Merlin Engine
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agree with the first 2 statements....nothing wrong with the Merlin 3 block, better in my opinion than the Dart...
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5,065 Posts
Hit the search button, type in "Merlin" and take a look at all the negatives.
My guess is you'll go elsewhere quickly.
My guess is you'll go elsewhere quickly.
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51 Posts
I had to decide as well.... after doing alot of research..Dart won by a ton..... :yes:
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137 Posts
Hi,
If you go custom , I would suggest Mike Lewis ( Wolfplace) and if crate, try Shafiroff. I bought mine from Shafiroff. The engine received as advertised and is a monster. They are responsive ( no problems, just questions on tuning). I could not get on their site tonite (maintenance) but they market their street crates as "Ultra Street " engines. No 509's but low deck 540's and 582's using the Dart "Big M" sportster block. The 540 will set you back around $11K with carb, distributor and options but you will get 700+ HP.
Guys I know and others I have chatted with on this forum speak highly of Mike's engines. If you have a few extra bucks, my advice is that when you enter this arena money spent is usually well spent .....you get what you pay for. I have never seen a negative comment on Mike's masterpieces.
Hope this helps!
Charlie
If you go custom , I would suggest Mike Lewis ( Wolfplace) and if crate, try Shafiroff. I bought mine from Shafiroff. The engine received as advertised and is a monster. They are responsive ( no problems, just questions on tuning). I could not get on their site tonite (maintenance) but they market their street crates as "Ultra Street " engines. No 509's but low deck 540's and 582's using the Dart "Big M" sportster block. The 540 will set you back around $11K with carb, distributor and options but you will get 700+ HP.
Guys I know and others I have chatted with on this forum speak highly of Mike's engines. If you have a few extra bucks, my advice is that when you enter this arena money spent is usually well spent .....you get what you pay for. I have never seen a negative comment on Mike's masterpieces.
Hope this helps!
Charlie
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1,129 Posts
You definitely made the right decision to not go with a World products product. I know first hand the horrible rollercoaster ride that is.
Call Mike or Bill, they won't steer you wrong.
Call Mike or Bill, they won't steer you wrong.
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1,469 Posts
We've used a few of Worlds Merlin II, III, and Pro blocks (iron) and have yet to have an issue. They are very sturdy blocks. I have yet to work with one of their small blocks but have seen negative press online with those blocks.
Merlin III here as well, not the 509 but a standard block honed out to 427. Knocking out 818hp and I'm sure it'll take more of a beating than I can give it. I couldn't be happier.
Not all, but a lot of horror stories are the result of the uninformed/unknowledgeable, builders/owners.
Not all, but a lot of horror stories are the result of the uninformed/unknowledgeable, builders/owners.
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5,065 Posts
I believe all the horror stories relate to their crate engine packages - not their components.
You'll always get bazillion different responses to a question like you've posed. I agree that the absolute best way to go is to contact Mike Lewis of Lewis Racing (aka "Wolfplace" on here ) for one of the best built custom engines that money can buy. I understand the attraction of the sales pitches of crate engines and the companies that sell them. I bought a World Products engine and also had some problems which caused me to send the engine back.
Keep in mind when you sift through the positive and negative comments on crate engines, that World offers both bare blocks, short blocks, and complete engines. There are a number of guys here who have used World blocks and heads, and have been pleased with them as long as they assembled their engines themselves, or had a local machine shop do the assembly. If anything about World Products engines is in question, it's their assembly practices.
That isn't to say that there haven't ever been any machining practices at World that are questionable, but I've heard both positive and negative comments about many crate engine companies including Shafiroff. So it's often a crap shoot when you buy an engine already assembled, unless you take your business to guys like "Wolfplace". I haven't been a customer of his (yet) but I've never heard anything bad about him nor about his engines.
Many guys here will tell you that doing biz with your local engine builder is the best way to go, and I believe that many times that's true, but I've also heard horror stories from guys who have chosen that route too. I've even heard some bad stories about GM crate engines. Not to mention they seem to be lacking in power.
I've never heard anything bad about Reher Morrison crate engines, but their focus seems to be more on all-out race engines rather than steetable pump gas ones. One look at their posted dyno sheets on their website which all begin a 5,000+ RPM from what I've seen will tell you that.
My conclusion from my own experience so far is that it's hit or miss when you deal with almost all aftermarket companies. And if you're lucky, you'll find one that turns out to be different than most others. Good luck.
Keep in mind when you sift through the positive and negative comments on crate engines, that World offers both bare blocks, short blocks, and complete engines. There are a number of guys here who have used World blocks and heads, and have been pleased with them as long as they assembled their engines themselves, or had a local machine shop do the assembly. If anything about World Products engines is in question, it's their assembly practices.
That isn't to say that there haven't ever been any machining practices at World that are questionable, but I've heard both positive and negative comments about many crate engine companies including Shafiroff. So it's often a crap shoot when you buy an engine already assembled, unless you take your business to guys like "Wolfplace". I haven't been a customer of his (yet) but I've never heard anything bad about him nor about his engines.
Many guys here will tell you that doing biz with your local engine builder is the best way to go, and I believe that many times that's true, but I've also heard horror stories from guys who have chosen that route too. I've even heard some bad stories about GM crate engines. Not to mention they seem to be lacking in power.
I've never heard anything bad about Reher Morrison crate engines, but their focus seems to be more on all-out race engines rather than steetable pump gas ones. One look at their posted dyno sheets on their website which all begin a 5,000+ RPM from what I've seen will tell you that.
My conclusion from my own experience so far is that it's hit or miss when you deal with almost all aftermarket companies. And if you're lucky, you'll find one that turns out to be different than most others. Good luck.
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4,964 Posts
World builds good parts. I've got an old Merlin II block for my 540 and it's been perfect. I've used the iron heads too with no issues.
As mentioned, their assy practices are definitely *assembly line* style. These are assembled..not a lot of blueprinting or making everything to the tightest tolerances. Generally things are done loose so as to not have too many issues during quick assy.
Might read that warranty too and see what you're really getting.
JIM
As mentioned, their assy practices are definitely *assembly line* style. These are assembled..not a lot of blueprinting or making everything to the tightest tolerances. Generally things are done loose so as to not have too many issues during quick assy.
Might read that warranty too and see what you're really getting.
JIM
Yes. Jim has a good point here^ After placing one of their salesman on the spot over the phone, I was told that the World engine warranty only covers $4,500 worth of damage per incident. perhaps other crate engine companies' warranties are similar, I dunno. Still, it's nice to have a 2 year warranty, but be advised that it really isn't an iron clad 100% warranty.
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