The short block assembly is one of the most critical procedures in any engine build. No one understands that better than ERL Performance. The company was founded with machinist and tool & die makers that have manufactured precision gages to jet engine parts, the build process is done right. Our ability to utilize equipment, tooling and knowledge from these areas simply isn’t feasible for standard engine shops.

In an industry (especially the sport compact) where close is good enough, ERL Performance takes a different approach. We believe the best method is a solid foundation. If the block and short block assembly is done right, then bolt on power upgrade can be added in the future. As your desire for performance increases, the money can be spent on the upgrade and not on the short block again.

All of our builds start with one of our superdeck systems installed on your block. This is the same set-up that is running in excess of 40psi boost at the race track. They are all CNC machined and use Darton ductile iron sleeves that are the same material used in 8000 H.P. Nitro engines. See our block sleeving section for full details.

The crank is micropolished using a 15 micron belt, cleaned and checked using mitioyo inspection gages. With all of our blocks being align honed, the bearing bores for the crank are perfectly straight and sized to match the crank journal diameters. The align honing is a step that the majority of industry chooses to skip due to added costs.

All of the bearings are miked for thickness and matched to each journal/bore combination to achieve perfect clearance. No plastigage is used, due to inaccurate reading.

We offer several connecting rod choices depending on the intended use of the engine. No short cuts are taken due to the rod being the second highly stressed part in the engine (behind the valve spring). The Billet rods are the top of the line offering and are the same as used in the 600+ H.P. pro race cars. Each rod is inspected, re-torqued for repeatability, and sized for exact clearance.

Whether you choose a shelf stock or custom piston, we can provide it. JE is our primary choice, but we will use any that you prefer. Each piston is miked, pin fitted and inspected. The cylinders are torque plate honed to fit each piston. Each piston ring is file-fitted to the cylinder it is going in for an exact ring gap to minimize leakage.

The assembly is done one at a time using dedicated tooling and inspected after each step. The same dedication goes into a street engine as goes into our race only engines. A documented blueprint sheet is provided with each assembled block. It is possible to throw the parts together and run for a while, just as you can drive on a bent rim if you put enough weights on it. We do it right for maximum horsepower and durability.