What do you have to do to balance and blueprint your bottom end?

Joel Baldridge, ASE Certified Master Technician, Audi Certified Expert Technician

Well the balancing part involves calculating the total rotating mass and balancing accordingly on a balancing machine. Its really fun, took me about a month to figure it out when I did my 383 chevy. I had a brand new unbalanced stroker crank that didn't even seem to have a static balance, it was a nightmare. The one I did after that took like 2 days. Blueprinting its going by the manufactor's specs on things like distance from center to center of each cylinder. Most the time an engine doesn't even meet the blueprints from factory. Its pretty time consuming and I'm sure it would cost a good bit but well worth it for the life of your engine. A stock engine is usually out of balance by as much as 20 grams, high performance 5, all out race 1. I balanced my crank within 2 grams. It took alot of drilling and welding too, keep in mind I was doing this at school when I took auto machinist at the local junior college. Oh yeah we had better equipment there then most the shops in the state. Just take it to your machinist and tell him what you want, but I couldn't tell you what it would cost.


I got the sonic if you got the boom.

Thanks mrj82.

Is it typical/recommended for people to balance/blueprint there built 420a engines even though they have a "balanced" crank.

Joel Baldridge, ASE Certified Master Technician, Audi Certified Expert Technician

balancing is worth is normal shop should charge about 150$ to balance the pistons rods and crank.

most good shops will balance you motor under 2 grams

mine was balanced to .5 grams

blue printing is a different story.

You can have it cheap, fast or good. Pick any two.

If you want it cheap and fast, it's not going to be good.
If you want it cheap and good, it's not going to be fast.
If you want it good and fast, it's not going to be cheap.