Modern Engine Blueprinting Techniques: A Practical Guide to Precision Engine Building (Pro)

Engines are built to fall within a wide set of standards and specifications, often not optimized to meet the original design. In short, cheap and fast engine production results in a sloppy final product. Of course, this is not idea for high-performance engines. To maximize the performance of any engine, it must be balanced and blueprinted to the exact tolerances that the factory should have adhered to in the first place. Four cylinder, V-8, American or import, the performance of all engines is greatly improved by balancing and blueprinting. Dedicated enthusiasts and professional racers balance and blueprint their engines because the engines will produce more horsepower and torque, more efficiently use fuel, run cooler and last longer.

In this book, expert engine builder and veteran author Mike Mavrigian explains and illustrates the most discriminating engine building techniques, so the engine is perfectly balanced, matched, and optimized. Balancing and blueprinting is a time consuming and exacting process, but the investment in time pays off with superior performance. Through the process, you carefully measure, adjust, machine and fit each part together with precision tolerances, optimizing the design and maximizing performance. The book covers the block, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, camshaft, measuring tools and final assembly techniques.

For more than 50 years, balancing and blueprinting has been an accepted and common practice for maximizing performance. An enthusiast or professional that invests the time to precisely build an engine in this fashion will be rewarded with an engine that will run strong and last for years. This book provides an unprecedented level of detail and instruction on the process of balancing and blueprinting your engine.

From the Publisher

In this book, expert engine builder and veteran author Mike Mavrigian explains and illustrates the most discriminating engine building techniques, so the engine is perfectly balanced, matched, and optimized. Balancing and blueprinting is a time consuming and exacting process, but the investment in time pays off with superior performance. Through the process, you carefully measure, adjust, machine and fit each part together with precision tolerances, optimizing the design and maximizing performance. The book covers the block, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, camshaft, measuring tools and final assembly techniques.

Flaw Detection

With the cylinder surface clean, and after calibrating the tester with the thickness standards included in the kit, a bit of lithium grease is applied to the probe. While applying moderate pressure at the probe against the cylinder wall, the display reveals material thickness at that location.

Block Machining

This is BHJ’s LBF-1 (line boring fixture) for line boring main bearing or cam bearing bores, designed for roughing-in steel main caps or boring for installation of roller cam bearings. This allows obtaining correct cam tunnel location in all three planes, making the cam tunnel absolutely parallel to the mains at the correct center-to-center distance.

Connecting Rods

Once a PM connecting rod is formed in a mold, the cap is created by breaking it off in a holding fixture. This is also referred to as a snapped-cap design. While this process creates a very precise cap-to-rod mating, a PM rod cannot be resized by traditional methods. If resizing is required, it possible to simply hone the big ends larger and select an oversize-OD bearing.

Perfect Balance

Every piston/rod assembly must be measured and weighed so they are within a couple grams of one another. To achieve maximum performance, you must have components on the rotating assembly that are precisely balanced.

Pistons

You can use an inside micrometer or telescoping gauge to measure the pin bore diameter. This is an important measurement when blueprinting the pistons.

Valves and Springs

Use a micrometer (not a caliper) to measure valvestem diameter. Take three measurements. Here a stem is measured at its center length area.

Port Matching

Before you start checking port alignment, apply machinists’ dye to each port opening. This allows you to easily see any scribe lines.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CarTech
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 13, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1613250479
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1613250471
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.44 x 11 inches