Michigan Boarder Engine Blueprint and Build

[sgt1970-442]

almost done....

[RTS]

For those of not familiar with it...what does 'blueprinting' an engine mean? I've heard that a bunch over the years, mostly in high performance car circles, but never really knew what it meant.

[sgt1970-442]

For those of not familiar with it...what does 'blueprinting' an engine mean? I've heard that a bunch over the years, mostly in high performance car circles, but never really knew what it meant.

the term is normally balanced and blueprint. balancing kind of speaks for itself although there are internal and external balance engines. blueprinting has to do with building an engine to certain specs and tolerances. in other words like building a house and following the blueprint. when you are done your house should match your print.

[ahopkins22LSV]

She is looking good! What are the blueprint specs?

[Bozboat]

almost done....

That looks Fabulous. Please please please take and share a video of the first start up

[sgt1970-442]

She is looking good! What are the blueprint specs?

I was just having some fun, this one is not john's engine. as for engine specs, the plan right now is a 9.5-1 compression 385 stroker. the rest will depend on what can be reused from his old motor.

we know one head is cracked for sure and we are looking at going with a vortec set of heads and intake. i did check casting numbers on these heads and they are some good casting though. could find another head, do some port work and get some decent flow out of them but more importantly get better velocity by reshaping the ports. while that idea is a possibility, i like the vortec heads better as they already have good air velocity and instead of a D shaped combustion chamber it is more of a heart shape. so to answer your question, we are not totally sure of the where we are with blueprinting yet.

Edited January 12, 2014 by sgt1970-442

[ahopkins22LSV]

I see! I do remember you stating some of that in the other thread.

[Bozboat]

I was just having some fun, this one is not john's engine....

Ok I fell hard for that one. Guess I will turn around and head back to Texas

[2014Skier]

I was wondering how your torque monster plans turned into a single plane, with massive exhaust ports...

Edited January 12, 2014 by 2014Skier

[Baddog]

What are those 8 holes below the exhaust ports?

[Baddog]

Thanks Sarge for starting this thread. Atta boy!

[Slayer]

Super happy to see this thread start up! Thanks sgt!!

[sgt1970-442]

What are those 8 holes below the exhaust ports?

those are where the bottom head bolts go. its not finished yet. this motor belongs to a friend of mine and he is a single with three girls on a budget.. I've been helping him with it for like ever it seems. its actually going in a stripped out 2000 olds bravado when the time ever comes. should be low ten to high nine second bracket thumper.

[sgt1970-442]

well got a few things done a figured out. for this having approximately 750 hours on it, it is clean. rod main and cam bearings show no wear.

only checked a couple cylinders for tapper and came out to .006 which works out to .003 a side. very minimal wear through out this engine.

[eyekode]

Did you ever determine the cause if engine failure?

And thanks for starting the thread!

[sgt1970-442]

Did you ever determine the cause if engine failure?

And thanks for starting the thread!

preliminary findings are detonation. number 5 piston is eaten away and I found the gap on that plug had to have been hit by a piece of the piston as it was closed up tight.

john had mentioned that he just had the carb rebuilt and my feelings are it was running lean before the carb rebuild that help cause this.

[ahopkins22LSV]

Wow that is gnarly. I have never seen a piston that looks like that, not around engines nearly as much as you though.

It is ironic that John's number 5 cylinder went bad and so did mine...

[Michigan boarder]

Looking good Steve! Got my fingers crossed on the magnafluxing.

[Michigan boarder]

preliminary findings are detonation. number 5 piston is eaten away and I found the gap on that plug had to have been hit by a piece of the piston as it was closed up tight.

john had mentioned that he just had the carb rebuilt and my feelings are it was running lean before the carb rebuild that help cause this.

Remember there was an overheat incident too that happened about 50 hours before the detonation. Might have been that head gasket failure causing gasses from #3 to go into #5 and detonate.

I tend to think it was not running lean, maybe rich if anything. That is from the smell, it smelled richer than other boats I've been on/around.

[Woodski]

Siamesed exhaust ports - 3 & 5, overheat did in the head gasket in the weak spot between cylinders 3/5, subsequent detonation due to ignition cross talk once the gasket failed as sgt noted in his piston analysis.

Note the comments on how good everything looks for the 750 hours on the engine bar the catastrophic failed parts. The marine community tends to think 1000 hours is similar to a automobiles 100k miles when in reality it is nowhere close. Seen a few other high hour boats where the engine innards still look great.

[JB-FOOT]

john, what oil do/did you run in the 750 hour motor?

and when did you acquire the boat (hours)?

Since it looks so clean, I am curious...

Edited January 13, 2014 by JB-FOOT

[sgt1970-442]

Siamesed exhaust ports - 3 & 5, overheat did in the head gasket in the weak spot between cylinders 3/5, subsequent detonation due to ignition cross talk once the gasket failed as sgt noted in his piston analysis.

Note the comments on how good everything looks for the 750 hours on the engine bar the catastrophic failed parts. The marine community tends to think 1000 hours is similar to a automobiles 100k miles when in reality it is nowhere close. Seen a few other high hour boats where the engine innards still look great.

I had forgot john mentioned the over heating problem. he had also disassembled that head and subsequently the head gasket was already gone so I had nothing to look at.

very true on hours verses mileage, the daily driver sees the range of harsh conditions. extreme heat to extreme cold, stop and go city driving, idle for long periods of time, thermostats that are 195* for these computer controlled engines to run properly. are boats run 160 stats so figure on average 35-40 degrees cooler, that is huge for oil temp and oil life. I think i'm also safe to say, most all of us don't take the boat out when its under 50* so our boat motors never deal with extreme cold.. as most who have been here awhile I hope would agree,, woodski is a valued and respected source on here. thank you and I will be in touch through a pm on the weber.

Edited January 13, 2014 by sgt1970-442

[Michigan boarder]

john, what oil do/did you run in the 750 hour motor?

and when did you acquire the boat (hours)?

Since it looks so clean, I am curious...

I went back to the records, it had 520 hours on it when I bought it in December of 2008. On 4/1/13 it had 642 hours on it, so it might have 644 on it by now, if that. The prior owner (a very good friend) bought it in 2002 from Skier's Pier in Waterford, MI. He had The Edge in Kalamazoo do the oil changes and maintenance annually. He didn't have any major work done to it, just routine stuff (oil, impeller, winterize, etc.). I don't know what oil he ran, but I've always run Delo 400LE.

[Michigan boarder]

I had forgot john mentioned the over heating problem. he had also disassembled that head and subsequently the head gasket was already gone so I had nothing to look at.

very true on hours verses mileage, the daily driver sees the range of harsh conditions. extreme heat to extreme cold, stop and go city driving, idle for long periods of time, thermostats that are 195* for these computer controlled engines to run properly. are boats run 160 stats so figure on average 35-40 degrees cooler, that is huge for oil temp and oil life. I think i'm also safe to say, most all of us don't take the boat out when its under 50* so our boat motors never deal with extreme cold.. as most who have been here awhile I hope would agree,, woodski is a valued and respected source on here. thank you and I will be in touch through a pm on the weber.

Here's that head before I pulled the gasket off. Burned right thru #3 and #5. Did the other side (the cracked head) look OK?

[sgt1970-442]

that big gapping spot through the fire rings would sure do it. detonation from one cylinder into another and cause a hot spot on number 5 piston. yes john, the other head gasket looked fine.