Blueprinting - What It Is And Why You Should Do It To Everything You Touch On Your Car. Free Power

There is nearly always a gap between what a part is intended or designed to be, and what the realities mass production dictate the finished product actually is. By correcting all of those small defects and inconsistencies astounding results in all aspects of your vehicles performance can be had for not a lot of money or complications.
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[@jasonlanglois7906]

I've been in this trade 26 year. Worked on some of the most expensive cars around. Spent a few years restoring Ferraris. I never heard a better explanation than this. I've always gravitated to the old school guys that have this knowledge, as I feel an obligation to pass it on. Such good content here.

[@ManuelPerez-ip4bb]

The old guys do know something ay.

[@arlenewolf5260]

This is way better than a great video. Hey Tony why don't you go one step further. and explain how things like degreeing a cam, rather than just droping it in can help immensely and that all these things in unison can do many things beside lowering ET's. They can increase Horse Power & Torque and even increase MPG's.

[@skylarsoper241]

I’m a carpenter by trade for 25 yrs and I’ve always and still do learn from the grey haired dudes

[@irocitZ]

Same here, I can definitely tell by talking to other car people that each generation loses important historical information from the past. All I can do is pass on what I learned and hope it sinks in, I think some of it does for sure.

[@joshuadille5005]

This is the whole meaning of this channel. Low buck building what ya got and making it better. Refining what you have.!! UTG for life!!

[@tomdamon7208]

blueprinting isn't necessarly low buck . UTG is spot on .

[@harleykdognova4226]

Like how u show the affordable side of doing things . U can have fun without spending nascar money

[@Monaco-BuilditFixitDriveitEver]

Yes! I agree guys! That’s why I bought my car! Thank you Uncle Tony !

[@rodan2852]

Hes a Mopar guy. They LOVE to help

[@joshuadille5005]

I agree Tony is the hid and seek champion wen it comes to horse power lol

[@RustOnWheels]

What I absolutely enjoy about UTG’s channel is that he not only teaches us, he takes the time to actually explain in detail everything and he makes us feel part of the work shop. Tony, you can’t believe how strong those closing words “I’ll see you tomorrow” are. It takes us right there. Thanks for having the patience to school us all, even the stubborn guys in the back of the shop.

[@robertwest3093]

I hadn't ever thought about it when he says "see you tomorrow", but you're right! I feel as if I should be there turning wrenches and helping.

[@samhicks97]

Blueprinting is the perfect word for as the saying goes, "built, not bought"

[@stevodakine1]

I have to tell you, I was watching some vintage NASCAR videos from the late 60’s. They had coverage from the pits and the garages. They had stock motors with stock intake manifolds and stock exhaust manifolds. Those cars would do 170mph around those super tracks for hours. After seeing that, I knew, a solid stock motor can kick some serious butt.

[@michaeltaylor8734]

You are never rambling Uncle Tony. You are true practitioner of what you love to do. Hobbyist and wannabees ramble because they rarely practice nor apply what they preach and seldom research as deep as you do. You love to teach your craft and are not a braggart. The world needs more Uncle Tony's in it. Thanks for your videos. 🔧🏁🏆

[@gavincarroll2553]

I could listen to this man "ramble" for hours he is a fountain of automotive knowledge

[@michaelsmith-rh4yt]

I once owned a 65 Plymouth satellite 426 wedge and always thought it was a special car that came down the line and everything was just right, good mileage, amazingly fast, and Very smooth, I owned 13 Big Block Mopars and none were like that one.

[@Drey1957]

I am a chevy guy but once you start with the best stuff you cant go back I started with ford cars with crown vics

[@crautoguy8384]

Yeah I've had a couple cars like that That I regretted selling cause I thought just cause it was my car The way it ran And stuff I did and then I got another one and was disappointed same engine same everything not Is the same it's like the B team came in hung over on the assembly line On saturday

[@redram5150]

My dad has a similar story about his Roadrunner. “Fastest bone stock car I ever owned”. He raced it and the only car that ever beat him was a worked 427 Chevelle by a fender. Said there wasn’t anything special about it. 383/4 speed post car. Compression wasn’t any higher than normal. But everything was just right and it absolutely flew

[@davef.2329]

Betcha wish you still had that car today...

[@K9River]

I had a 72 Chevelle with a 350. Completely stock. It always started even at 50F below. It was quite fast and could get 18 mpg when I was careful. It didn't take a ton of work to build another car that would beat it, but in stock form, it was impressive.

[@Carstuff111]

I can say from my own personal experience that doing just the porting on a friend's Honda B18A1 on factory intake and head made a big difference in performance. That is a 1.8 liter, dual overhead cam non-VTEC 4 cylinder. He had also gasket matched the intake and exhaust ports on the head, and even before tuning the car ran stronger. Massaging stock parts really can make a huge difference, it nuts. That said, my friend's engine has been taken much further since then, with higher compression, a ported VTEC head and a ported Skunk2 intake manifold with a Skunk2 70mm throttle body, but he was shocked at the difference just massaging the stock parts made.

[@kevinjohnson8758]

An old Gear head told my he got a new Vett probably late 50's pulled the 283 and port polished everything and did a nice balance job . It ran perfectly. Lasted forever.

[@BoostedPastime]

Porting is an amazing way to add free power.

[@williamrogers.]

Uncle Tony, this video just made my decade. It is now my all time favorite, and one I will share every time the subject comes up. I have been an Engineer since around 2002 until now, but for twelve years I worked at one of the largest global aftermarket parts companies, and largest in their industry, and had to struggle to get this point across to my boss and a few other Engineers. I gave your same soapbox speech to my boss countless times with only a small movement in his attitude about it. I finally had to secretly give this information to our CAD Operators so that they would have an understanding that Design Intent was different than the results of a production part. First you determine the most likely used standard of measure being used (metric or imperial), then determine the most likely dimension on the OEM drawing, which we were not privileged to see. We had to make true educated guesses using multiple variables, then set proper tolerances, which were in the realm of potability, affordable, and didn't result in stacking . Thank you for making this video. I will use it for educating anyone in the future who thinks a production part has all the perfect dimensions needed to make multiple parts without a steady stream of returns. I think you know about that. Honest....It wasn't me. :0)

[@GenderSkins]

While blueprinting is everything Tony said, it is also producing a speck sheet of what you did and how you did it so you can reproduce it. As well as that when what you did brakes, it can be repaired in such a way as to restore things back to the way you did it. An example would be building a 351W, with 302 heads that was ported polished and had the head bolt holes enlarged to accept 351W head bolt’s or studs. And that you used intake gaskets for a 302, with oil galley gaskets from a 351W for X reason whatever X reason specific is.

[@arrowhead455]

What I love about your videos is that not only do you cover the subject, you drop so many other nuggets of info that are pertinent to hot rodding. Thanks Uncle Tony and Godspeed!

[@blakkat531]

I look at it like this…when we were kids we saved for the Monogram, AMT, or Revel model kit of choice and a) built the kit out of the box, without trimming the sprue and flashing from the parts. Did it look like the box top? Not even close. Only after b) cleaning the parting lines, sanding, painting and tweaking components and paying attention to the details does it resemble the picture, ie:blueprint

[@jamespobega8878]

Blue printing is building to the original specifications of the blue print . I'm a tool and die maker for the automotive industry for the last 35 yes.

[@OldDime]

Back in the day it was common to hear folks (employees, so they'd know) say "never buy a car that came down the line on a Friday". The thinking was that since the car was built on a Friday and a good number of those on the line would end up being half in the bag during their shift, Friday cars could well be a sub-standard product

[@chrismadaj8751]

And Monday

[@carlc5748]

The book "Wheels" explains this concept. You wanted a car built on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Workers would get paid on Thursday, after their shift and would be "half in the bag" on Friday, and "hungover" the following Monday. My mom told me about this book in the 1970's.

[@peteloomis8456]

This is true I knew a couple friends of mine that used to work at the old Ford plant in St.paul MN years ago and they were telling me that a lot of people go outside for their lunch break and slam as many beers as they could & smoke dope then come back in & go back to work . I remember seeing on the local news that people were buying the new trucks and would notice noises coming from the doors and took them into the dealership to find out what was making the noise and they were finding empty pop cans tools and garbage thrown into the doors by the workers and this was the late 70's just before they got laid off of work for a while. That plant is long gone now but it at one time was the oldest Ford plant still running at the time & that there are tunnels under where the plant was that were used to mine the sand out to be used to make the glass & windshields going way back to the cars and trucks from the 20's & 30's . The last Trucks to be built in that plant were the small Ford Ranger and Bronco from the 90s until it was shut down permanently because it wasn't cost effective to rebuild & update the whole plant so it was shut down and sat for years until it was demolished and the land sold .

[@MrShopvideo]

Your idea of manufacturing slop was why we looked for "Tonawanda no1 Team" on our Chevy engines. They were always the best motors. My 68 396 325hp Chevelle had a Tonawanda built engine and it ran 14.4's all day long. Bone stock with a TH400 and 3.23 rear.

[@stewartcaldwell5299]

I was born and grew up in North Tonawanda. The engine plant was huge. If you knew the right people, you could get all sorts of goodies that never were sold retail.Thats from Chevy experiments, back in the 60s and 70s mostly.

[@edwardpate6128]

If you have ever been in a Big 3 engine plant and see how they are assembled it is easy to see how beneficial blueprinting can be!

[@jeffduncan9140]

Are ya saying that they're pretty much just slapped together?

[@Churchkey83]

I kind of like it when Uncle Tony gets on on a rant and rambling about a topic I start learning.

[@haqitman]

I moved on from the vintage car hobby but I could listen to Uncle Tony talk all day. He thinks clearly and expresses himself so well. Truly comfort food for the motorhead.

[@sewing1243]

The original owner of my house (and my employer at the time I bought it from him) had been a lead maintenance electrician at Dodge Main. He ordered a car from Dodge on the employee purchase program and then he got to pick the car he wanted and watch it as it was built. Because each department wanted to keep him happy they all went out of their way to build him the best car that could be built...the engine guys basically built him a factory balanced and blue printed engine (every part hand selected)...transmission guys the same thing, suspension, interior, ect.... He said that was the best car he ever had and when he finally replaced it it still ran like a top.

[@kurtpoblenz2741]

You’re dead on Tony 👍🏻. You explained “blueprinting “ perfectly.

[@SGCXD]

That’s great insight into the philosophy of how someone could squeeze all the performance and reliability out of their vehicle without going nuts on aftermarket everything. Cool stuff!

[@andrewwasson6153]

Excellent description of blueprinting. I started hearing the term a little over 40 years ago when I was a kid and eventually I came to the conclusion, when it came to engines, it was about refining and fine tuning the parts to flow better, like port matching, polishing the passages, etc…

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

Blue printing is like working out your body . Your stock body can be improved by running or lifting weights etc. You absolutely explained it perfectly . Hell you can blueprint a slot car . Thankyou sir .

[@dubiousf00d]

Love the mindset when presenting this info to us. Not one specific model or brand. Universal useful knowledge to keep these older engines alive and preforming well. Thanks UTG!

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

I worked a Summit racing in the 90's . I was in phone sales and tech . I sold a set of 15 ×15 welds to Ron Sox. It was so cool talking to him .

[@williamcole464]

Does anyone remember Grump Bill Jenkins? He was a master drag racer from the 50' and 60's He was Chevrolets go to guy. G M would send him 50 sets of heads, he would pick the best 5 sets, and rock the stock rankings of pure stock.This was common in the 60's.

[@peteloomis8456]

Bill Jenkins actually started out drag racing Mopars in the early days then switched to Chevrolet . It took him a few years to finally beat the Hemi guys later on when using a SBC in a Vega which I never understood why the rule changed from mandated original type engines being used at that time because the Vega never ever came stock from the factory with a V8 in them . All you had for engine options for the Vega was that lowly pile of crap that wore out quick that burned & leaked oil knew this because I had one and the other option was the HP Vega with the Cosworth engine which are rare . Another great engine builder was Smokey Yunick and I bought his book he had years ago on how to Design & blue print engines for racing which I still have to this day . He even went as far as showing the differences of 3 small block engines the SBC SBF and Chryslers 340 and how some were better designed and built & showed the best engine blue printing mods for each of these engines to be used for racing so if you can find this book buy it because it's a good read & it will definitely be handy when it comes time to build a solid performing engine .

[@imaouima]

@@peteloomis8456 Is the book "Power Secrets" or another title?

[@jamest.5001]

A max effort factory, stock car! This is how my dad built cars, use factory parts, but from different cars, and modify them to improve performance, some would look like a stock 327/350, but make nearly 400hp , used 302 intake and cam on a 350, it was stout, with decent heads, ports cleaned up matched, the duntov 30/30 cams were a bit spicy also, we even though about angle milling some heads, great video , I can dig modified parts , even stock parts!! ✌️

[@JDWorkshop-wn9tt]

I enjoy old school, low buck, DIY. This is what the car hobby is to me. Great explanation of “Blueprinting”!

[@robertreavley7145]

UNCLE TONY! WE LOVE YOU MAN!!! Every time you put out a video. It ALWAYS has cracking information in it! In all honesty bud! You are a font of great information to say the least!!! Thanks again bud for your awesome informative videos!!!❤❤

[@riodward]

When the planets aligned at the factory in 1967, my friend’s Plymouth Fury w/ 318 was being built. As bad as a factory engine could be with the stacking of tolerances turning ugly, there is the rare moment when the gaps are what was drawn up. Bob ate 383s for lunch. We were amazed, and Bob was quite amused when his dad’s Fury walked away from our 383 Polara (which I am convinced was built on a Tuesday after a three day weekend). Thanks for poking that part of my memory.

[@davidiverson]

Tony, I did a project with that same intake. Very rusty and dirty. I spent hours cleaning, gasket matching, EGR and crossover deleting, and then painting that intake. It was WAY more fun than just picking up an aluminum intake to replace it! I was so much more proud of it when it was installed and running. That is why I watch your channel, because you do things that way too.

[@wickswickedworkshop888]

Thanks for all that you do, Uncle Tony! Your explanation of blueprinting, and how your content covers many makes and models is spot on. I'm in the process of doing a mild build on my first car, a 1972 Gremlin X with the 258 straight six, and I'm using a lot of ideas that I got from you!

[@TylerAnderson-xl6hb]

Cool car. I regret selling my 70 javelin sst everyday.

[@fokkerd3red618]

I'm glad you discussed this topic. Now I have a clearer understanding of what that means. Year's ago I would hear some guys talking about this and quite frankly I don't think they really understood the real definition.

[@xbgtfella]

I remember an Australian motor mag testing new Holden Brock Commodore V8 cars, 82 SS 5.0L and the testers getting a few examples to belt around and one tester related exactly what you're talking about. The 5.0s were hand built from memory with heads derived from the touring car race program. This guy said one test car went quite a bit harder than the rest and shaved a significant few 10ths off the quarter times of the other cars. Moral of the story Is the technician who screwed that mill together had the combo of parts that exceeded the claimed manufacturers performance expectations. In 1982 the VH Group 3 - 5.0L V8 4 speed manual ran 0 to 100 kmh in 6.7 secs and 0 to 400m in 14.7 secs ( zero to 60 and 1/4 mile) not to shabby for the time. At just a shade over 19k aud new, these cars in excellent condition now command well into 6 figures. The tester's conclusion, "this car is one out of the box"

[@user-rg7qu7ml2b]

You keep talking about it Uncle Tony. Old fellas such as we, learned all this the hard way. It's great to pass along knowledge to the upcoming generations

[@robertkoontz7865]

I really love the back story; the difference between factory burrs and casting crud vs polished & ported. I heard blueprinting is to detect cracks and balancing is grinding the parts untill they balance. Determining that balance point alludes me.

[@ShaunHensley]

Jim’s Automotive Machine Shop Incorporated JUST put out a great vid on balancing a GM rotating assembly a few hours ago. Great vid. Great channel. Check it out, may answer your questions

[@ShaunHensley]

Titled “Why Balance a Stock 396 Big Block Chevy?”

[@louiswright6516]

I feel the same way about things. Have my old cars and just keep them alive. I love that kind of shit it's the science.

[@Oscarphone]

Back in the late 60s I owned a '57 Dodge Coronet (I was 18). Very clean, lower miler with a 325. I got a 361 hp (like Tont has there) from an old Desoto. I rebuilt it using standard bearings. After Plastiguage it was a little wide but all the crank surfaces were very good. Let's call it "mileage clearanced". Slapped on a windage tray (a very new deal at the time) and used a couple of Dick Landy Clinic tricks. I set the distributor timing by lugging up the steep hills to get incipient knock. A local trans shop removed a couple of the springs for the first to second upshift on the old cast iron Torqueflite making that pretty crisp. After I broke it in I got into a street race with a then new 383 Roadrunner, manual trans, and beat him three out of three. One on the jump, and two on the roll. That was a pretty spicy old Deso 361. The guy riding shotgun almost pissed himself. Road Runners were legendary even then.

[@myriammorrison9840]

Been wrenching since the early 70’s. Never got into building power. Alternative fuels and paying bills took priority. However, when I rebuilt my personal autos. I did what you are speaking about. I called it blue printing and balancing back then! 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@silkysixx]

In Australia we call those ringers "freak motors." It's analogous to the way you take all the pushrods, lifters, rocker gear, and valves and sort the shorter pushrod with the longer rocker, etc. In the factory, sometimes this just happened by accident. The laws of probability dictate that, when you're building hundreds of thousands of cars, all of the sloppy parts are going to line up like the stars on one occasion or another and produce an engine that may even perform better than the design dictated. Your philosophy of providing universally useful resources for the home gamer car guy is why I love the slant six content. There is nothing that epitomises the philosophy more than taking an engine that is pretty nearly designed not to work in performance applications and making that puppy sing.

[@brokentoolgarage]

Nice! In manufacturing, production stackups can produce minimum performance parts and maximum performance parts (still in production tolerances - low end vs high end). One of the things a manufacturer can do is send parts to their test lab to make min/max performance parts and then test them to see if the minimum part will still meet the performance parameters and the maximum part meets nvh and other specs (ie too much fuel pressure). All of this can take place within the tolerances set by the engineer for manufacturability.

[@deankay4434]

Living on a farm, the highway way the closest activity. On many still days, you could always tell when a highway patrol caught someone going over the Jimmy Carter 55 MPH speed limit. The trooper would pull off the road, check traffic and nail his Plymouth Satellite with their 383 Golden Commando, spread bore Carter AFB, and whoosh thru into second gear, then third and gear and hear the sirens crack on for a couple of seconds. They guy was caught. I will never forget that sound! DK, Omaha. ASE Master Retired.

[@chrismadaj8751]

Well said Tony you put it a little differently than what I was thinking. Makes Perfect Sense GODSPEED

[@aussiebloke609]

Tony, I think there's a little language barrier between you and that engine builder in Australia. When I was at Meadowbank TAFE learning to wrench in the late '80s, the definition of "blueprint" was to get the parts exactly as the plans indicate. Not to fit them together better, or even as the designer _intended,_ but exactly as it says - for every part to precisely match its design blueprint, even if there was an error or non-optimal fit. What you're doing, we would probably have called " matching and fitting", rather than blueprinting - same thing, different terminology. Not that "blueprinting" isn't also used in the same way you mean it - usually at the pub after work. But that's in the vernacular, and a good builder usually sticks to the precise definition, rather than the idiomatic.

[@danaglass5394]

Olds with W30 big blocks and W31 small blocks up to '72 were assembled with "select fit parts" basically factory "blue printing.

[@raiderjohnthemadbomber8666]

I found myself nodding along with this video so much so I think I hurt myself. Kidding aside you are the perfect guy to explain this stuff because you've learned all the tricks over what I am sure was a helluva lot of learning moments and you like to teach so that thousands of engine D.I.Yers can escape those pitfalls. Tony, you are a true master. If you doubt me consider how many shops are able to partner with David Wizard, I mean Vizard. Love your stuff and I subbed when I first found you about two years ago. Bravo, Sir!

[@Someone_that_is_very_tired]

Uncle Tony I want to thank you, your philosophy and teaching is what makes me watch your channel. I’m from Brazil and given our limited resources and an almost cult of VW classics, any engine from a different brand is usually a pain to work with, so many times blueprinting is not only a cheaper alternative, it’s the only one! So any knowledge of yours is worth a lot to us! Thank you for taking your time to record and share what you have, we really appreciate it

[@NeverMetTheGuy]

Didn't you have something like 3,000 subs a year ago? Hell yeah, UT.

[@Mr.Saltwater]

Completely agree with using what you have. Gasket matched and cleaned up bowls etc. Intake heater passage blocked. Exhaust manifolds gasket matched and cleaned up. Cam installed correctly. 1968 GTS 340 4 speed 3.23 rear gear. Used 1987 Goodyear gatorbacks on cop wheels. 12.98 @110 in 1987. I was 17 years old and just absorbed your magazines knowledge and all the direct connection material I could find. Reading and comprehending is the cheapest horsepower.

[@BurchellAtTheWharf]

And of today's video the reason why I love this channel, the 3-6minute It's the run what you got, it you only have stock , make it the best of stock that you can

[@Lecherous_Rex]

There's this product called dragy, it's essentially a gps based trap and tree working in conjunction with a smart phone. Produces a full time slip accurate to 1/100th of a second. You could use it to be a happy medium for data collection. Not a dyno or drag track but testing the mule would leave good evidence, between the gps data and video of the launch and 60 foot. It's 170 bucks or so, about to send my dad one for a bench mark lol. Trying to make a turbo miata that stacks up, the plan is to push it to where the stock 5 speed and dif are almost grenades and then cut weight. factory 96 miata and 66 mustang fastback 289 had the same weight to horsepower. He has serious cams, msd ignition and know how, I'm using youtube, forums and as little money as possible.

[@Dboyquicks10]

Best damn go fast channel on YT. Thanks brother for taking the time to give us your knowledge.

[@erikturner5073]

People seem to forget that the origins of true hotrods is making more from less. Using and modifying recycled parts to make them better. You don't need to by everything new. There's a satisfaction of making things better without the need of always going the new or latest trend route. There's Rat Rods, custom builds and everything in between.

[@dazmac159]

Good timing for this video. Just last week we were die-grinding out the casting imperfections on a friends motor. Motor is skyline inline 6, ground head and exhaust manifold for better flow. The imperfections are numerous and some case extreme. Yes,the motor type does not matter, the work is the same!

[@Bbbbad724]

A 428 CJ in C/S we used an iron factory intake, which weighs 85lbs. The car ran on the top of the index. Blueprinted pieces can have tricks that the factory put in to it as you said they were cast very precisely. The parts have been handed down from racer to racer. You can’t pull a schlupped together 428 from a wrecked Mustang and run the time. The engine you build has the best parts that were passed by Farmer Dismuke numerous times. This C/SA Mustang is pulling 18 inch wheelies and running 10.60. That’s what gets it done. Thanks Tony. Many people have no idea how much it takes in little things to make a 385 hp factored 428CJ to be able to blow out an index that way and do 18 inch wheelies with an all iron engine in probably the toughest Sportsman class in NHRA. Blueprinting. Bumper to Bumper Carb to oil pan.

[@angieshaw8877]

...after he retired around commercial jet G.S.E. , he had gained experience with other makes/models that were "pre-electronic/computer control systems" We have a '90 Dodge Ram D-150 Long bed P/U and hope to get it running under O.E.M. design...it does not have to pass emissions, and can be modified slightly...the 318c.i.(5.2l) is at 98k+ original miles...and he says he can easily do an "in frame rebuild" ...and hopefully a nearby local machine shop can still supply a complete basic O.E.M. rebuild kit... Keep up the sharing videos... God will bless you for helping retired fixed income seniors like us here in FPK GA!! HAPPIEST NEW 2024!🎉

[@jeffduncan9140]

Is FPK Forest Park?

[@ercost60]

Corvair heads have integral intake manifolds, no such thing as a swap.. Must port them for performance. Go Uncle Tony!

[@cygnus1965]

I’ve always considered blueprinting to be all Of what Tony talks About and to go beyond that is to Measure and write down every part That goes into the engine. All the rod bearings and main bearings. Piston to wall clearance and ring end gaps this all is recorded into a binder and this is your “bible” that you take to the track and use as a note book for tuning to keep track of what’s been done and what the results of said tuning was. Then when the time comes to freshen stuff up you can compare the before and after Sizes alone with any new installed parts. I do believe this is the proper way of blueprinting your engine.

[@waynebuzzell2483]

I love you explanation about the idea and the original draft to the manufacturing process. It's well-known about tolerances from the factory. Thank you for articulating that. It's gold Tony.

[@edbeck8925]

Blueprinting is an exact science which involves modifying the engine to comply with its original manufacturers design tolerances and/or any newly developed specifications which increase the engines operational efficiency

[@warrenpuckett4203]

Sticking to the middle of the specs ensures that after the break in period the MPG and then power also meets specs. It takes about 1500 to 2000 miles of easy does it. To get it done right. I broke in a lot of test vehicles for Ford. I got picked to break in Bullitt number 2 and number 7. Boring but necessary. Wonderful driving machine, if you can drive a stick. It also makes it's own special music. So yes building a engine and a few thousands of here and does add up. My 1st build was a ford 292. I found out closer is not better. But did Ford cherry pick the engines for the Bullitt? I did not ask. I also was not allowed to drive it like I owned it. 20,000 miles later. Better? You have to ask the exec that got them after testing was done.

[@Rattletrap-xs8il]

And don't forget Tony, some people just want to argue. As a design engineer, I can honestly say you really nailed the definition of blueprinting.

[@timothyarnott3584]

Hey Tony, Tim here, the Aussie dude, needs to go back to school........he mite build hi-power engines in Austrailia, but he's NEVER dealt with Stock Eliminator!!!!.......we both know, blueprinting can yield LOTS of power......i'm a S.E. schooled dude......my Poncho KICKS ASS for what it is, cuz thoughtful attention to detail was how it went together......cant help Aussie man, and you explaining SHUD help a bit......you explained it well!!!....nice job sir!!!....PEACE TO YOU!!

[@abeld.4008]

Well said Uncle Tony... its those tolerances here and there that stock up to sloppy performance... I think at my age those tolerances are stocking up.... Dooohhhh!

[@zaddy49]

Well said. There's a certain pride in "built not bought" that gearheads have that is hard to explain to people. I guess if you have unlimited funds, you could have an engine and transmission built by a shop that will smoke the average guy's rig, but where's the fun in that? I happen to like using my knowhow and sketchy tools to make a machine that works as well as it can and put it up against another guys' machine built with his knowhow and sketchy tools.

[@trevnerdhubbabubba6230]

I didn't hear any rambling. I love the way you explain things Tony. I've been building what I hope to be a wicked 41 plymouth. A lot of my inspiration and knowledge has come from watching your videos. Hats off to you sir, don't ever stop making these vids!

[@kentkrueger6035]

I recall a 1972 Plymouth Duster 340 that was dipping into the high 12's. Didn't take long and one of the magazines figured out the thing had 488 gears in it. It was actually topping out at it's maximum speed by the end of the quarter mile. That car was a real ringer, you could not buy a 1972 Duster 340 4-speed car with 488 gears from the factory. Chrysler probably pulled this kind of thing more than any other manufacturer, but they did all do this stuff for bragging rights. Even AMC.

[@slothmag]

I've read that word a million times in engine ads and articles but never realized i didn't know what it meant.

[@pontiac6978]

I have a factory iron intake on my 455 Pontiac with a Q Jet. Runs 11.30 at 118 mph.

[@dodgeboy5150]

The 361 is looking gooooood! Really dig the yellow paint 😎

[@ridervfr2798]

It's all about massaging, polishing where applicable and basically just finger (insert F word.) Your the BEST TONY

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

I appreciate your content, brother 🙏. Have a great day, everyone 😀.

[@cwfella]

Great explanation of “blueprinting”! An overused term by many that truly don’t know the meaning

[@robertheymann5906]

I've blueprinted aluminum V8 race blocks, putting the lifter bores in a position with tighter tolerance than the manufacturer. Same with cylinder bores, main bores etc, and literally everything machined, tighten up the tolerance making it closer to perfect. Accuracy- hitting the mark Precision- hitting the mark consistently Thats what wins along with balancing and carrying no extra weight

[@napoliansolo7865]

Tony is right when he says that the little things add up to making a big difference between engines.

[@joeroe7621]

Tony, thanks for that awesome explanation! That makes so much sense to me now. Never quite understood the term blueprinting when it came to engines and now the entire car for that matter. Really enjoy your channel. Keep up the great work of sharing knowledge, especially old-school Muscle car knowledge!

[@AtZero138]

Working with , What You Got .. Get it yet... Thanks BOSS

[@abeld.4008]

That saying should be blueprinted onto a t-shirt.

[@siggyincr7447]

Blueprinting, as I understand it, isn't about bringing every part within spec but rather making it function as intended when assembled. You want to make it meet or exceed it's intended function as a part of a larger assembly. That's way more nuanced than just making it meet the specs of a blueprint. You can have two mating parts that are both within print tolerances and their deviations from the mean can either compound to create even larger deviations or they can cancel each other out. Blueprinting is about eliminating the former even if it means deviating from the blueprint specifications for any individual part. Then if you want to get really finicky about it, you keep detailed records of key details about the how everything is in relation to each other so that if you have a really good setup you could replicate it down the line.

[@brucejones7389]

This is what you did with the 5.0 fox body mustangs...tweaking the little things adds up!

[@stebstebanesier6205]

Another bench racing term that drove me crazy was "Three quarter Racing Cam". I used to wonder, which two cylinders don't get the use of the cam, or do two cylinders still use the stock cam. Either way the logistics are impossible for my simple mind to grasp. Don't get me started on "Bolt on application, no modification needed."

[@mightymikethebear]

I remember an article I read in Hot Rod (probably Hot Rod or a similar magazine) that discussed what Tony is talking about in this video. The article stated that many of the cars Motor Trend magazine tested back in the day were probably blueprinted by the factory to provide the best performance available in stock form. All the manufacturers wanted to look good in the eyes of potential customers and there may even been a little "enhancing" the stock cars, lol.

[@marcalampi5036]

My older brother was a mechanic diesel trucks car's and autos foreign and American. He did some stock car racing and he would perfect part's. He'd fix a water pump or oil pump instead of swapping it for another fuel pumps windshield wiper motors. Etc. he was that into it. Uncle Tony reminds me of my older brother how he talks his personality. He died and I miss him. He predicted light's would be LED. More turbos smaller engines. Smaller lighter car's and Monacoch bodies with crumple zones and he loved simpler cars. He got a 327 Chevy to get over 50 mpg tried to patent a mesh screen inside the intake manifold to atomize the air (fuel) mixture he told me I retarded the timing. They bought his effective idea and shelved it of course. He improved a coffee maker. After suing a Chinese company. He made money off suit. Because it caught fire and he improved it's design the Chinese company copied his design. He would fix any and everything he truly was genius. His name was Frankie. He worked on my motorcycle and All of my dad's car's brothers his friends. He also did HVAC/R. Service and installing. He was amazing.

[@evlutionzllc5519]

Such a great explanation. I have a really hard time wrapping my head around new things sometimes but even I understood it. Bravo! Bravo!

[@aprules2]

Tony, I love your attitude with this build. I've been trying to get people to understand what you're doing for a long time, it's nice to see the progression. So many people just bolt on aluminum heads headers and Aluminum Intake and then fuel injection and they go this is what it'll make after spending 10 grand rather than showing you that with an intake it makes this much power, or headers and exhaust will affect it like this, I could Port the head and make this much power, etcetera.

[@brocluno01]

I agree. But there is the aspect of making a part measure exactly as the designer specified - match the blueprint - ie: Blurprinting. In the case of gasket matching, the gasket MFG's were given actual blue prints from the engineers to design their products. So if you see a port shape in a gasket, it is the designers intended shape. BUT, it also includes a tolerance for all the shifts in casting that could reasonably occur. So you want to follow the shape as a "pattern" but think about velocity changes if you are changing the cross section much. Yes, get the port shape right. But don't necessarily go too big ... OTOH, matching and fitting (massaging) is also a great way to make power 😁

[@martinhiner2059]

Thhr fact that you mentioned a thermoqaub got me.i am the carburetor king of Texas..love your channel

[@donaldsmeogs3827]

Yellow is the color of Happiness Uncle Tony:)

[@theothornberry4820]

I understand exactly what you mean I had an 1983 Volkswagen rabbit gti 1.8 8 valve and that's exactly what I did. I cleaned and smoothed out intake n exhaust helped it to breathe more with out spending alot of money just spent a little time and holy cow the difference that made

[@RustyShackleford6371]

Ran in to that back in the day buying 9c1 lt1 caprices . Take for test drive. Stomp the gas pedal and a slow one stopped spinning right rear tire on 1-2 shift. Fast one would spin all the way through 2nd gear. Before I figured this out I did 3.73 gears and shift kit in a slow one and my buddy had a fast one. His stock 9c1 was still faster than my modified 9c1.

[@Indy_at_the_beach]

Back in the 70s blueprinting was explained to me exactly in this manner. I can only guess that the info shared on the internet noise machine has added a ton of bad information since. Thanks for clarity and quality. Great channel. Subscribed.

[@blackcoffeegarage]

See there's always new things to learn and consider in this hobby. The "bought not built" crowd (especially Mopar rivet counters) tends to rag on Tony for being a shadetree-gone-rougue and just making stuff work... and more often than not they're forgetting the human aspect, the error aspect, inherent in everything mechanical. The unexpected flaws, the effects of grafity and inertia on things that work fine when static. Always good to talk theory. Love ya, Tony!

[@kentkrueger6035]

Tolerances change overtime. That's why blueprinting is needed. You make things as they were supposed to be.

[@metalbill]

Also help explain another term. Align Boring and Align Honing. Which are commonly mistakenly called Line Boring/honing. The purpose is to re-ALIGN bores in a row. Such as crankshaft main bores and camshaft bores, anything that needs to align precisely. Let’s teach the world Tony!! Lol

[@davidedgar2818]

Tony I respect your channel for your slant 6 mainly. I do enjoy your other basic knowledge too. I love the idea of pushing the 6 cyl. engines to the max as well. I've done builds on Ford straight , with cam and header as well as intakes. The slant 6 seems to be able to take the torque better. Love your channel as a fellow New Yorker, in Hawaii.

[@derrick6483]

Thank you for taking the time to explain that stuff it's very interesting. I believe the term you are talking about is referred to as "tolerance stacking" .... in any event thanks again UTG. ✌

[@jimbetts5164]

Tony you right about what blue printing is . To put it simply in it most basic form is making sure that all tolerances fall within factory specs. As we check clearances we need to correct them as well, to avoid the "stacking" of tolerances that will lead to conditions that are not favorable and more likely to end in a catastrophic manner. As a builder of engines one must recognize the cause and effect of making changes to one part will directly effect other parts and have a trickle down effect to other parts. You see it all the time, people stick a high lift long duration cam in and car runs slower and worse than it ever did before. People throw a dominator on there stock 305 and van't figure out why they keep fouling plugs. A little knowledge can be dangerous. There are builders and there are assemblers. Ford had 1000 people who only knew how to install 1 part on the assembly line. They couldn't do anything else,as far as building the cars goes . 1000 people doing one thing well equalled production numbers that have never been bested. they were spitting out the model T - 1 every 24 seconds and being built in 90 minutes . Your scenario again accurate, i would add that in production toolings wear out etc and they have to make corrections during productions especially when the cast parts. Ronnie Sox was also a mechanic and press cars , the media might be able to drive but Sox and Martin would tweak the cars before testing them. Advance the distributor drop air pressure make sure to test either early or later when air cooled down, and speed shift at 5k, and get rpms up and cut a good light. All these things would be why they could get a hemi car to high 12's and media reporters spun tires for 1000 ft and turned in mid 14's and still thought they drove it well. Don't think they passed out the new Demon to the press core like they did back in 1970 with the 440 6 pak Challengers/Cuda. Sorry long message again hope it helps .

[@OldcarsNmusic]

Someone once referred to Bruce Williams' radio show TalkNet, as the "Cliffs Notes from The School Of Hard Knocks." I think that title belongs to Uncle Tony's Garage now!

[@billfioretti3013]

Tony, Parts Blueprinting is Enhancing. A.K.A. Improving. A.K.A. Attention to detail. A.K.A. Reworking a component to it's best capable form. We who have done it know what it is. Definitions are varied and semantic. The same can be said of Assembly Techniques.

[@paintnamer6403]

The 1972 TQ non EGR valve provision but first generation EGR with exhaust orifices below the carb, those have to be plugged! You can see how to grind the early Thermo Quad manifold comparing the two. That's why the newer EGR manifolds are recommended, a plate can replace the valve and seal off the exhaust. The lower plane plenum on the secondary side is improved too.

[@CTRLaltKNIFE]

I've learnt loads about points, coils engine building and bottle of gas tricks that have came in handy with my a series 4 banger in my mini. All thanks to this channel.