What exactly is...

[blackmonday]

...a blue printed engine? I've been told the 3.6 Red Rose is 'blue printed' so it really does live up to the figures. How is a blue print done? Is it as simple as tweaking the computer for timings, etc.?

[MrFlibbles]

I dont know myself, but Im pretty sure the answer to that question was in last months EVO.

[GI Jnr]

AFAIK, blueprinting is when the engine is rebuilt with all of the components individually machined and balanced, engines off the production line are built with a certain percentage tolerence and so they never run 100%...

... I think.

I'm sure an engineer will soon correct me.

Tuan

[nickfb1]

exactly right, all the engine components a engineered to set tolerences, those used in a blue printed engine are those components which are the closest match to the actual blue print itself

[Mr Freefall]

blackmonday said:

...a blue printed engine? I've been told the 3.6 Red Rose is 'blue printed' so it really does live up to the figures. How is a blue print done? Is it as simple as tweaking the computer for timings, etc.?

for the cost of balacing the pistons, rods, crank etc I think TVR should cost this in the car price and all Speed 6 engines should be BP'd

MR F

[ginner]

You are correct. Things like the pistons are matched to the individual cylinder bores. So in theory No. 1 piston might only fit into No.1 bore due to tighter tolerances. Bearings are all matched the same and all con rods, pistons etc.. are balanced to the same weights.

[tail slide]

Virtually spot on, except that I recall that the blueprinting refers to applying a blue dye to the components before the last stages of machining & polishing, to show up any high spots afterwards. The process is then repeated until no high spots remain, which produces optimum free-running components.

[nubbin]

Blue printing refers to the time when original specification engineering drawings were reproduced by photographic printing on blue (Ferric sulphate impregnated) paper, using white ink - but you're probably right that stains could have been used to show up high spots etc. that needed machining.

In this case, it refers to matching components as closely as possible to their original stated tolerances for size, shape, weight etc. to produce an engine much more closely reproducing the engineer's original vision.

[blackmonday]

nubbin said:

Blue printing ... refers to matching components as closely as possible to their original stated tolerances for size, shape, weight etc. to produce an engine much more closely reproducing the engineer's original vision.

Does the mean a Red Rose quoted at 375 bhp is really 375 bhp where a standard 3.6 quoted at 350 bhp is more of an approximation of the power?

Does anyone know the torque figures for the Red Rose?

[Mr Freefall]

blackmonday said:

nubbin said: Blue printing ... refers to matching components as closely as possible to their original stated tolerances for size, shape, weight etc. to produce an engine much more closely reproducing the engineer's original vision. Does the mean a Red Rose quoted at 375 bhp is really 375 bhp where a standard 3.6 quoted at 350 bhp is more of an approximation of the power? Does anyone know the torque figures for the Red Rose?

Most of the Speed six engines do kick out what they say in the tin, not like the AJP's and the RV8's. However, there are always exceptions to the rule