SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1508148
TURN KEY ENGINES Kolby Enger’s Passion For The LS-1 Kicked Off A Business By Larry Saavedra Photography by Larry Saavedra Kolby Enger of Turn Key Engine Supply acknowledges he’s come a long way from his days as a one-man shop when he began fabricating LS-1 conversion swap kits. Today he builds 50 to 70 highly tuned GM LS and Gen V LT motors every year for some of the most recognizable desert race teams campaigning in the SCORE World Desert Championship series and other state-side racing events. Everyone from Shannon Campbell, Walker Evans, and Ricky Johnson have benefited from Enger’s hands-on expertise with his LS-1 V8 engines. According to Enger, to stay in step with demand for their series of General Motors V8s at their 12,000 sq. ft. facility in the hills of Oceanside, California he had to recruit more than a dozen specialists to oversee the facility. The spacious headquarters of Turn Key Engine Supply includes engine bays, an engine dyno room, a chassis dyno, a machine shop, shipping and receiving, client meeting rooms, and everything in between. The only aspect of engine building that they don’t do onsite is the wiring harness assembly, these projects are typically farmed out to other shops that specialize in it. “I didn’t start out building LS-1 motors exclusively for desert race teams,” said Enger. “I didn’t even have employees back then when I worked out of a 1,200 sq. ft. building.” Then along came the sand rail and buggy market, and Enger saw an opportunity. “That’s what led to where we are today,” he said. “Looking back, that was a time when you could finance a sand rail and dune buggy for 20 years. There were hundreds of chassis builders and part suppliers and plenty of people looking for small-block V8s like the LS-1.” With the explosion of the weekend warrior crowd in the late 1990s, Enger decided to bring family members into the business to help keep up with demand. After all, he learned a lot about metal fabrication from his father, who happened to run a machine shop. In 2008 as the economy downturned, it put a dent in demand for high-dollar sand rails and dune buggies, and all the maintenance they required. Turn Key Engine Supply had to shift its focus. “We got more involved with motorsports, hot rods, and customs because the sand rail market never came back,” said Enger. Eventually, his reputation went international. Clients begin coming from as far away as South Africa, Germany, Dubai, and Australia. Some racing his engines in The Dakar. According to those most familiar with their builds, Turn Key Engine Supply is known for getting the most possible performance and reliability out of the LS Platform. Recently the company began offering built Gen V LT motors, too. “We dabbled in the smaller displacement Ecotech engines over the years, but they are no longer available as crate motors from GM so we backed off,” Enger said. “Some factory Ecotech parts are challenging to find.” According to general manager Glen Furtado, Turn Key Engine Supply does a lot of business with racing teams such as Brenthel Industries, Mason Motorsports, and Geiser Brothers specifically for SCORE Trophy Truck Spec vehicles competing in SCORE races. They are also an engine supplier for other race series. Building motors for race teams means following the technical rules laid out by each sanctioning body. That involves discussions with the team at Turn Key Engine Supply. The only difference between motor builds might be how it is “packaged,” said Furtado. “We define the package required, which means we talk to the client about oil pans, dampers, water pumps, and basic components that affect the package design. It’s the chassis builder’s preference on how they want them stacked up.” As an example, some of the build details for a SCORE Trophy Truck Spec might include oil pan sizing (chassis fitment), oil system/pump upgrades, crankcase venting, intake location modifications, valve cover breathers, serpentine drive replacement, computer tuning, wiring harnesses, and dyno work. “I always talk to the technical departments before doing anything else,” he said. Essentially the chassis builder will outline their plans, and Turn Key Engine Supply takes it from there.” “We see our engines going to 2,000 to 10,000 race miles. It depends on the driver, the prep and maintenance,” adds Enger. “A more competitive team might replace them every 1,500 miles, and some even rebuild them. But we don’t rebuild engines for them, as new GM supply is not an issue.” So whether you’re looking for an LS long block, LS crate motor, or the newer LT series powerplant, Turn Key Engine Supply has a list of packages that can satisfy even the most power-hungry enthusiast on or off the course.