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17-03-2018, 05:49 PM | #1 | ||
formerly millenium_falcon
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 806
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G'day,
Im a week away from purchasing a 347 crate motor. Have $10k to spend and places like rocket sell blueprint branded motors. Would love to hear feedback on peoples experience. Regards Johnny |
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17-03-2018, 06:29 PM | #2 | |||
Donating Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,429
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G'Day Johnny,
Here is what I see on their "Blueprint" Engines: Quote:
The only thing that list tells me, are things that raise red flags. Bored .040. Why? I guarantee these are not Boss blocks. These are thin wall blocks and pretty much at their limit at .030 over. Never mind the fact a 347 is by definition 4.030 x 3.400. Speaking of bore x stroke, which 3.400" stroke cast steel crank is it? Which 150,000 psi rods bolts? Which rods for that matter? Which hypereutectic pistons and what size ring set? A name alone doesn't cut it. Which wrist pins? Which damper? Internally or externally balanced? Aluminum heads? Really, which aluminum heads? Procomp? Also, which style? Skinny heads or Cleveland style? Valves, springs, retainers? Which ones?, which hydraulic lifters? which pushrods. Which hydraulic roller cam? What is the advertised duration and at what checking lift? I imagine the @.200 duration is probably impossible to get. Which double roller timing chain set? Sonic tested? To what minimum thicknesses? Which sides and depths? Dyno tested? Okay, they list HP and TQ, at what RPMs? Haven't they built one of these yet to provide this information? They should have an idea. Important information to have before sending off the money and preparing your car. Which oil pump? Why high volume? Because the label snares the un-aware? etc, etc, etc. I hope you take this as words of caution. Ebay didn't earn the name evilbay for nothing. Providing vague information in exchange for $8.2K of your hard earned dollars is not a cause for confidence. I hate to come across hard like this. I also hate too think of someone getting ripped off. |
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17-03-2018, 06:36 PM | #3 | ||
formerly millenium_falcon
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 806
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Your not being negative, i appreciate your comments. I want to call rocket industries and l'll use some of your questions.
Anyone else have experiences or heard anything about blueprint crate motors |
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18-03-2018, 01:25 AM | #4 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 325
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What an awesome post. Thorough breakdown and details.Cheers to you Solarite guy.
I'm years away from a project build, but it's nice to know that there are members here, like you, that can give advice. Life's too short to keep learning the hard way. Good luck with getting the right motor Johnny A Quote:
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18-03-2018, 09:42 AM | #5 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,341
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Solarite_guy is the man.
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18-03-2018, 01:40 PM | #6 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: St Marys Tasmania
Posts: 3,556
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Not sure about 347 blueprint necessarily but on the link below is crate prices and stuff on
302 (5.0) modular Blue Oval crate motors we know and love these days. Ford has such a rich history with the bent 8's right back to 1932. On Ford V8's we always gravitate in Oz to the 302 variants , the almighty 351 and stuff but there was also a lot of love out there for the old 289 .. The 428 and similar in the 1960's/70's were a big deal for the classic Mustangs too I believe. The 289 though was pretty important for Aussies because it helped kick off the fast Ford era and will always be the first ever V8 to power an Australian Ford Falcon in the XR. Then of course was the 390 . A friend of mine has a 1965 Aussie assembled Galaxy and she's got a beaut all original 390 under the bonnet. https://www.summitracing.com/int/sea...ord-modular-v8. U.S. prices admittedly but not quite as expensive as I thought they might be. Last edited by roddy1960; 18-03-2018 at 01:59 PM. |
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18-03-2018, 02:16 PM | #7 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 227
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Give Dandy engines a call on 03 97750911 as they have an excellent reputation and can build anything from mild street to 1200hp+ small block Windsor's.
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2014 FG XR6 turbo ute in octane. Turbo side intake, PW stage 2 cooler, 1000cc injectors, walbro 460, Crow valve springs, Advance headers 4 inch dump pipe into custom 3.5 inch single, Procharge Pro 58 turbo. Shockworks suspension and brakes. - Tuned by Seres - |
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18-03-2018, 04:04 PM | #8 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 18,990
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yup
dandy or pavtek |
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18-03-2018, 04:21 PM | #9 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 736
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Quote:
Bill at BK Race Engines Or Ned Sassine Hercules Competition Engines Both in Sydney and are extremely good at what they do!
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Current Project XE (Track Car) 302 Cleveland and C4 Auto currently. Previous 1973 XB GT Coupe 351 4V, 4spd Top Loader and 9" Diff |
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18-03-2018, 11:06 PM | #10 | ||
I drank what?
Join Date: May 2006
Location: In a state of confusion
Posts: 584
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If I was looking, I'd consider these guys as an option too...
https://www.competitionengines.com.a...shop.php?c=196
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I will not be taking any criticism, constructive or otherwise.
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19-03-2018, 07:57 AM | #11 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Wollongong
Posts: 3,115
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a quick google of the heads they use
"Originally Posted by BluePrintEngines , (keep in mind even with the flaws they are a step up from most lower priced heads and some stock heads) The castings are made over seas, like some others. We assemble them ourselves in the in USA. They are not Pro-Comp, they're ours. The flow numbers I'm posting here are from our own bench, which uses Audie Technology software and sensors. I would point out that our bench is calibrated with plates, when we test other brands of heads most of the very good higher end brands match up with what the companies that make them claim, so it compares well. On our Bench, these heads do not out flow all the competitors, the high end brands flow better, but we flow better than some of the lower end brands. As of now these are only available with an as cast port and chamber. We have used a lot of these heads on engines and have not had any problems with the castings. The valves we use are made in the US and South America, pretty much the same valves that just about everyone uses. Same deal with springs and retainers, pretty standard items. I don’t have any cutaway pics, but I would not characterize these heads as having extra thick decks for big time power adders, but they are very good normally aspirated." http://garage.grumpysperformance.com...c-heads.10395/
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Last edited by ebv8; 19-03-2018 at 07:58 AM. Reason: added link |
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19-03-2018, 08:25 AM | #12 | ||
formerly millenium_falcon
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 806
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Thanks to everyone who has replied, i appreciate your comments and will call the leads you guys have given. I googled blueprint and definitely a mixed bag. Some love some hate.
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19-03-2018, 10:22 AM | #13 | |||
Donating Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,429
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Quote:
Every time they state something, they dig a deeper hole. They use a lot of words to say nothing. Example; they try to impress about using Audie flow bench software to lead into a story about accuracy without mentioning what kind of flow bench. That right there is the crux of any accuracy. They are targeting the uninformed. You don't need software to take readings from a flow bench. Furthermore, using software does not make your readings any more accurate than doing it the old fashioned way. BTW, one of Audie's software systems uses a vacuum cleaner for testing cylinder head flow. I am sure that meets some ISO standard...? Then they commit the sin of sins, as far as anyone who has been around a flow bench and out of the box (OOB) heads is concerned. They claim how their tests of other heads line up closely with the advertised claims. That's interesting, because that pretty much never happens. Their web site claims 5.400" rod lengths. This forces the need of an oil "ring" bridge where the wrist pin hole in the piston creates 2 gaps in the ring land under the oil control "ring". They also claim to use Hastings rings. So I decided to go to the Hastings site to look for their their long rod ring set for the 347 which will include the aforementioned bridge. Maybe I missed something, but I could not find any ring set from Hastings for the 347. Long rod (ring bridge needed) or short rod (no ring bridge needed). Maybe they are getting their rings from an "offshore", aka Chinese Hasting subsidiary. Then I wonder about the 5.400 Tran-Am length connecting rods. I guess they are "offshore", aka Chinese also. Then the obvious question, I wonder how much they pay Procomp to put Blueprint on the cylinder heads. One can only imagine what kind of dyno testing they do. I am sure Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins has let out a few expletives in his grave knowing a site with his name to carrying such information without any resounding critique. |
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19-03-2018, 02:08 PM | #14 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: WA
Posts: 1,163
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I'm with Solarite on this. Way too risky given the lack of any real detailed information on the parts being used.
My biggest issue would be the 040" bore as that is asking for trouble in a standard block 347. A google search shows some seem to be lucky but of more concern there are some that have done their dollars bigtime and that should be a warning that it could be a $10k lucky dip. Also with an imported engine you would be on your own should any issues arise. Mate, get a quote with actual parts details from a reputable Oz builder such as those mentioned. |
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21-03-2018, 12:01 AM | #15 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Gday all,
I'd like to weigh in here as a representative for BluePrint Engines. I see alot of speculation in the previous posts, and very little first hand experience, so I'd like to share some information about our company, and clear the air. I'd like to thank the OP for the interest in one of our ford 347's and hopefully this is helpful! We're a large performance engine manufacturer based in Nebraska USA. We do all of our machining in house, and we are a large company carried by Summit, Jegs, Speedway, Eagle in AU, etc. We have a huge, brand new facility where we dyno test every single engine we produce (long blocks included). You get YOUR actual dyno sheet with your engine, and we can provide sample dyno's before purchase. As far as what parts we use? Our listings are typed up with print advertising in mind, which has a 6 month window in many cases, so we're not being non-transparent with part branding. It simply saves time for our multiple resellers if they don't have to change print and web ads every time we change something small on a build. Again, any customer interested in an engine is welcome to contact me directly, and i'll be happy to talk specifics. Onto longevity. All of our engines come with a 50K mile, 30 month warranty. If we weren't putting our a quality product, and taking care of our customers, then we wouldn't be able to keep the lights on. That warranty is the best in the industry, and we stand behind it. We produce dozens of engines a day, Our smallblock fords being a good volume mover for us. If they weren't holding together, we wouldn't be selling them in the volume we do. Between warranty, and dyno testing, it should speak volumes about what kind of company we are, and how we stand behind our products. For parts sourcing, We do use parts from the USA, South America, Asia, Etc. Things like our BluePrint Branded GM engine blocks, we actually cast in the USA. For our BluePrint Branded Heads (our own design) we operate an overseas facility for the raw casting, and then they are assembled and machined in Nebraska, using USA parts and labor. We control all of our own specs, and out own manufacturing and machining. This helps cut down on deviations, errors, and helps us spread that cost savings onto our end user. I'll be happy to answer any questions, and feel free to email me also. Johnny@Blueprintengines.com Director of New Project Development |
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21-03-2018, 01:02 AM | #16 | ||
Donating Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,429
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G'day Johnny,
Thank you for making yourself available to answer questions. Then to help clarify a few things I will restate some of my concerns mentioned earlier. These are questions I would ask any crate motor supplier if not provided up front. Why are you going +.040 on factory 302 blocks? The last 302W block I would trust going past +.030 was an original Boss 302 block. So that leads to the question about sonic checking. What is your procedure and what are the minimal thicknesses allowed? How deep are the valve seats and what kind of valve job are they given? About the crank, rods and pistons, what are they and what materials? Cast steel crank and giving an H beam Tran-Am rod length doesn't say a lot. What are the tolerances, and balance (not just crank balance, but rods and pistons), rear main seal type, pins (materials and dimensions), who is your piston supplier and which part # are they? Which Hastings ring set are you using? About the valve train, who supplies the cam, lifters, rockers, springs, locks, retainers, springs valves and seals. What are the part numbers? Do you have the adv and @200 lift duration numbers? At what lift checking point is the adv duration measured? Who provides the cam cores? Which material? Similar question with the oil pump. Whose is it and which model? What bearings do you use? For your dyno testing, what dynos do you have? What type of tests are run? What flow benchs do you use? Do you measure at 28" or convert to 28"? Do you have your own in house foundry to cast the GM blocks? Cheers. Dave. BTW, on a Ford site that you are trying to win over, spelling Ford with a capital F might be a good idea. Feel free to use lower case for GM. |
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21-03-2018, 10:17 AM | #17 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Thanks for all the Great questions! More intensive than 99% of our customers would get into, but glad to be transparent to hopefully build confidence in our product. Lets also remember, this is a 415 HP street engine… we are not advertising this as a 9000 RPM drag engine…If that’s what someone is comparing us to, or looking for, we’re a great company, but that’s not what we’re advertising here. So here goes!!!
Why are you going +.040 on factory 302 blocks? The last 302W block I would trust going past +.030 was an original Boss 302 block. Going .040 on a SBF has shown us no additional stress, failures, or warranty issues. Thousands of our 347’s in the field. The overall reason is that extra .010 (only.005 per wall) yields us less core rejection) aka, reduced cost to end user. Again zero additional negative effects in our R&D research. So that leads to the question about sonic checking. What is your procedure and what are the minimal thicknesses allowed? We do not sonic test 302 blocks, they have ample cylinder wall thickness. We do test small block Chevy cores, since they are more prone to thin cylinders wall due to core shift. Again Thousands in the field, and not a single cracked cylinder wall from overbore. How deep are the valve seats and what kind of valve job are they given? 5 angle valve job. Not sure what you mean by depth. No issues with our heads regarding seats. About the crank, rods and pistons, what are they and what materials? Cast steel crank and giving an H beam Tran-Am rod length doesn't say a lot. What are the tolerances, and balance (not just crank balance, but rods and pistons), rear main seal type, pins (materials and dimensions), who is your piston supplier and which part # are they? Which Hastings ring set are you using? I’ll try to hit all of the above, in reference to our BP3474CT/ BP3474CTC. Much of our rotating assembly, is literal BluePrint manufactured/machined. Ones mind may associate that with cost savings, However, many of our private label parts were created out of longevity, or non standard materials, coming in from supplying vendors. If You’re a small engine builder, and a rod comes in out of spec, its no big deal to correct. When you’re a huge crate engine MFG, capable of churning out 50 engines a day, it saves us time, money, and QC to MFG these rods/cranks ourselves. Pistons are ICON/UEM. With the supplied pins. Rings are the “tough guy” series Hastings 2M5523B.040. Crank is cast steel. Forged 4340 I beam 5.4" rods, ARP bolts This is a roller block with 1 piece seal. Assemblies are balanced to less than 2g. every pistons, ring, rod, is measured also before assembly also. We even wash down new parts and sediment test new parts out of the box. Beyond that we’re getting into deep engineering notes. If someone is wanting to order one of our engines, and the rod weight is holding them up…my email is at the bottom of the page About the valve train, who supplies the cam, lifters, rockers, springs, locks, retainers, springs valves and seals. What are the part numbers? Do you have the adv and @200 lift duration numbers? At what lift checking point is the adv duration measured? Cams are degreed, lift specs are checked per spec. typically .050. Most head components are private label content, like quality swirl polished stainless valves, etc. There are only a handful of cam core suppliers in the world. The cam in question in a private label, ground for us to our #’s. EPC Ductile iron, same source as OEM’s. OEM type new rockers on this 347, stamped steel. Many of our other SBF’s get roller valvetrain. These stick to steel (again we’re talking a street engine with a cam suited for streetable RPM. Who provides the cam cores? Which material? See above Similar question with the oil pump. Whose is it and which model? Melling M68HV What bearings do you use? Clevite H series Tri Metal. For your dyno testing, what dynos do you have? What type of tests are run? We use superflow dynos. We have 9 in fact. Soon to be more. Each engine is brought to temp, all parameters are measured form individual exhaust temps, wideband, knock, etc. we do multiple pulls, to make sure engine meets standards. We dye check for leaks, and we cut the filters open when finished. Again we do this one everything with heads/oil pan we offer. Even on the long blocks we sell w/o intakes. What flow benchs do you use? Do you measure at 28" or convert to 28"? we test at 28” and always use calibration orifices when testing and the correct bore adapter. Do you have your own in house foundry to cast the GM blocks? We have the blocks cast in the Midwest USA. We then do all machining in house in Nebraska. Hopefully the above answers shed some light on our company, the commitment we have to customers, and our procedures. I’m happy to answer any questions I can for our customers, or potential customers. Take care, Johnny M Director of New Project Development Johnny@BluePrintEngines.com www.BluePrintEngines.com |
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21-03-2018, 12:48 PM | #18 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 968
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So if you where to buy from an Australian Supplier, would they honour your 50K mile, 30 month warranty ? or does there warranty take precedence over yours ?
thanks for info to date. |
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21-03-2018, 01:36 PM | #19 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Quote:
Johnny M |
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21-03-2018, 02:10 PM | #20 | ||
Donating Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,429
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Johnny, thank you for your reply.
I have some thoughts and more questions, starting with the cranks, rods and pistons. The pistons come from a descent source. I don't understand why that is not stated up front. Same with regard to items that are BluePrint manufactured/machined. Vague descriptions up front can cause a lot of questions. About the cast steel cranks, what steel is it? Carbon steel or 4130, 5140 or 4340? The rods are 4340 forgings. I need to ask why they are Trans-Am length? What is the intention for that length? ARP 150,000 psi rod bolts. Why not put it right out there up front? Same thing with rod and piston balance variance. Put it out there. Fewer questions in folks minds. Hasting Rings and missing part number that's a good street ring. Let folks know. To clarify the valve seat question: If I pulled a set out of a chamber and measured how deep they were, what would it measure to? Then EPC provides your cores. It wasn't clear, do they also "grind" the cam or does somebody else"? Unless there is any proprietary legality in the way, stating SADI cores would get peoples attention in a good way. You may not have understood my question about duration at lift points. Without having Advertised (ADV) duration, @050" duration, @.200" duration in combination with max lift, Lobe Separation Angle (LSA) (also called Lobe Center Angle (LCA)), and Intake Center Line (ICL), it is difficult to make a judgement on how healthy or not a camshaft is. Advertised duration does not start at the instant the lobe leaves the base. Also it does not end when the lobe touches back down on the base on the other side. It usually starts at some lift point up the lobe such as .004", or .006", or .010" or .020" depending on some variables. My question was, what is the ADV duration and at which lift points is the duration measured. Then the other question was, what is the duration from .200" lift on one side of the lobe to .200" lift on the other side of the lobe? BTW, it wouldn't hurt to take ownership of it and say it is a BluePrint Cam. Alright, good bearings, a well known oil pump manufacturer, but why HV? and why not state this information up front as well? Which flowbench do you use? Right now, I need to think over how to state my questions about the cylinder head components. About the +040 over on the bores. I don't get it, unless you are trying to put worn +030 blocks back into service. If you are not sonic checking what does "hand picking" entail? Anyhow, thank you for your answers. They cleared up a lot, and created some new questions too. A little more Q&A. |
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21-03-2018, 03:18 PM | #21 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Thanks for the opinions on our marketing approach. I mentioned below with a company of our size, being carried by jegs,summit, speedway, eagle, etc. That a single change on a build of materials leads to tons of footwork on web and print ads. Many of our customers are far less inquisitive based on our size, warranty and value. That's why we don't call out every component on our web listings by brand. As you should be seeing, we take the extra effort to answer consumer questions, and give details as needed. Again we have thousands of these Ford engines in the field. We must be doing something right
To your other questions, we are getting very heavy into engineering specs that i myself even have to refer to engineering for. I applaud your attention to detail. If the remaining items are holding you up from purchasing from us, then I can approach engineering. I would just like to note again, we aren't talking about a 15k race engine intended for 9k rpm. 99 percent of customers just want our engines to be reliable, make power, and last as nice street strip offering. Our engines do that for our customers. Our company has grown exponentially year over year, and we stand behind our product. That's based on great customers value, and reliable engines. Thanks again all, JM |
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21-03-2018, 03:25 PM | #22 | ||
2009 xr turbo,2004 fiesta
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Perth wa
Posts: 662
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If a blueprint engine is purchased in aus from eagle and warranty issues may arise would the buyer deal direct with eagle or with you guys in the us?
Some on sellers handball any warranty issues to the manufacturer., Sorry if this has been covered already. Just curious. |
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21-03-2018, 03:26 PM | #23 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Quote:
Johnny M BPE |
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21-03-2018, 03:28 PM | #24 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Quote:
I have no issues dealing directly with a customer. Even if purchased from a reseller. |
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21-03-2018, 03:33 PM | #25 | ||
2009 xr turbo,2004 fiesta
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Perth wa
Posts: 662
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I see eagle only offer a 12 month 20000km warranty which is a lot less coverage than your warranty any reason you know why they do this?
I guess a big downside if warranty issues occur is having to deal directly to the us and the delay in getting any repairs/parts sorted,especially if its your daily driver car. I think its great that you jumped in to answer questions. |
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21-03-2018, 03:42 PM | #26 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Quote:
Now short blocks and add on parts. Those are 12 mo. |
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21-03-2018, 05:30 PM | #27 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Hervey Bay
Posts: 4,198
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Interesting thread. I know a few people running these 347's in classic Mustangs both here and in Minnesota including ones that run quarter miles in Club meets (with amazing results) and I have never heard any reports of problems. Speaking with owners, the general consensus is they just wanted something that had more exciting performance than a standard 289 or 302.
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21-03-2018, 08:35 PM | #28 | |||
Same ****-Different Day
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Northern Vic
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Quote:
__________________
Bax. Current Vehicles RA Wildtrak V6, UA2 Everest Trend 2.0lt |
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21-03-2018, 11:25 PM | #29 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Quote:
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21-03-2018, 11:28 PM | #30 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 20
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Quote:
https://blueprintengines.com/pages/warranty |
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