Jap Import

Hi I'm getting an STi Type RA the weekend.
It has a blueprint engine can any1 explain?

Thanks in advance

tath

Blueprinted means that it's assembled and specced to higher tolerances... E.g. its journals, pistons, bores etc should be measured by hand and exactly the right size for each other, rather than mass production engines where they try to machine to a spec and occassionally measure samples to ensure conformity.

This should mean no piston slap

p1mark

If it has been correctly blueprinted....i.e the full job.

It will have a bit more power than an assembly line built one
it will feel smoother.........
all other things equal it should be more reliable

Jap Import

Thanks guys,

I've had several people trying to put me off buying it.

But I think I'm deffo gonna get it

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Why have they tried to put you off?

Have you had the car professionally inspected including a compression test on the engine?? If not, I would before you part with any cash. They can be great buys, but JDM cars do go pop much more frequently than UK cars.

Ns04

Gary C

and blueprinted is a term often abused so as to be often meaningless.

GrollySTI

ask the seller?

Jap Import

The cars been fully inspected by 2 mechanics (compression tests done) and all seems fine.

Only thing is nearside wing has been filled where something fell off a hoist onto it.

But as this threads going I'm no clearer.

Some say it will go bang, others say it should be a stronger and more reliable engine.

I wont pretend I know anything this so I take on board all I'm told.

Cheers

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

With the proviso that the mechanics you've used are competent and know about scoobies, you should go more on their opinion than strangers on here who've not even seen the car!

Being an import, you'll need to run it on SUL and octane booster -i t was mapped for the JDM market 100ron fuel. Alternatively have it remapped for our SUL. Did they tell you that?

If they're in good nick when you buy them and you run them correctly there shouldn't be a problem.

Ns04

p1mark

What i said was IF it has been blue printed it will be more reliable/smoother etc.

The amount of power gained from blue printing V the time it takes to do it properly means that its normally a 'race only' thing.

I say this because there are far easier/quicker/cheaper ways to get bigger power increases on turbo engines than blueprinting.

If its just had the bores matched to the pistons, thats not blueprinting - its just normal practice. Its far more involved than just matching components.

I very much doubt that the engine will be blue printed as such because it is such a huge job to do and really only has relevance when you are looking for the last single BHP.

wrxtankie

Would be worth posting up any questions on www.type-ra.co.uk You may get a clearer answer from those that own them mate.

There are a few good pointers on there somewhere also.
Hope it helps a bit.

hedgehog

I suspect P1Mark might be correct in what he says. The last time I heard of blueprinting a road car was in relation to my MkII RS2000 and it is a term that seems to be rarely applied to road cars these days.

Hopefully the car is OK and I think you've got lots of good advice here. Perhaps blueprinting is a term they are using to cover the fact that the engine has been rebuilt?

Jap Import

I have mate.
However the forum is very slow, many lookers just no replies.

Although the site is fairly new I beleive.

Jap Import

The STi Type RA came as standard with a blueprint engine I beleive.

p1mark

No it did not. It would have been built on the same assembly line as all the other STI engines. A fully blueprinted engine would be built off line, with hand picked parts - perfectly balanced crank, perfect wieght matched rods and pistons etc....etc.....

It is an absolute logistical nightmare for volume manufacturers to do this and it simply does not happen for any volume.

Press cars/bikes however are a different matter!

Jap Import

Oh, OK

I find it so hard finding the correct information on the type RA's.
Been told so many stories.
Thanks for putting me straight P1

Gary C

Lets face it, blueprinting evolved from racing.

It was done to engines by selecting and ballancing components that while, within the manufactures tollerences, matched each other to a much higher degree so as to give the best possible torque (therfore power) within the racing formulas REGULATIONS.

It, as has been said, is time consuming and expensive.

I would bet that this engine has been built with ballanced crank/rods/pistions (which is worthwhile) and is probably a good engine.

The only problem is the description, are they unsure ?, do they not understand engines ?, are they trying to talk up this car to obtain a sale ?

Unless they could explain their use of the term blueprinted to my satisfaction, then I would walk away.

A 2.0ltr engine developing 300bhp is quite highly tuned and if interfered with by people who don't understand them, can turn themselves into a garden ornament quite quickly.

Just my opinion.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

F1 engine is blueprinted
STi engine is manufactured normally but with higher tollerences in the parts, ie instead of .04mm out it may need to be .03mm out to conform.

Tony

Jap Import

Cheers Tony.

harvey

iTrader: (48)

Surely one of your key questions is "Who blue printed it?" and after that, "Where is the paperwork?"
If it does not exist then how does the vendor know it has been "blueprinted".
Claiming something is blueprinted is the sort of phrase a spiv salesman can latch on to in an atempt to jaz up the product.
I am sceptical that the car will have been blueprinted but would be happy to hear that documentary evidence exists. To get power out of an engine there are many things I would do before blueprinting which takes place at the assembly stage and in reality is only good engine building practice to finer tolerances.
Even if the car has not been blueprinted it may be a good example but requires examination by someone who is very familiar and competant with Scoobs. Without that specialist examination steer clear or realise you are taking quite a risk and if there is no proof of blueprinting the vendor is telling porkies so what other porkies has he told.