Why Forte's vs BluePrint

[tundra2050]

I apologize for this possibly dumb question, but why Forte's over going directly with BluePrint - Factory Five Engines for turnkey engine & transmission package?

Price? More options? Workmanship? Warranty? etc.

Thanks!

[Tango]

I went with Forte. I have no history with BP other than researching their list prices and their product/services look solid. I connected with Mike, and he is the type of person I want to do business with. I was able to order my rear diff, axle+Hubs, wilwood breaks + EPB and several other things from him at a SIGNIFICANT savings. He had them all shipped together saving a decent chunk. He offers a very good veteran’s discount. He was able to ship to a loading dock rather than a residential address which also saved a significant amount. He was very patient and supportive (that means he put up with my uneducated questions and helped guide me in the right direction not just in a way that would maximize his profit). It was not 100% perfect/smooth and we had a hitch or two, but he personally got involved and resolved all the issues. I know I will build another car in the future, and he will be the first person I call when it comes time to choose an engine. When I asked for something….rather than just selling me what I was asking for he took time to understand what I was trying to accomplish and helped guide my decisions.

[gbranham]

Or build your own and save a few bucks, and have the satisfaction of building it.

[Oshkosh Rob]

Mike can beat the Blueprint price because he takes a little lower margin but I found the big advantage was that he will give you custom upgrades installed. He sells Tremec transmissions also so you can have that setup how you want it. Blueprint does more of a standard setup and doesn’t really allow changes.

[egchewy79]

Mike knows his stuff forwards and backwards. I didn’t get my drivetrain from him but did order my rear axle, flywheel, fuel system and other odds and ends from him. He will answer the phone when you call it and has been known to take calls after hours and on weekends per other posts I’ve read. I don’t have any firsthand experience with BP but can attest that Mike has been great to work with.

[toadster]

over 40 years of blood, sweat and gears from Forte... Mike is a great guy, had many conversations with him during the build

[JeffP]

I'm sure you're starting to see a pattern. I ordered a blueprint direct (covid) and got nothing but vague promises. I get it, it was the nature of the business during that period, but frustrating to say the least. I ended up calling Mike and not only did he have everything blueprint could offer available, his service, patience, and knowledge were incredible. The end of the day I pivoted to a Coyote, Mike warned about lead times on control packs at the time, so I paid for that up front and got in line. He timed everything so it was all built and packaged for when my kit was completed and I drove up and picked it all up. I ended up getting a Coyote, Controls Pack, Fuel pump, Wilwoods, TKX, and hydraulic clutch kit from him.

Fast forward 4 years - I'm at an autocross event and due to a poor installation my clutch slave extended beyond the seals and blew out on the track (my fault). Called him on a saturday afternoon and he picked right up - gave me the replacement part # off the top of his head but then said he highly doubted any damage was done to it and just put it back together and bleed. He was absolutely correct and hour later I was racing. You just can't match that kind of service anywhere these days.

I'm not offering any current opinions on BP other than my limited covid experience, but when you have Mike as an option I wouldn't imagine going anywhere else.

[lewma]

I've bought from both and had great service from both too.

Totally depends on your own preferences and comfort level.

[Todd Baumann]

Both are great and it depends on what engine you are considering.
Blueprint has exceptional warranty not sure what Mike is offering.
If you want a Coyote mike is the one for that but if you want a pushrod I think BP is the way there.
Even Mike in some cases is buying the BP short block and building up from there.

[RoadRacer]

I’ve only used Mike, but highly recommend him. I’ve bought transmission/clutch/bellhousing etc from him so I knew it would all work together - and when two tolerances were fighting against each other he got it fixed. Customer for life after that. He picks up the phone and often will talk longer than I want to :) lol

He’s an excellent vendor.


This isn’t anything against blueprint at all..

[tundra2050]

Thanks for the great advice. Luckily, I have plenty of time to think and research what I wan to do.

I forgot to ask about Forte's solid axle for FFR 3 link. Is he just as competitive with FFR doing a narrowed width axle for pin drive?

Thanks again to all!

[Reddrig]

This was my second Blueprint engine, the big difference is ordering with Blueprint under the FFR umbrella you do get some personalized service dealing with James from Blueprint directly. James is in a lot of the FFR videos, he’s a great honest guy that has gone above and beyond for me. That being said I’ve read enough about Forte I would not hesitate to use him. Do what makes you comfortable.

[JeffP]

Thanks for the great advice. Luckily, I have plenty of time to think and research what I wan to do.

I forgot to ask about Forte's solid axle for FFR 3 link. Is he just as competitive with FFR doing a narrowed width axle for pin drive?

Thanks again to all!

I'm not familiar with pin drive, but he was competitive with the moser solid axle. I bought mine from him. If you get the banana bracket from FFR, you can send it to him and he'll weld it on for free. (at least this is how it works for a MK4, no idea about a 5.)