About LN Engineering

Now in our 20th year, LN Engineering is best known for our Nickies cylinders and sleeves as well as for our solutions to the intermediate shaft bearing problem, namely the IMS Retrofit and IMS Solution. Since its founding in 2002, LN Engineering is also well known for its Bilt Racing Service, Type 4 Store, and HeaderShield brands. LN Engineering also has a longstanding partnership with Jake Raby, who as founder of Flat 6 Innovations, Aircooled Technology, The Knowledge Gruppe, and Rennvision, has served as a Technical Advisor to LN Engineering and has also been closely involved with LN Engineering’s product development since day one. Continue reading below to learn more about LN Engineering and we welcome you to watch the following Haas shop video tour of our facility to see what LN Engineering is all about:

Our Mission

LN Engineering seeks to provide innovative “no-compromise” solutions to the automotive aftermarket to exceed OEM requirements. We strive to deliver the highest level of precision performance for our products using improved material, manufacturing, and finishing technologies, all backed up by industry leading educational resources and support.

Our Facility

We proudly use Haas CNC machines made in America and do all our machining and manufacturing in the USA in our 17,000 sq/ft facility, located one hour south of Chicago in Momence, IL, along the Indiana border in Kankakee County.

Our Dedication to Quality

Every part made by LN Engineering undergoes stringent quality control inspections at multiple points during the manufacturing or reconditioning process to ensure the best possible outcome for our customer. This is accomplished using a dedicated climate controlled quality control lab where all products are QC checked by one of our team members prior to release.

Partners

LN Engineering offers premium performance parts designed to meet or exceed OEM requirements from industry leaders and has also curated a collection of specialty products from small businesses that align with our philosophy and share the same dedication to quality as LN Engineering does.

About LN Engineering’s Founders

Charles Navarro co-founded LN Engineering LLC while studying Computer Science at Northwestern University in 2002 along with his wife, Tammy Hellings, also a graduate of Northwestern with a degree in Chemical Engineering and MBA from Olivet Nazarene University. LN Engineering formed a niche business, previously non-existent for precision performance aftermarket engine components specifically targeted toward addressing known issues and improving upon original equipment engine components for Volkswagen and Porsche vehicles. LN Engineering is best known for its trademark Nickies air-cooled cylinders.

Originally focused solely on research and development on legacy air-cooled models LN Engineering continued to expand the business to include water-cooled Boxster, Cayman, and 911 models beginning with the M96 and later M97 engines utilized through 2008. Ever since then, providing products and solutions for these newer water-cooled engines has become an area of intense focus and development leading to the Nickies aluminum engine block sleeving process where failed blocks could be repaired rather than be replaced, while allowing for increased displacement as well as improved cooling and reliability.

Due in part to significant research in the field of lubricants, LN Engineering, along with Jake Raby from Raby Engine Development (RED, also known as Aircooled Technology and Flat 6 Innovations), were among the first in the automotive industry to discover that changes in lubricant formulations with reduced ZDDP levels. These changes were negatively affecting vintage engines and causing cam/lifter failures, marking the end of backwards compatibility of engine oils made for new vehicles. This discovery brought around the birth of specialty lubricants designed for vintage as well as for performance engines, later leading to a close working relationship with Lake Speed Jr. from Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oils and SPEEDiagnostix.

Most notably, the IMS Retrofit, IMS Solution, and procedure to replace the troublesome intermediate shaft bearing was co-developed and patented by Charles Navarro of LN Engineering and Jake Raby of RED, solving the well-documented and publicized intermediate shaft ball-bearing failures the M96 engine is prone to suffering. The IMS bearing problem was the subject of the Eisen class-action lawsuit that brought heightened awareness to this problem and acceptance of the procedure as a normal part of regular preventative maintenance.

Charles is also involved in several automotive related businesses including IMS Solution LLC, RND Engines, and Bilt Racing Service. Charles also is a co-instructor at Raby Engine Development for their M96/M97 engine rebuild “102” course and has previously conducted technical seminars on the importance of lubrication, among other topics, at events like Porsche Club of America Tech Tactics and Porsche Parade Tech Academy. Charles continues to focus on research and development leading to solutions for past and current models.