" ""Radiator: 170 (Summit 27" aluminum + friend welded brackets on)
* Headers (Dynomax ceramic coated): $300
* Exhaust
** $200 for jegs kit which did not fit at all (e body)
** $350 for Midas to screw it all up very bad and it still is not right, but it is on the car.
** ??? to get it done right...
* 360 Flywheel: 300
* Clutch: 200
* Trans Rebuild: 300
* Distributor: $40 (stock from Autozone)
* Bell housing alignment pins (3 sets): $60
* Breather asy: 15
* Recomened plugs: $40
* Plug wires:
* Cap:
* Rotor:
""

I don't get it.

None of this is their responsibility and you have no reason to fault anyone for your deciding to spend money on this. If you are swapping engines you always have to buy the small stuff. If you are swapping from a smaller to a bigger engine you always have to buy stuff that suits the bigger engine. that's just the way it is. Even swapping from a bone-stock 318 to a bone-stock 360 you still have things to buy.

Re: Dyno testing - It makes perfect sense to me that they would have a "kit" of parts to put on an engine to run it on the dyno. Fuel comes from the hose in the dyno area, dyno exhaust system, carb, distributor, wires etc, water pump and pullies or else fittings that mount to the engine, put it on the dyno and run it a half hour, after the breakin run 5 points or so and call it good.

Now look at the machine work that you will pay extra for in your "home rebuild"
Square decks
Align hone mains
Cylinder wall thickness test
Computer hone
Rotating assembly balanced

A lot of this stuff is a lot cheaper for them because they rebuild thousands of engines a year, and I wouldn't bet my life on everything being exactly as good as a talented machinist could do working one engine at a time. But, just trying to get a decent reground crank is turning out to be a problem in another engine build that I am putting together. The point is many of you don't have the facilities close to do the machine work, and you don't know how good your local machine work will be either.

As for the Mopar crate engines, since when did THEY become models of correctness? I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the threads about how "Mopar crate engines are junk" and how you have to take it all apart and correct all the problems before you even dare to run it, and besides NO WARRANTY!!! Certainly not a 3-year 50,000 mile warranty.

Blueprint Engines is not related to me, I have no stock in the company and know no one involved. I should dislike them because they're from Nebraska and I live in Colorado, but even the most rabid Nebraska-hater has to admit that for the most part, people who live in that state are honest and straight. So I hate to see someone unload all sorts of peevishness on people that have what appears to be decent products and business practices.

If I get anywhere close to their facility, I will try to arrange a plant tour. Rapid Robert probably could visit them more easily.

R.