Here, an air gauge measures the roundness of the connecting rods in microns, about 1/50th the size of a human hair. Once it's balanced, a worker measures the crankshaft with an air gauge to make sure it's within BluePrint's predetermined tolerances. And the process is repeated until the component is perfectly balanced. A computer analyzes the movement and tells the worker where and how deep to drill to balance the weight. It's assembled in a cradle that spins 500 to 600 revolutions per minute. Even a slight wobble in the way it spins, and it can damage the engine. Once the valve-spring pressure is checked, the cylinder head is tagged and set on a shelf to await transport to the engine block.Īt another station, the crankshaft is balanced. These can compress and expand upwards of 50,000 times per hour to regulate the pressure inside the combustion chamber, so proper assembly is crucial. Then a worker installs the valves and springs. After, a surfometer measures the surface finish of the head. After inspection, some heads go through a milling machine, which creates an airtight seal for the combustion chamber. Like the block, the cylinder head is pre-forged and delivered to BluePrint's factory. The cylinder head helps to form the combustion chamber, where the gas is ignited. On the other side of the warehouse, the rest of the components are assembled, tested, and prepped for their marriage to the block. This removes any metal shavings stuck to the block, which can cause catastrophic damage if they cycle through the running engine. These are tiny X-like scratches that hold oil and allow the piston to glide smoothly inside the cavity. After, a worker inspects each cylinder for crosshatches. Here, a CNC machine cuts the cylinders to fit the pistons. The metal shavings are cleaned off, and the block is sent to the cylinder hone. Here, the center of the block is cut to size to fit the crankshaft, which will be installed later in the process. That's where the align hone machine comes in. But to get here, the cavities are resized to fit the components. This causes the connecting rods to spin the crankshaft, turning the linear motion into a rotational motion that will ultimately drive the wheels. Here, the gas ignites and pushes the two components up and down. The cavities you see here are designed to fit the pistons and connecting rods. The blocks come pre-forged and are built to BluePrint's specifications. It all starts with the engine block, which is the base that all the components will eventually connect to. Here, BluePrint manufacturers 12,000 Chevy-, Ford-, and Chrysler-compatible engines. One part can be the difference between a powerful engine and catastrophic failure. Narrator: Engines are made up of over 300 bolts and dozens of moving parts, like pistons and valve springs, that all work together to turn combustion into motion.
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