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Exclusive: We Ride in BluePrint Engines’ Eight-Speed V-8 Powertrain Mule
BluePrint Engines has been building crate engines for decades, and recently they’ve even offered powertrain packages with manual transmissions carefully mated to their Ford-, Chevrolet-, and Hemi-compatible V-8 engines. They also offer V-8s paired with four-speed automatics, but no one—BluePrint or anyone else for that matter—sells a V-8/eight-speed automatic transmission drop-in package in the aftermarket. That void will soon be filled.
Norris Marshall, founder of BluePrint Engines, recognized the demand in the market and had a product manager reach out to ZF about its ubiquitous eight-speed automatic. ZF, a long-time supplier to manufacturers worldwide, is well-regarded and its transmissions find their way behind everything from economy car mills to brawny Hellcats. Initially, ZF said it wasn’t interested in this business angle. Norris tried again, noting BlueBprint’s quality control and EPA-certified products. Again ZF passed on the partnership. Norris didn’t take no for an answer and asked if he could make his case in person. One very persuasive PowerPoint presentation later, and ZF was on board.
ZF sent engineers from Italy and spent a month with BluePrint engineers training them on the software and the sensors required to run its all-electronic transmission. As Blueprint program engineer Isaac Boyce explained, the ZF is not like any of the four-speed overdrive automatics hot-rodders are used to swapping into their project cars. Even GM’s electronically controlled 4L80E is far less sophisticated than a modern eight-speed automatic. The specific transmission BluePrint will be using is the 8HP70, the same unit found in 392-powered Challengers and Chargers. It’s the perfect match for potent V-8 engines. ZF will provide the transmission, but Blueprint has to work out the bellhousing, the cooling, and, most importantly, the programming that makes them work as you’d expect from a new car built this decade. The goal is to have powertrains from accessory drive to output shaft that are ready to bolt into just about any platform with as little fuss as possible.
The 8HP transmission is very sophisticated and allows for shift times as low as 0.2 seconds. To operate with precision and finesse, it needs to know a host of engine information and also know what the driver is hoping to accomplish through pedal input. All of the information must be processed by the transmission control unit and translated into precise management of the transmission fluid controlling the shift pressures of the clutches inside as well as the engine’s fueling and ignition timing. “At certain RPM and certain loads of the transmission you want to smoothly transition between those clutch changes,” Boyce explained. Luckily, Blueprint’s fuel injection ECU was already using the same J139 protocol as the ZF transmission, making one step of the development process much easier. However, ZF doesn’t make a shifter, so Blueprint developed one of its own.
Eight months ago, ZF sent over a pair of engineers to help Boyce with the setup of their test mule. It took days to determine the best way to wire the new shifter, but an initial calibration soon had the car up and running. Then they spend a few weeks getting the basic driving parameters programmed in.
We got to ride shotgun as Boyce drove us around the highways and backroads of Kearney, Nebraska, in the test mule, a 2013 Chevrolet Caprice PPV fitted with BluePrint’s LS3-compatible V-8. The Caprice looks like any other car at first glance. Peek inside and you’ll notice a rather crude center console left from its conversion from police duty. It has an emergency kill switch as you might expect from a test mule, and there’s an extra brake light switch wired into the shifter that must be activated to shift out of park. BluePrint plans on requiring one on all eight-speed conversions—it’s one of the few bits of custom fabrication required for each swap, as each car’s brake pedal is different.
The Caprice fired up like normal and took off just like any late-model car. Shifts in manual mode were perfect. In Sport mode, the car felt like a manual transmission shifted a bit harder, which seemed exactly what you’d want from a spirited restomod. Shifts were quick and more aggressive, but not clunky. There were still a few small quirks here and there, including a handful of scenarios that BluePrint engineers have found that cause the trans to shift less smoothly than they’d like. BluePrint has budgeted plenty of time to sort them out. Boyce will be heading to Italy this spring to rendezvous with ZF engineers to learn even more about shift tuning so he and the team can get the project over the finish line in time to have a powertrain available by fall.
BluePrint plans to offer the eight-speed auto behind a host of V-8 engines, starting with its LS3-compatible small blocks. Ford-compatible small blocks will follow shortly thereafter. All of them will be fuel-injected, as the transmission needs to be able to manage fuel as well as spark to get shifts as smooth as possible. Pricing is yet to be revealed, but by SEMA 2025 you should be able to pick one up for your project vehicle.
This is a really, REALLY interesting concept. These Blueprint guys are really playing an A-game!
That is not a 2013 caprice, colum shift and the radio are obvious tells of the 2014+.
So, you’re saying the entire idea is defective and I should not be impressed – based on a mis-identified (allegedly) model year?
I have a Blueprint 7.0 LS engine in my Tremec 6spd ’04 GTO. If there existed a better rating than 10/10, Blueprint would have it. Support, quality, personalities on phone/online- just buy their stuff, you WILL NOT be disappointed. Oh, yeah, the Holden rear axle shed the CV joints the same day I got the Goat on the road… that was all me😁
More power to BPE (easy pun); it’s great to see an aftermarket manufacturer pursuing technological advancements, but during current determined trends when global vehicle manufacturers are reducing ICE displacements and cylinder count (while adding forced induction to compensate), it always amazes me when, for whatever reason (to justifiably sustain profits and/or passion), the aftermarket dauntlessly continues to perpetuate the venerable V-8.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing like experiencing the primal popping explosions of thumping ICEs at idle and visceral concert of harmonic vibrations at wide-open throttle (automotive as well as aeronautical, for that matter; I thought big-block dragsters and Can-Am cars were the epitome, until I had the opportunity to be near radial Pratt & Whitney and V-12 Merlin/Allison powered warbirds at start-up).
I totally understand the (very successful) BPE business model strives to satisfy continuing market demand which continues to be weighted very heavily towards good ol’ V-8 engine production.
What I don’t understand is why is seems the aftermarket isn’t generally motivated to likewise pursue the inevitable potential of smaller-displacement offerings. Maybe the limited demand for smaller engine displacements simply hasn’t had time to attract/develop a broader audience?
Remember how disappointed we were when we learned the (short-lived) Plymouth Prowler was powered by a V-6? Maybe it was actually a few years ahead of its time? At least it still offered a manual transmission.
I’m not sure where you got a Prowler with a manual transmission, but it wasn’t from the Plymouth showroom. They were slushbox-only.
Thanks for the correction, Colton. Now I recall wondering why it was A/T only.
To be more precise it was an ‘AutoStick’ transmission
I have often wondered why there are no 4 cylinder crate engines available. Many classic cars could benefit from a modern 4 cylinder engine. I know that authenticity is important but so is getting around safely, with enough power to keep up with traffic. There are a couple of British builders providing 4 cylinder crates but the only ones I’ve found in the U.S. are building full race engines at high cost. I sure could use a 2L, 4 cylinder Ford crate engine for a rwd car!
EVs are a good example of why BPE hasn’t pursued smaller displacement offerings. Manufacturers, hoping to be ahead of market (or government) demand, devoted billions of dollars to pursue (create?) an EV market that has evaporated. BPE apparently hopes to avoid a similar scenario. In addition, BPE’s smaller scale and narrower focus will allow them to adapt to smaller displacement offerings as the market for them develops.
Learning about a transmission that needs to manage the engine’s fuel and ignition just reminds me what a neanderthal I am. For their sake I hope the intended market is wide enough with pockets deep enough to justify the endeavor.
I got mentally taken aback at the same point of the story, Tinkerah, so you’re certainly not alone in the Neanderthal family. The same feeling hits me when I hear about something like a Holley Sniper system that “needs to learn” a few things about how the new owner drives to operate correctly.
We’re just analog guys in a digital age. Comforting to know I’m not the only one DUB6.
But I can tell time by the hands on a clock, I got to see all the good bands, and I can read cursive. If the world ever slips backward into “analogdom” when the digital stuff fails, I’ll survive.
I’m looking forward to this. I hope these things will be able to handle supercharged/turbocharged builds since ZF makes this transmission in the Hellcats. What is the torque rating for these things?
Internet sources say the 8HP70 is good for 700nm or about 516lb/ft. Those sources also say it’s actually the 8HP80 (800nm, 590lb/ft) behind the Hellcat motor. Being as how the Hellcat cranks out 650lb/ft or so, I’m not sure my info is 100% correct.
You are correct but it comes down to warranty. If the manufacturer keeps below that torque and the box goes bang, ZF foots the bill. Go above that and the Car manufacturer foots the bill. Some Audi products go over the torque limit out of the box and then still get pushed to 4 figures and the gearboxes seem to take it.
Sheesh. I feel more like a dinosaur every day. 65 years old. The technology is amazing but scary for an older geezer like me. I’ll just meander along with my 289 hot rod and 5 speed tremec. Too old to teach this old dog new tricks. Just gonna drive my old junk until the grim reaper knocks on the door
I’m 43 and I’m into the old stuff as well. This other hitech stuff just invites problems that I don’t care to learn to fix, nor pay someone to either. I do have a sniper EFI…first time I ventured that way…… Had to pay someone to tune it correctly… and that was enough.
Unless they are keeping it under development for now, I’m disappointed I don’t see any talk of a virtual clutch (clutch-by-wire) option. I know other aftermarket developers of this transmission have done it and it looks like the perfect balance of manual-fun and automatic-practicality at the flip of a switch.
Sounds like it will be very expensive.
Expensive, yes no doubt. But I’ll pay for it because it’s faster than my six speed Tremec and if you want to win , you figure out how to do it.
I mean, our cars are all quite valuable, I figure it just makes it MORE valuable, with every improvement
I agree..but at what point do you stop ??
All the new tech is ok,and for some it’s the evolution of the industry ..not me..and im sure not for thousands of other guys that enjoy driving their vehicles..not a computer
Well, I try to remember that my own father’s main mode of transport when he was a teen was a draft horse (he was born in 1910). When I started getting into racing hot rods and buying speed parts, he couldn’t imagine what the allure was – but he let me be me. He at least got to the point of accepting a remote control for his TV. So while I don’t grasp many of the concepts of this newfangled stuff, I accept that it’s where some people want to go.
We have a ZF 9 speed in our grocery getter minivan. Very impressive performance. First gear is super low for good launches and 9th is very tall for great economy on the highway. There seems to be a perfect gear for every occasion. The shifts are excellent about 99% of the time with a weird one every so often. I can only imagine how complex and sophisticated the software is that controls this thing. A daunting task for an aftermarket retrofit but I can definitely see the potential for a sweet ride!
It’s a horrible gearbox compared to the ZF8.
The dodgy changes are due to dog clutches on 4-5 and 7-8. So the engagement is direct. Most notable on rolling acceleration from 30ish and when downshifting you get a ‘clunk’.
Powertrain offerings like this will most often end up in open-checkbook restomods, with lots of zeros on the check. All well and good, and congrats to BPE for developing it, but the balance on my checkbook has only one comma and not much in front of it.
But I can dream…
https://youtu.be/1TxJFYswFMY?si=HNGJsNsEsgFo1rpI
Both of the cars in the video above have the ZF8HP70 behind them with Holley EFI and TurboLamik for transmission controls. THe video was recorded at LS Fest in September of 2024.
Ironic that the PPV community gets rejected by Hagerty when trying to insure these Aussie built gems yet we see one of them on their website.
No mention of space requirements for swapability – is the tunnel clearance something that becomes a concern for package compared to anything beyond the Tremec TKX, which fits “almost anything”? May vehicles with 4-speed overdrive trans from the factory, over the past 30+ years, would benefit from the improvements a modern 6 or 8 speed auto can provide. I have a PPV, and already know how much difference it means, and the only thing I’ve not experienced is a comparison with an 8L variant, since the control architecture isn’t compatible. Anyone know the gear spreads on the ZF? The 6L80 has 4.03 first gear, and the 8L90 has 4.56 first gear, for reference.