RIP, Arlen.
Back in the early/mid '90s when I was building my first custom, I called his business to inquire about some parts. Arlen himself answered the phone, and told me what I needed to know. And he seemed to have a sincere interest in my project, and was in no hurry to get off the phone. Cool guy. He built a lot of crazy stuff.
Had a similar experience with Russell Mitchell on the phone when building my rigid panhead.