Allen Nugent wrote:
> Dear Listers,
>
> Peter Zaborski asked what blueprinting is. Right, sharpen your knives while
> I get this worm-can open...
>
> I guess the term "blueprinting" originated from the act of preparing a motor
> to zero tolerance specifications (ie. from the blueprints), but it means
> much more than that now.
>
> Blueprinting is what you make of it, I'd say. Balancing the engine is a good
> start. Modifications to the head, such as porting & polishing, bigger
> valves, certainly qualify. Lightening your connecting rods is good (grinding
> off the forging marks makes them lighter and stronger, by reducing stress
> focii.)
~snip~
>
>
> I would say that blueprinting is, basically, anything you do to the
> mechanical components of the engine that would have been done anyway, if the
> designers/builders had sought to optimise the thing for every last ounce of
> performance.
~snip~
> I bought a good book on the subject before I disassembled my motor, and
> talked to a lot of professionals and amateurs who seemed cluey, so that's
> where my knowledge and opinions come from.
>
>
Allen,
I hate to sound disrepectful, but (in America anyway) blueprinting means
getting
the engine components EXACTLY to design specs. It is amazing how much a mass
produced, especially an inexpesively mass produced, engine can be out of spec.
A
blueprinted engine is one that has been dynamically balanced and each part must
be
on the low (unworn) side of a given dimension.
A blueprinted engine runs much smoother, quieter, and lasts longer than a
quick &
cheaply made mass produced engine. A side benefit is that a blueprinted engine
gives
a small amount more power (usually up to 10%) and can be revved higher, without
danger of grenading.
Any other machining of, or replacing parts of, an engine is a modification of
the origional,
blueprinted design.
JOE IV
TR 250
WALLINGFORD, CT. USA
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