64 Vette….Rebuild 2.0

[tRustyK5]

They do have a foundry, the blocks are all new and are splayed 4 bolt main. Tolerances seem tighter than assembly line GM stuff from back in the day. Dialing in my bellhousing was almost pointless...it was within a couple of thousands.

The aluminum heads are their own too, exhaust ports are raised .500" and they flow really good for sbc. Not sure who they get pistons and rods and stuff from, but these guys are all about putting out the best product they can for the money. The 396 is all forged stuff, roller cam, roller rockers with roller tips, guide plates, and a 6 quart pan. I had to swap pans as the 6 quart pan (GM truck pan) hit my steering linkage.

Every single engine gets run in on the dyno, output double checked, and comes with that engine's dyno sheet. They advertise the 396 at 491 hp. Mine made a fair bit more.

Anyways, I couldn't find better for the money when all things were considered. Also comes with a 30 month 50,000 mile warranty.

 

[tRustyK5]

It looks stout!
I see the major pieces are “Blueprint”.
I wonder who does their cranks, rods, pistons etc, as I don't think they have their own foundry?
Do you know what pieces are in it for…
Rod bolts
Cam manufacturer
Lifter manufacturer

Dyno sheet for you Dave.



Valvetrain pic

GM Small Block Compatible 396 c.i. Engine - 491 Horsepower - Base Dressed - Carbureted

BluePrint Engines 396 c.i. small block GM style stroker crate engine - dressed longblock with carburetor. Includes 30 month / 50,000 warranty & BPE Dyno Promise. Part #: BP3961CTC

blueprintengines.com

Head specs: https://blueprintengines.com/collec...aluminum-cylinder-head-220cc-assembled-hp8103

 

[76zimmer]

The linked video shows (in his opinion) that the only heads cast in USA are AFR, Edelbrock, Brodix, Profiler, Dart, and Trick flow for SBC’s.
China castings are more common, but its the quality of the casting, and precision machine work and hardware that make or break good head combos.
Also a couple issues for me….that kind of hp/torque (500/500)and a good tire would probably cause some rear diff concerns. As well built as it is, its only a 8.2 ring gear.
The other issue with the heads is most aftermarket aluminum heads, the ports are raised .500. That dont work with my sidemount headers. They’re tight on the frame as is, they cant go “up” any.

I’ll see what my bearings look like soon and go from there.

 

[76zimmer]

This is a pretty good tour of Blueprint…

 

[tRustyK5]

Ford 9" center Dave...don't be scared.

I kinda knew the .500" raised ports would probably be an issue for you. For me...no issue with the fenderwell headers and stuff.

I really don't know where the BP heads are cast. I might be wrong, but seeing as they have the blocks cast in the USA, I kinda think the heads would be too? These engines, and components get high marks from the Motortrend guys like Frieburger. That, and vids like you posted sure made me feel a lot more confident.

Seeing a small block make 500+ lb/ft of torque from under 3000 to over 5000 rpm impressed me too. That's big block territory normally.

 

[76zimmer]

Updated tour

 

[76zimmer]

Rene’ It sure would have been much cheaper and stronger to do a 9”!
The guy that built my diff has a son that races a 500hp small block and they’ve broke the parts I’m running. Not on a frequent basis but they’re not bulletproof.

 

[76zimmer]

Pulled the steering box today to have it rebuilt by the same guy that did the rear differential and trailing arms. It needs it! Car was a bit of a drifter at high speeds.

 

[ZooMad75]

Dang the Vette is getting a total work over. Right on dude!

 

[76zimmer]

Might as well!…lol

 

[streetrodchev]

I’m sure Kert would build you some new headers for those raised exhaust ports…

 

[Babaganoosh]

This makes me happy seeing this done.

 

[folkenheath]

The linked video shows (in his opinion) that the only heads cast in USA are AFR, Edelbrock, Brodix, Profiler, Dart, and Trick flow for SBC’s.
China castings are more common, but its the quality of the casting, and precision machine work and hardware that make or break good head combos.
Also a couple issues for me….that kind of hp/torque (500/500)and a good tire would probably cause some rear diff concerns. As well built as it is, its only a 8.2 ring gear.
The other issue with the heads is most aftermarket aluminum heads, the ports are raised .500. That dont work with my sidemount headers. They’re tight on the frame as is, they cant go “up” any.

I’ll see what my bearings look like soon and go from there.

I could build you a custom 427 SBC from scratch with some nice heads that don't have raised ports from Brodix or others to fit your car. It would be done right and with a cam, heads, compression, etc to match your Corvette combo. However, I can't say it would be good for your rear diff, no promises there.

We could also get a short block and some heads that work with your combo. I've also built a few engines for customers where I get a short block and just swap the cam, then put the heads and induction on to match the application. It depends on what the short block comes with and what the application is.

I know you could also do this yourself Dave, just not sure if you want to tackle it because of your upcoming surgery.

A lot of the engines I build have USA made everything, except sometimes the crank and rods. The crank and rods from SCAT or Callies Compstar line are good and affordable. But you step up to a Callies Magnum with Ultra rods or other USA made crank and rods and you just dropped another $5k additional just for those two items. For most people that's not worth it, needs to be a pretty high RPM and/or high HP build to warrant that.

The heads aren't that big of a difference in cost and are frequently worth it to buy USA cast heads.

 

[76zimmer]

Well now the wheels are turning, or should I say the gears are grinding?
I do like doing my own assembly, not a must have, but I like knowing whats what in there, just gotta make sure the machine work is spot on!

 

[tRustyK5]

9" rear...INCOMING!!!

 

[shady]

Except for the possible damage it could create, it'd be pretty friggin cool to do one of them there little big blocks and let er eat hard enough to blow up that stock rear for shop wall art lol.

 

[76zimmer]

I forgot to mention, before I pulled the engine out, I used tie downs to strap the frame to the 4 arms of the lift. Should stay put with all that’s going on.

I worked on the Vette today w a buddy. We got most of the rear suspension taken out. Drained the diff and the little bit of residue is from the clutches I’m sure, I dont think its an issue, I’ll send the pics to my diff guy. The fluid looked great, and there is not metal on the magnetic drain plug he installed. Just a bit of thicker paste like substance, maybe from assembly?
I’ll take more pics of the ring gear when I get it out of the car and opened up. It cant be removed without the crossmember as the diff cover bolts to that crossmember from the topside, and the body sits right on top of it.

The trailing arms came out real good. The bolts that holds them in the opening of the frame, I put them in w some light grease in their metal sleeves. Drove them out with a punch no problem! Originals usually require fire to remove. The pics show the shims on each side of the arms to dial in the alignment.

I couldnt get the rear diff mounting crossmember to break loose from the frame. It has rubber donut cushions in the crossmember that fit onto a circular mating pad on the frame. (See diagram) I sprayed them w some penetrating oil and will let them soak for a bit.

 

[Bent77]

Not too worried about the oil

Getting the bushings out are always fun though

 

[76zimmer]

Oh yeah, those will be getting new ones!

 

[76zimmer]

Got the diff and crossmember out.
Opened up the diff, and it looks great in there!
Diff builder is concerned with the axle flanges being bent. Took some video and turned the pinion w my drill, and they look pretty true to me. We’ll see what he thinks.
Cleaned up the underbody, diff, cover, and a bunch of bolts. Ran a tap through the diff crossmember mounting holes, as well as the bolts to mount it. Give the cover a new squirt of paint.