Seems to me this is your problem and if so, not sure why you're sending it all back to the factory.

When figuring out displacements, the Warhawk's 9.240-inch-deck block allows for a 4.000-inch stroke, which yields a maximum displacement of 404 ci (with 4.125-inch bores). The 9.80-inch deck enables a whopping 4.500-inch stroke, which, when combined with 4.125-inch bores, delivers a big-block-like 454 cubes. Because the tall-deck block pushes the heads farther apart, spacers are needed to run production-type intake manifolds. To anyone who's familiar with World Products' capabilities, it should come as no surprise to learn the company offers the spacers, as well as heads themselves. In fact, World manufactures two LS-style heads: the cathedral-port LS1X heads and the rectangular-port LS7X.

 

This is not a tall deck block, which is not needed to obtain 427 cubic inches. This is a standard LS7X block with standard LS7X heads. Deck Height is 9.240 inches. Bore/Stroke is 4.125” x 4.000".

Also, practically speaking, if this were in fact a tall deck block, the intake manifold would be more NARROW then the head spacing, putting the mounting bolts to the INSIDE of the mounting holes on the head, not WIDER as it is in this instance. Those spacers mentioned are needed because of this fact. If those spacers were put onto the heads on my engine, it would make the problem WORSE, pushing the intake manifold even further out of alignment.

So how can my getting a LS7X block with LS7X heads that won't accept a standard LS7 intake manifold be MY problem?

 

Hi Rich, I feel for you hang in there man. Hopefully this will be something you look back at and laugh about as you are breaking the tires loose at 90mph.

 

So yeah, this really does **** me off. I know some guys seem to be OK with having their car in the shop for months on end, but I'm just not that way. I told the builder (XtremeMotorsports in Blountstown, FL) that I would pay for everything up front, to have everything at the shop so I could pull the car in, have the swap done, and be out with minimal down time. This heads/intake problem sure screwed that up.

I don't think guys are ok with having their cars in shops for months it just that they seem to have you over a barrel when your cars in a thousand pieces. I feel your pain because I've been there. It gets old real quick when you just keep forking over cash and have nothing to play with. Good luck.

 

Perhaps the answer is to not pay in advance. Getting the money AFTER everything is finished would be a powerful incentive to hurry it up. Within reason, of course.

If not for this intake manifold problem, I think I would have my car through the engine break-in period by now.

In any event, I've gotten an email from Bryan at LME today, and he is claiming that the procedure he recommended to repair those intake mounting holes on the heads would actually strengthen them, not weaken them, and that this is a common practice that they do. My reply was that regardless, I will have a problem psychologically with this in that I will always feel that I have defective heads that were repaired, instead of an engine that was 100 percent without manufacturing defects from the start. Evidently those bolt holes were drilled and tapped by World Products and LME is awaiting a response from them about what they intend to do about their error in machining these heads. Left unsaid was what LME would do if World Products just thumbs their nose at this problem.

Oh, for some reason the shipping involved some undisclosed delay, so that engine will be arriving tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Just more icing on the cake, I guess. It was dropped off on Friday (12/04) and is taking 11 days to go from north Florida panhandle to Texas.

I can't believe the number of bad omens I am getting with this build.

Let's see,

• Delays from every quarter put this build at the same time as my garage erection, even though I tried hard to prevent that, as I wanted to be present for BOTH.
• I got sick
• My tuner/wrencher guy (Chris) got sick
• We had a late blooming hurricane pass directly over top of us (thankfully downgraded to a tropical storm landfall)
• Chris's grandfather passed away, then a week later his wife's grandfather passes away as well
• The intake manifold will not mount on this engine, as it should.
• Shipping the engine back that should have taken three or four days took 11 days.
• To be continued....

Perhaps this could be a case study in Murphy's Law at work....

 

Sorry for the misfortune...such is life...peaks and valleys. The good new is, things will get better. In any case, I would stand my ground. A repair on a brand new engine, IMHO, is completely unacceptable. The real question is: what else is wrong that you can't see? I hope all goes well for you, but if it were me, I'd get my money back...so the saga cannot continue or get any worse.

Good luck sir.

 

Thank you. Yes, I am reserving that option if I am presented only with options I am not willing to accept. I'm hoping Bryan at LME reads this between the lines of my email.

My LS6 is still sitting on the floor of the shop, so that can go back in my car while I Chris finds me an engine from someone else.

 

Slightly aroused. (Not sure whether it's the visual or the music.)

 

As per the pictures, the mounting bolts are vertical so spacers will not improve the situation. In the older engines, manifold bolts were 90 degrees to the head mating surface, so spacers could be used.

Also, it is hard to tell from the picture, but it appears the space between the mating surfaces is not parallel (the space looks smaller from top to bottom).

If the deck on the block or the heads was milled wrong, then this might 'pinch' the heads in and create your misalignment. It would have to be a major goof, but I guess it could happen. Hard to tell from the picture.

Rich Z

Bottom-line, you are well within your rights to demand a full refund or parts that fit. It's that simple.

Go get 'em......

 

dumb question, maybe........but try another intake? maybe you got a poopy one

 

Both the FAST 102 and a stock LS7 intake were used with the same identical problems. I believe that LS7 intake came off of an LS7 that had a previously ordered FAST 102 installed on it. So no, I don't believe the intake is the issue at all.

 

crap, well was worth an ask

 

Yeah, I thought the same thing about the gap between the intake and the heads but thought perhaps the camera angle caused that illusion. But certainly if the mounting holes are off, then everything is suspect as far as I am concerned. I certainly wouldn't want to have those holes "fixed" then get the engine back and discover another alignment problem two days later.

Depends on how LME handles this. Their customer is actually XtremeMotorsports. World Products sold the heads and block to LME, who assembled those bare units with the components that Xtreme specified (with my approval), then sent that block and head assembly to Xtreme to be installed in my car. At this point, either the heads had the intake mounting holes drilled and tapped incorrectly at World Products, or LME did something to the block and/or heads to make that alignment off kilter.

At this point, I don't care who really is at fault as long as they man up to it and provide what I had ordered thru Xtreme that is satisfactory to me as the end user. And QUICKLY. If there is any finger pointing between LME and World Products and they drag their feet about getting my car back on the road while trying to pin blame, then yes, a refund will be demanded. Realistically, I believe the ball is really in LME's court as they were the ones contracted to deliver to XtremeMotorsports a useable product. They need to get my issue resolved, and then deal with any subsequent issues with their supplier (World Products) on their own dime and time.

I'm hoping this philosophy of keeping the customer happy will be self evident without much prodding to everyone involved.

 

You referenced "your approval". Did you also provide machining specs? Even if you did, as a 'client', they should have provided you with guidance if you requested a unique configuration.

I wonder if a phone call to World Products will generate a better response or shed some light on your situation.

 

[QUOTE=Rich Z;1572431669]Yeah, I thought the same thing about the gap between the intake and the heads but thought perhaps the camera angle caused that illusion. But certainly if the mounting holes are off, then everything is suspect as far as I am concerned. I certainly wouldn't want to have those holes "fixed" then get the engine back and discover another alignment problem two days later.

Just checked the World Products website and they reference 12- and 15-degree heads. It's been many years since I have built up an engine, but the difference in degrees may be the issue that is affecting the alignment with the intake.

The people at World Products may be able to clarify.

(If this is the issue, I am REALLY surprised that this has not already been identified by one of your vendors.)

There has to be a simple answer.

 

[QUOTE=Dragon Daddy;1572433086]I believe the LS7X head is only available with 12 degree valves. This is also the only head that comes with the extra head bolts per cylinder, which is what is on my engine. I think the 15 degree valved heads are LS1 style without the extra head bolts. I could be wrong about this as my brain is beginning to get mushy over all this.

I've gotten an email from a Bill Mitchell Jr at World Products late tonight, so hopefully he'll get to the bottom of this.

The engine is supposed to land at LME this morning so perhaps someone can figure out what is wrong with that thing.

 

No, I did not. I told Chris that I wanted a 427 c.i.d. Warhawk engine that would work in my 2002 Z06. He then sent me a list of the components he proposed for the build and I approved his selections.

That was it. Pretty cut and dried, I think, and nothing unique about it at all.

 

No problem then, seems to me that if the repaired part would be "stronger" that they wouldn't have an issue taking care of your need, new heads, and sell the other repaired ones to the next customer. Of course they would want to mention that these have been "repaired" but are better than new so no worries.

I hope this all works out for you, in fact I'm sure it will in the end. I do agree that if the fault was not of my builder or me, I would want all new parts on my new motor. Seems that the vendors you are dealing with have good rep's on here so we all will be watching to see how this works out.

Darion

 

I've been following this thread...

You can actually slice the drama with a knife.

Sorry you can't truly enjoy a time that most gearheads would kill for.

Ever thought about dumping it all now while you're ahead and just buying a used C6Z and low boost it for now?

 

Rich i agree with you 100%. What's the incintive for a shop to bust azz trying to get your car finished when they already have the money. I feel for you man. I hope you get everything you deserve.