I think this was the original poster's dyno video. It appears that the builder had it rigged with the oil filters, lines, sea pump etc. As for the Fram filter, in the other video it appears to be a HP6 fram on a keith eickert oil thermostatic mount. No Junk there.

[youtube]f2j5u26B9DA[/youtube]

Factual? Really? Where did you get your facts? You certainly didn't cut-and-paste them from the internet.

I never said they were ruined! I am trying to find where anybody said anything about ruined motors - but again I am a screw up and will probably never find it.

Here is a fact - the bearings have excessive wear for 20 hrs! Another fact - poor quality elsewhere.
One more fact - you get pissed off, and now my motors were ruined...by me of all people!

This has really taken a pretty poor, but typical turn for the worse.

People now being called Chris Sunkin's is really hitting a new high in low.

I have never used a full 360 groove. Reading the info on the bearings posted, and from what my rep. explained to me. Tells the story on Yankeys engines. These bearings have been discontinued by Clevite Malhe, all reasons stated. The lead in grooves in the cranks just contributed to bleeding of oil supply to rods also caused the lower bearings to come into contact with the crank journal. NASCAR, from what I was told required higher oil volumes which in turn requires HP. I was told some of the oiling holes are down to pretty small size compared to before. I have seen SC engines with 180-200 hrs with bearings coming out during rebuild, that you could reuse. Bearing problems should not exist if everything is correct, something causes a failure. Mostly all of the power boat guys use quality oil, hi flow filters and change their oil.

I found it afterwards.

The problem I have with this thread is I don't think the purpose it to find answers, the conclusion was already made. The research appears to have been done prior to posting the thread and pictures and the problems have already been addressed as it's been stated new cranks were ordered etc..

I think its purpose is to call out a builder because they were not satisfied with the duration and quality. Whether it's factual or not I don't think that's the intent of OSO. I think thread belongs in beware and stolen section, not tech section in my opinion.

I agree with ya on that. The purpose of this thread from what i can see was to call out the engine builder. If Mr. Schmidt truly got a pair of $hit engines, and got screwed over, well than that just sucks. I have no dog in this fight, but i'd be curious to here the builders side of the story too. I personally wouldnt stand for a engine shop to have 2 of my 540 engines for two years. Im freaking out because a machine shop has had my heads for over a month and they are'nt done yet. Two years, my god...

I've found that most of the time there are always two sides of a story like this. The Gellner family has been around racing engines for longer than some of us been on this planet. I'm sure this wasnt their first 540 build, and probably not their last. Not to suggest that this means anything to the person who spent the money, but maybe it will matter to someone considering spending the money with Gellner Engineering in the future. Heres a little backround from a cleveland newspaper article

PARMA Sam Gellner is 72 but he can’t slow down.

How can he? He’s been in the speed business his entire life.

Sam owns Gellner Engineering Inc., a designer and builder of custom-made supercharged and normally aspirated engines on Brookpark Road in Parma.

Gellner’s engines go into drag, road and oval track racing cars and offshore power boats that compete — and win — all over the country.

The 40-year-old company is still celebrating two victories in mid-November. Two power boats with Gellner engines finished first in the Super Boat International World Championships in Key West, Fla.

The competition is a series of 100-mile-long offshore races involving more than 80 power boats from around the world.

Both Gellner boats, competing in different classes, beat nine others in their respective races — and without supercharged engines like other boats.

“We were the underdogs,” said Dean Gellner, 38, Sam’s son and Gellner Engineering’s head engine builder. “It was a pretty big accomplishment because other boats had more horsepower than we did.”

Big accomplishments are the norm for Gellner Engineering. It’s engines were in cars that still hold three land speed records in various classes.

One of the cars hit 215 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

About four years ago, a Gellner engine was in a power boat that finished second in a water speed competition. The boat reached 171 mph.

With its reputation for speed, Gellner has hundreds of clients in the United States, the British Virgin Islands and Canada. It’s looking to expand into Europe.

Yet Gellner remains a small family company. In addition to Sam and Dean, Sam’s wife Carol is on the roster. She’s secretary, treasurer and saleswoman.

Also, family friend Thomas Schmitt, a cylinder head specialist and machinist, has been with Gellner for 30 years.

Legal speeding


Sam has raced cars and built engines since he was a student at Parma Senior High School.

In fact, Sam was among the first drag racers. As a sport, drag racing started in the late 1940s-early 1950s.

At first Sam competed in Akron. Top speeds were in the 100-mph range.

Then, in 1960, Sam entered his 1955 Chevrolet in the first National Hot Rod Association drag race in Florida.

“I probably left Parma with about $200 in my pocket — gas money to tow the race car with,” Sam said. “I made it down there and back somehow.”

The Chevy had a supercharged engine that Sam built.

“I just wanted to see how fast it would go,” Sam said. “I wound up setting a national record — about 113 mph in 12 seconds.”

Sam worked as a tool maker full time, but kept racing. In the 1960s he set speed records throughout the United States.

Sam took Carol and Dean on the road with him. It wasn’t a glamorous life.

“Sometimes we would sleep in our own vehicle,” Sam said. “We didn’t have a lot of money to travel with.”

Carol didn’t mind because she had been a racing fanatic since her high school days, when she and Sam lived on the same street.

“I always hung out with the guys with the hot rods,” Carol said. “I guess it was my destiny to wind up with somebody who was into it, too.”

Due to his success, Sam starting getting requests to build engines. At first he worked in his garage.

“Before I knew it, I had to quit working at tool making,” Sam said. “(Engine building) grew into a full-time business.”

In 1970, Sam bought the Brookpark building where Gellner Engineering operates now.

Sam also helped start two other businesses — Speed Specialties Co., an engine builder, and Speed Specialties Co. II, a gasket company that eventually evolved into Mr. Gasket.

Sam branched into power boat engines in the mid-1970s.

“I like to say that I don’t have tunnel vision,” Sam said. “I have broad vision. We want to make everything a champion.”

Speed gene


Dean has worked at his dad’s shop since he was 13. He inherited his father’s speed gene.

“It came to me naturally,” Dean said. “I knew going through school what I wanted to do.”

Dean drove an NHRA drag racer for a while. He has also raced off-shore power boats.

“It’s something I would like to get back into but it took a couple of million dollars,” Dean said. “I’m trying to find corporate backing to make that happen again.”

Today, Sam is semi-retired, and Dean does most of the work at Gellner. He attends competitions where his engines are racing.

“We get to meet a lot of neat people and do things that a lot of people wish they had the opportunity to do,” Dean said.

The recession has affected Gellner, like most companies, but Dean said diversification has kept the business alive.

“It’s not really a job,” Dean said. “It’s more of a lifestyle to me. It’s fun. Every day is play day around here.”

Sam said the key to growth is getting faster.

“There’s no limit to what we can do,” Dean said. “We write our own book.”


Contact Sandrick at

(216) 986-5478.

yschmidt,what parts will not be acceptiable to reuse,all bearings,cranks, cams, lifters,my question to you is, at what point do you concider the engines ruined,in my world i call these engines ruined,look man,all i wanted was a few pictures of the journals before i sent money for cranks,and you refuse to send them and get cockey with me,i just don,t understand your way of thinking,as long as the journals were not blued from heat,i was going to send you the money,anyway,i wish you luck with your next builder,whoever that may be

Thank you MER Perf for your advice. Guess their going in the trash!

Yankey , just to note your crankshafts were already " chamfer" from the prior build and there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the chamfer, bearing clearences, running fully groove bearings....ect. I use the same oiling system on the wetsump engines that we have won the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS with over and over...

If there was any type of problem at all..you know my number and should have called me FIRST! I got no phone call and you know damn well I would help. The bearings wear looks to be due to water ( most likely) from a header issue and also would have caused valve issues. Alot of people on here can have all the opinions in the world but when they can match our winning , record setting and reliabilty then it means something to me. Like I said you know I take a ton of pride in what I do Mr. Shmidt and it was a shame you didnt let me know of anything going on until you tore it apart yourself Mr.Engine Builder.

and what's the issue with that? LOL