Engine/Trans help

[ThreeLRanch]

So I have decided to get a new Blue Print engine and now I am torn between a 341 HP and a 390 HP because of the stock 700r4 that is in it now . I don't think the trans is in great shape but with that said I have not really had any issues with it other than when I bought it the TV cable was not hooked up and drove it for a little over 100 miles without it burning up somehow . So the question I keep asking myself is do I get the 390HP and drive it till it goes out or play it safe and get the 341HP , I plan on either getting the 700 rebuilt or getting a totally different transmission and that is another head scratcher as to which one then due to having to change a lot of other stuff . Any help input or thoughts would be great .

 

[wendortb]

I was in the exact same boat with mine. I went with the 341hp, because it takes regular fuel, and I figured it is just a truck for going to town so I wanted better gas mileage, and to not burn up tires. Now that it is in and built, it sounds like it has a cam and sounds like a lot of power, and I wonder if I should have went with the 383 instead, and just planned on upgrading the trans. It all depends on if you want power for having fun, or want to save some money. Do you want a hot rod truck, or something that is more of a daily?
I am still happy with what I received, and it is more power than what was in it, but it could have been fun to have the 383.

 

[ThreeLRanch]

I was in the exact same boat with mine. I went with the 341hp, because it takes regular fuel, and I figured it is just a truck for going to town so I wanted better gas mileage, and to not burn up tires. Now that it is in and built, it sounds like it has a cam and sounds like a lot of power, and I wonder if I should have went with the 383 instead, and just planned on upgrading the trans. It all depends on if you want power for having fun, or want to save some money. Do you want a hot rod truck, or something that is more of a daily?
I am still happy with what I received, and it is more power than what was in it, but it could have been fun to have the 383.

Well I don't plan on this being a race truck but would like to be able to get of its own way . Does that one you have seem to run pretty good ? I know I will have to rebuild the transmission soon so that is why I'm on the fence so bad but I would also like to drive it for a while before having to do that .

 

[legopnuematic]

My advice would be, regardless of engine choice (of the two you listed), budget/plan for a trans build before dropping the new engine in.

It’s cheaper and easier to build a trans before and when they are not grenaded.

That and you will already be most of the way there to drop the trans when the engine is out.

 

[Sad Sack]

If you're using a gantry or some behemoth of a hoist, get an engine leveler, pull both at same time, put your new ones or rebuilt one together and drop them in.

 

[wendortb]

Mine runs pretty well, but I did have to adjust timing and properly adjust the carb. The carb was way out of tune initially. I expected it to be tuned, but I had to do all of the setup for that after learning about it. It is still much more power than my truck had when new, not that I ever drove it with the old engine, but it moves along just fine. I am still in break in, so I am not hitting it too hard, but it seems like there is enough power for normal driving plus a little extra. I don't have the bed on, so it is currently difficult to keep the tires from spinning a little under a faster take off. It is also an older truck, and although I have replaced the steering wear parts, it is still not like a new car. It is not as tight and too much power could be hard to handle.
The only thing that I will say for getting something bigger, is that spending a little more now will get you much more power for the money, compared to later. An extra $1k now can get you another 100hp now.
The other thing is that you don't have to use all of the power on tap, and kill the trans. You can drive it easy and use the old trans until you have the money for a new one.
I reused the old trans in the truck, which was replaced at some point, and so far it is running just fine, especially after getting the proper tv bracket and proper adjustment.
I am happy with the engine I chose. I think I would have also been happy with a bigger engine. I think it just comes down to what do you want to end up with. It is cheaper to buy what you really want the first time.

 

[Shoote]

I have a 700 that I had the weak points corrected on behind a 502. I have run this set up since 2000. Pulled a 9000 pound Fountain, locally for years and have never had an issue. I have another stock 700 behind a Blueprint 454. Only 2000 miles so far, but no problems. I will use them to pull, but they are not race trucks. In my experience, TV cable adjustment is very important for the 700 to survive. I have temp guages and 29,000 BTU trans coolers I installed in each 700 to monitor what temps they run. Amsoil lowered temp by 15-20 degrees.

 

[Ricko1966]

So I have decided to get a new Blue Print engine and now I am torn between a 341 HP and a 390 HP because of the stock 700r4 that is in it now . I don't think the trans is in great shape but with that said I have not really had any issues with it other than when I bought it the TV cable was not hooked up and drove it for a little over 100 miles without it burning up somehow . So the question I keep asking myself is do I get the 390HP and drive it till it goes out or play it safe and get the 341HP , I plan on either getting the 700 rebuilt or getting a totally different transmission and that is another head scratcher as to which one then due to having to change a lot of other stuff . Any help input or thoughts would be great .

Something for you to think about,more horsepower,almost always means more RPM. You need to look at where the horsepower and torque figures are rpm wise and decide how often will you actually be at that rpm. If you have too much cam for your needs you won't be happy. The truck won't be fun to drive if you have to keep the engine wound up,also hp at a higher rpm usually means you end up needing a looser torque converter and a lot of times steeper rear gears. You should call blueprint and ask them about converter and gears recommended for those 2 engines. Then do some calculations as to cruising rpm,to see if it's a number you can live with.

 

[Broken85]

So I have decided to get a new Blue Print engine and now I am torn between a 341 HP and a 390 HP because of the stock 700r4 that is in it now . I don't think the trans is in great shape but with that said I have not really had any issues with it other than when I bought it the TV cable was not hooked up and drove it for a little over 100 miles without it burning up somehow . So the question I keep asking myself is do I get the 390HP and drive it till it goes out or play it safe and get the 341HP , I plan on either getting the 700 rebuilt or getting a totally different transmission and that is another head scratcher as to which one then due to having to change a lot of other stuff . Any help input or thoughts would be great .

I went down the same road and decided to go with the sniper 340HP. If it makes you feel any better, when mine showed up the dyno sheet that shipped with the motor showed that it actually turned out 375 hp before it left the factory. I had the 700R4 rebuilt with heavier clutch packs and corvette 2nd gear servo. 1500 miles so far, no issues, no regrets. Mine is not a daily driver, just a fun weekend driver. I still have the stock 307 rear in it (which is the next upgrade) but it has plenty of power and still a lot of fun to drive if you like to go hammer down every once in a while. Consider; even 340 hp is twice as much as it came stock with the original 305 at 165 hp. 350 motors only came with 185.

 

[BravoWhiskey]

I'm in the same boat, went with the Blueprint 340hp option. Dyno sheet indicates 391hp, guess things worked out for me. Still struggling a bit with the exhaust and headers. Where are you guys building/ordering transmissions. The old 700r4 is good for now, but I'd like something setup to handle the extra torque.

 

[Grit dog]

A 390hp engine is 0hp when sitting still idling and way less than 390 at partial throttle. Get the engine you want and be easy on the skinny pedal until you do the trans, imo. The engine should last you “forever” and you already said you have plans for the trans in the future, so why get the weaker engine if you want the stronger one?
Unless maybe your right foot is not variable speed….lol

 

[Broken85]

I'm in the same boat, went with the Blueprint 340hp option. Dyno sheet indicates 391hp, guess things worked out for me. Still struggling a bit with the exhaust and headers. Where are you guys building/ordering transmissions. The old 700r4 is good for now, but I'd like something setup to handle the extra torque.

391!! I got ripped off !! My transmission guy was just a local guy in NJ who had done some farm trucks for us and they had held up. This 700r4 has the most HP feeding it yet, so we will see how it holds up.

 

[Broken85]

A 390hp engine is 0hp when sitting still idling and way less than 390 at partial throttle. Get the engine you want and be easy on the skinny pedal until you do the trans, imo. The engine should last you “forever” and you already said you have plans for the trans in the future, so why get the weaker engine if you want the stronger one?
Unless maybe your right foot is not variable speed….lol

The only difference is that the 390HP motor has a cam in it and it needs high octane fuel. It’s like another $150. I keep High Octane in mine, but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to use 97.

 

[ThreeLRanch]

I went down the same road and decided to go with the sniper 340HP. If it makes you feel any better, when mine showed up the dyno sheet that shipped with the motor showed that it actually turned out 375 hp before it left the factory. I had the 700R4 rebuilt with heavier clutch packs and corvette 2nd gear servo. 1500 miles so far, no issues, no regrets. Mine is not a daily driver, just a fun weekend driver. I still have the stock 307 rear in it (which is the next upgrade) but it has plenty of power and still a lot of fun to drive if you like to go hammer down every once in a while. Consider; even 340 hp is twice as much as it came stock with the original 305 at 165 hp. 350 motors only came with 185.

I’m still thinking about it all. I got a quote from phoenix transmission sort of local to me for 2900 to handle 450hp and an extra 900$ to put it in if I take the truck up there. I don’t want that much HP in it and honestly I probably don’t need 390 either because I have a tendency to get very heavy on the throttle. So I’ll probably go with the 340 in the end. I am looking for a car to fed the HP itch if I need to as well. Been looking at a few cars that could get me in trouble

 

[wendortb]

I went down the same road and decided to go with the sniper 340HP. If it makes you feel any better, when mine showed up the dyno sheet that shipped with the motor showed that it actually turned out 375 hp before it left the factory. I had the 700R4 rebuilt with heavier clutch packs and corvette 2nd gear servo. 1500 miles so far, no issues, no regrets. Mine is not a daily driver, just a fun weekend driver. I still have the stock 307 rear in it (which is the next upgrade) but it has plenty of power and still a lot of fun to drive if you like to go hammer down every once in a while. Consider; even 340 hp is twice as much as it came stock with the original 305 at 165 hp. 350 motors only came with 185.

FYI, Header I ordered: Sanderson CC17 Header Set, SB Chevy, Chevelle, Camaro, Pickup
It was $750, plus I ordered DGU14S downpipe to connect to SGT78S, and a few other adapters and brackets.
The headers and exhaust ended up much pricier than I was expecting, since you can't seem to use regular 350 headers. Something to keep in mind with blueprint.