When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Nice part about the Blueprint 383 is the warranty. And I penciled it out before I ordered mine (got it through Summit before the last price increase. The price you see is delivered to your door, no tax). I couldn't duplicate it for the price after rounding everything up, paying for machine work and assembling it myself. Plus, it was in stock at Summit and at my shop within a day or two of being ordered.
I'm not a big optimist when it comes to my warranty from Blueprint. I too bought BP38313CT1 from Summit last Feb. I put it in and 5 miles into the first road test it started leaking oil from the rear main seal. BluePrint Engines said to replace the seal and they would take care of me. Either at a repair shop or myself. since I have a shop I did it myself only to find a small nick in the end of the crank where the lip of the seal rides. I documented this with pictures to BluePrint Engines. 10 hours plus total time and the seal cost was sent to BluePrint Engines. This was a month ago....several emails have netted the usual....."its going throught the necessary channels". That is the same as "the check is in the mail" excuse. I would not recommend a "mail order motor" from BluePrint Engines. It appears their customer service is questionable at best. As far as being compensated for the repair...I'm not losing sleep over it. What gets me is their lack of interest in getting a resolution to a quality/customer issue. Ignoring or putting off a customer only leads to a response like this.
I have the exact Blueprint engine in my C1. I put it in less than two years ago, and I put a Bowtie Overdrives 700R4 4 speed auto tranny with their lock up converter.
Has a lot of torque, doesn't leak a drop because they use later blocks that use a one piece rear main seal, and after a 1,000 miles or so it loosened up and runs even better. I pulled the valve covers off just to ave a look, and they use Comp Cams roller rockers. They tell you that because it has a roller hydraulic cam and rockers you don't need any fancy high zinc oils, and they absolutely recommend against any synthetic oils for the first 5,000 miles or so.
I put an Edelbrock Performer manifold on and an Edelbrock carb. I'm using the stock single point distributor with vacuum advance and ordered a GM harmonic balancer for it (it doesn't come with one).
I don't think the "Air Gap" manifold will fit under your hood. Call Edelbrock directly. They helped me pick mine and they will be happy to help you so you don't end up with one that doesn't fit.
My 383 came from Blueprint with dyno sheets showing a peak of 439 hp and 465 ft lbs of torque. There was some exhaust soot evident in the exhaust ports so I know the tested it on a dyno before shipping.
My only complaint has to do with my aging taste. Back in the day a thumpy cam at idle would have been my choice, but not now. The cam definitely has some thump. The trade off is, in lower gears my car smokes the tires at will.
Fresh out of the crate and on my engine stand:
Ready to go:
5 Miles into the first roads test, my rear main leaked. A tear down showed a nick on the crank end where the seal lip rides. This was a month ago and still no resolution from BluePrint Engines after 4 emails and a few phone calls.
I want a 383 and think that going this way is the best way for me to go. As you know there is not much room under a stock C2 hood and I need to use my gear driven tach, so it doesn't make sense to get the completed engine. They told me they still bolt on what they need to test the engine and then remove it all and send it out.
I don't know if I can buy this without the intake or the distributor, and it has an air-gap dual plane intake which I'm not sure if it will fit under the hood. So I figure the best thing is to ask if anyone has one, what they think and are they happy with it.
07-27-2017, 12:19 PM
Blueprint Warranty....
