearing was that the serious contender to be installed in a Z28 would be the LSA, Cadillac CTS-V engine. And so, the thought process was, hey, let’s put one of these engines in the car and show people what the potential of the LSA engine is.



It was funny, in the original conversations. Dr. Jamie Meyer wanted me to turn the earth, with three stages of nitrous and compound superchargers…whatever it took the haul ass. So we really never got a baseline with a stock CTS-V engine. I was going right for what the average guy would bolt onto his Z28 engine…heads, cam, pulleys, cylinder heads, fuel system.







PowerTV: What challenges did you encounter with the LSA swap and trying to put the car into the 10’s?



Robin Lawrence: The big thing with any heavy car - and we fought this problem with the six-speed manual from the factory – if the car is 4000-plus pounds and has a 3.45 gear, getting the car to launch with that heavy of a car and use the clutch was extremely stressful on the clutch. Automatic cars fair just a little bit better because they have a stiffer first gear ratio plus you have the potential slippage of the torque converter to get the car out of the hole. The big problem with that is the 6L80 is not a performance transmission. So, we decided that what we would do is put a 6L80E transmission in the car. Putting that in the car probably solved 50% of our problems.



The biggest physical issue with putting the LSA engine in the Camaro is the upper intercooler top hits the cowl section, and so that needed to be modified, sectioned, re-welded, move the intercooler, and relocate the inlet and outlet lines for the water for the intercooler.



Other than that, the CTS-V, the stack on the pulley system is like a Corvette, so its very close-lock, whereas the Camaro is like a truck, which is [the] furthest away from the block of all three. And so the only issue I had was not being able to reinstall either one of my air conditioning compressors from the LS3 or the CTS-V. Otherwise, the alternator plugged in, I had to fabricate some couplers for the power steering, but other than that, everything was pretty elementary.



PowerTV: What role has your relationship with GMPP played in this project?



Robin Lawrence: It was a project that was brainstormed by Dr. Jamie Meyer [of GMPP]. Really, other than providing the engine, their role was mainly a parts and components supplier. As far as technical advice, there was little or none.







PowerTV: How was your experience at the Camaro5 event?



Robin Lawrence: Not too bad. Got to meet some very nice people. The industry seems to be very upbeat because the vendors didn’t hold anything back. A lot of the players in this type of industry were present. I think the car show, dragstrip, and the autocross were utilized. There were definitely a few kinks in the situation, however, the weather was beautiful, and people had a great time going down the dragstrip. It really underscored the passion that is out there for the new Camaro.



Current car specifications:



• GMPP CTS-V LSA Crate engine

• Kooks headers and full exhaust system

• Lunati cam

• GMPP CNC cylinder heads

• Performance Transmissions 4L80E transmission

• ProTorque converter with 4000 RPM stall

• Lingenfelter pulley system, 63-pound injectors, fuel pump, blower coupler, and intercooler

• ATI balancer with 10% overdrive

• Bosch intercooler pump

• 100% stock rearend

• One piece Jerry Bickel-built driveshaft

• Stock starter

• Abaco Mass air meter

• Mickey Thompson 305/45/18 ET Drag Radial tires

• VP 100 unleaded fuel

• Tuned with HP Tuners tuning software




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]]> Interviews Drew http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/robin-lawrence-breaks-into-10s-lsa-2576.html