Why is Lingenfelter....

[Last Ride]

So freaking expensive? I am looking at building my LT1 into a monster, so I went to their site. $14K and change for a 440 HP 383!?! I have spoken with others that say a 383/396 can be built bulletproof and have 500+ HP for around $6000. What gives with the LPE pricetag? I know they are quality, but it is getting a little out of control! Or is it just me?

 

[Jeffvette]

Quality, warranty, and the name. Helps on resale.

Then again, their craftsmanship has gone downhill with John being gone.

 

[rrubel]

Name. A large chunk of their individual parts are actually made by Accel - but LPE sells them for quite a bit more than you can get them from elsewhere. Even things that they "make", like the titanium valve spring seats, can be had much cheaper from other vendors. However, they'll build you a killer engine/car package, WARRENT IT, and test it to make sure it runs right. THAT is worth a lot...
[RICHR]

 

[vader86]

Youre paying for the name. He designed and tested alot of the Accel stuff for them.

Also when you send something to be done by LPE, its almost always done the right way, the FIRST TIME. Very high quality reputation for their work.

 

[Mad-Mic]

what them guys said and i'll add this.... NO NIGHTMARES!

anyone can build a long block stroker motor but getting it to work properly with stock ecm and having it tuned correctly can be a pain in the @ss! your not buying just the motor your buying the tuning qualities of LPE and that my friend means alot! they worked hard to get a good reputation that they have.

i'll give you 2 scenario's.

1. drop it off at a local engine builder and let him do it. 6k. get it back and it smells like fuel, hard starting, rough idle, ect ect ect. add an extra 4k to get it tuned right. now your into time which = money. come to find out the cam is not the right grind for your heads and intake setup now your into another 2k for cam and assembly and retuning. now the new number goes up to 12k and about 6 months worth of waiting.

2. take your ride to a reputable shop like LPE and drop it off for a month. spend the 14k and come pick it up a month later knowing that it is properly tuned for the heads/cam/intake package. knowing you won't break a valve retainer on the first 6k rpm pull because the heads and everything else was installed properly.

now which road would you rather travel?

 

[Jeffvette]

As much as you would like to believe that you get no nightmares from LPE, I know of several instances in the last couple of months of people having problems. One owner has given up at LPE and taken his car some place else.

 

[Edmond]

LPE definitely has the reputation of being one of the premier Corvette tuners in the world. Because of that, they can charge more because people will pay. I don't know how they'll change now that John is no longer with us but time will tell. I have noticed that the vast majority of LPE work is advertised as 50 state emissions legal; that is a big factor.

Have you tried TPIS in Chaska, MN? Give them a call and tell them what you want to do and how much they want. They are very well known as well. They aren't amatuers by any means!

 

[firedawg]

More Performance Inc???

What about More Performance inc's packages? Has anyone had experience with them or know of anyone who has? they are considerably cheaper, is the quality there?

 

[RonRed89]

What about More Performance inc's packages? Has anyone had experience with them or know of anyone who has? they are considerably cheaper, is the quality there?

MORE is a top notch shop. They have done great work on my 396 L98 and they are a truly professional customer-centric crew. I would highly recommend the shop or their products to anyone. Mike Osucha (the owner) used to build for Winston Cup so he's got the credentials. I also considered LPE for my build up, but went with MORE and have never looked back.

Ron

 

[WhalePirot]

Price put me way off for the LPE engine package, as well. After buying and installing, twice, the SuperRam and seeing the poor quality and leakage, I am not a fan. They also shipped me headers that I did not order, but quickly took them back when I refused delivery (they sat on my porch), unpaid for. I found them rather unresponsive to my calls and e-mails.

I hear the LPE stories, but my experience is quite different.