Blue Print or GM Performance

[Maknwine]

My truck came with a Marine 5.7L with Forged Pistons and the GM performance Crank.
I used the EDL-7116 dual plane intake, a 1" tall Chaos split 2" diameter holes' TBI adapter (and the stock 5.7L TBI, for now). The adaptor allows for the upgraded larger bored TBI and a tune/chip or the Holley Sniper, later.

I have read good things about the Blue Print Heads and the aftermarket aluminum heads they sell. However, you should be aware the GM Performance Vortec Heads are much more advanced than aftermarket heads. Nobody is allowed to match the intake design of the GM Vortec heads, unless you pay an aftermarket race head machinists to build you custom heads. The GM Vortec's are in a class of their own. Especially the newer versions, which are thicker castings and better quality than the OEM versions from 1994. The intake runner is custom casting, not used by any other aftermarket head company selling "Vortec Style" heads. They call the bolt pattern "vortec", not the casting runners...

Before you make your decision, call these guys:

JASPER remanufactured engines, transmissions & differentials

JASPER provides remanufactured gas engines, diesel engines, marine engines, transmissions and more for your car, truck or boat.

www.jasperengines.com

The marine version has brass freeze plugs. If you get the forged pistons and add on the GM Cast Iron performance crank and actual GM Performance Vortec heads, you might be better off in the long run. My Marine Jasper Engine did not come with heads, it was a short block.

The GM Performance engines from Mex have had customer complaints. Too many for my nerves.
Somebody WAS sending out poor quality control engines... unless this has been rectified, it bothers me greatly. I have read comments from world class custom car builders saying six or seven in a row bad. (This is not good).

At the end of it all it's the man or woman who machines and the quality of the parts.
My heads are NOT GM Performance Vortec, they are sub standard copies. They flow OK, but are not the real deal. Blue Print seems to make good stuff. Ask them if they will install GM Performance Vortec heads?


From my personal experience, Jasper makes good stuff too. Call them and get a quote for the best engine you can afford with the exact parts you want. Package deals are not usually the best option, from any vendor. Small customization, can lead to a much more reliable engine because it gets built by a different team in the factory.

tks for taking the time to list all that. I was wondering if the BPE engine heads were already the GM Performance Vortec head even though they just list them as GM iron heads as to how they are gaining HP listed as 260 vs 210.
I need to reread thru the spec differences to understand where the gains are coming from.

Basically, I wonder if I would really see 260HP using the old IM and TBI setup I have. If not, then I guess the differences would really be roller cam vs tappet , shipping cost is $250 for the BPE vs free for the GM performance...boiling it down then $550 to have the roller cam seems reasonable to me.
The warranty for the GM is 36months/100K and BPE is 30months/50K....which is a nonfactor really because this C30 is not used as a daily driver so I'll never put 50K miles in 30 months or probably a 100 months.

I'll look into the link for JASPER. I do have a 99' Mustang GT that just got a JASPER "prof" installed just over a year ago. It's a long story why I have this car and why its got a "new" engine.(can't relive that disaster)

Anyway, I am leaning BPE but prefer the GM performance based on my own perceptions.

 

[Maknwine]

Ive had my GM Performance 350 High Performance Crate Engine for 5 years… it’s been great, with Zero issues. I Love it!
Hope my experience helps with your question/decision

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that looks great and also reassuring to hear your experience, thanks!

 

[Fastduramax]

Look into Skip White Performance, my buddy had to return a Blueprint and they were asses about it…

 

[Big Ray]

Haven't seen a tbi on a pre-vortec (12 bolt intake). Are you sure it isn't the later vortec (8 bolt intake) engine you want?
Probably just a generic pic they chose, but the second pic in the gmperformance link you posted, shows a pic of the (sawtooth head) vortec engine. Weird.

Dads 87 and my ex's 89 were both 12 bolt tbi engines...

 

[Maknwine]

Look into Skip White Performance, my buddy had to return a Blueprint and they were asses about it…

Looking at one line of the BPE warranty makes me believe that:

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Seems like that wording just basically says if your rings become ruined(maybe from an oil pump failure, just spit balling now) than the resultant cylinder damage makes you SOL.

Decisions are hard!

 

[midnightblue]

I vote anything but GM Performance (making the assumption GM and Chevrolet Performance are the same company). Mine has not blown up yet ..... here is a post that I made a while back
https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/new-chevrolet-performance-350-issue.37675/
Bottom line it is impossible to get in touch with Chevy Performance if you have an issue.
I also have a Skip White Performance engine and in my opinion there is nobody better.

 

[Buck69]

Dads 87 and my ex's 89 were both 12 bolt tbi engines...

Cool. As mentioned, I have never seen it. Love this site and the wealth of knowledge shared on it.

 

[Maknwine]

The Skip White Performance engines look and seem incredible, but it'd be like putting something exquisite into something the exact opposite. The least expensive one was 7 grand and 503HP.

BPE sales says nothing would be available until July/August. I guess I expected it already built and just waiting on a knucklehead like me.

 

[FireTruck1984]

$3,000 price increase in 3 years… Just plain Greed ! No other way to explain it

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[Scott91370]

For $8500 you might as well...LS swap it.

 

[Dezzracer]

Seems about right. Not sure where our government is getting the 8% inflation rate. Playing us for fools as usual. Seems almost everything I’m buying is anywhere if 20-40% higher. Including services.

 

[Catbox]

For $8500 I would learn to do it myself and buy all the tools that are needed to rebuild it.
Only farming out the machine work you cannot do yourself....

That is crazy.

 

[Bloodhound1981]

I went with the gm performance (sp/357) crate engine. Rips pretty well in my k-5, 357hp, 409tq, roller cam, vortec heads.

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I have this too, love it. Running a First fuel injection intake and Holley HP ecu on it.

 

[Buck69]

It is my understanding that GM no longer builds their new 5.7 crate engines. They have been contracted out to Performance Assembly Solutions. Google them. The engines are still built in the US to GM standards and branded such. I am betting it likely has a lot to do with price increases in the past couple years.

 

[bucket]

I vote Blueprint. You can get it tuned, broken in, and dynoed, ready to install and go.

Many years back on another forum a young man bought the big GM 572 HO. He disassembled it to verify clearances and what not and found more than a few problems he had to fix on his dime.
Always stuck with me....

The guy on CK5 with the super clean Suburban, super clean shop and the big expensive boats? If so, that was a really cool build.

It is my understanding that GM no longer builds their new 5.7 crate engines. They have been contracted out to Performance Assembly Solutions. Google them. The engines are still built in the US to GM standards and branded such. I am betting it likely has a lot to do with price increases in the past couple years.

The past couple years? The GMPP pricing has been increasing at an alarming rate for the last 20+ years. Long before everyone else started hiking up their prices.