A local guy has a couple of 8BA flatheads he is selling, or scrapping. They are pig in a poke cores, and he says if I don’t end up buying them he will just haul them to the scrap yard. What would they be worth as scrap? I wouldn’t mind having extra parts, but I don’t want to pay too much
Scrap price seems to be dependent on location, but cast iron engines usually get a bit better price than just loose sheet steel. A decent scrapyard, paying by weight, is probably going to give $50 each for a relatively complete flathead engine, although scrap price fluctuates quite a bit.
The value is in the core, not in the scrap. That said, scrap cast iron typically goes for $100 to $150 per ton. I would offer him a couple of crisp Benjamins if he helps you load them up.
Why not phone up the scrap yard he will be using and ask what they pay for scrap cast iron engine blocks?
Ask him if he wants to spend the time and fuel costs to haul them in or he wants you to do the haul away for $10 each. If you need to sweeten the pot because you really want them offer a 12 pack of his favorite barley pop as a bonus. The 4th of July is coming up after all. Orrrrrrr. Skip the cash and make it a case. I've bought a lot of parts from old thirsty bastards over the years.
On top of that, just ask him what he thinks he’ll get hauling them to the yard. He might be living in the past around the time the Olympics were in China, those days are long gone.
As in 112 pounds? (Our European comrades' suspicion that we have weird measurements over here will be confirmed).
But then there is extra opportunity for crank snouts to get broken etc. as the blocks are handled as roughly as airport luggage.
I've been scrapin shit all my life. In the old days, motors were kept separate from junky tin etc, and paid a little more, labeled as "dirty motors" on the receipt. Now days, most every place has a shredder, and everything gets run thru the shredder, "frag" they call it here. Whole cars with tires on, tin, hydraulic hoses, glass....they don't care any more, all goes in one pile unless its nice I beams or such. Frag here currently, about 100 a ton. 100 a ton is .5 cents a pound. A 300lb block is then 15 bucks
Here in Southern California cast iron scrap such as engines goes for $175- bucks a ton... From me starring at the classified ads for years I would say currently a fully disassembled basket case 8BA is around 150 to 200 bucks to the right person and it's going to take you a while to sell it. If it is a Merc (4" stroke) It's got slightly more value It's probably around 300 bucks as a basket case
Having 60 years experience in the flathead ford/Merc arena and bought sold traded over 50 units in the 60 year period;when I ask the question, is the engine cracked?? Most reply it still runs; I try to explain to the seller that they can be cracked and still run and that is why I NEVER pay for a bare block with main caps over $100. The crank is thrown away(unless 4 in), heads,intake,water pumps,exhaust manifolds all go in the junk pile——I only value the bare BLOCK as worth only $100—no more!!
Quick search shows these as your local scrap yard. https://advantagerecycling.com/fast-facts/ Phone: (816) 861-2700 site does not show their current prices. A phone call should get you the answer. As said, if possible, offer pickup and haul. That alone should sway it your direction for the same cash in pocket. @Flatheadjohn47 covered the value of the parts. I'm at the age where all the cool stuff I've collected over the years is looking more like all the junk I need to clear out. That should factor into the decision. I'd guess it's that we have more info, but it seems like more old collections are being sold off recently. A lot of it seems to be going to middle-aged dealers or scrap, not younger people building stuff. This is just observation, not financial advise!
Don't the water pumps have at least core (rebuild) value? And exhaust manifolds must have some demand.
Agree, the little parts have some value, but a junk block is a junk block. Problem is you have time in tearing it down. I don't like to see any of it scraped, but the result of that is you end up an old man with too much crap like me.
Id offer him $100 for the pair and maybe you get lucky and get $400 worth of block or you loose a few bucks after you sell off maybe a few parts if you can . By the time he loads them hauls them and comes home he will not be making much on just two engines .
Well, I traded a ‘57 Chevy pickup hood and a bunch of Chevy 235 parts for 3 blocks, 3 cranks, a few sets of heads, and a pile of other flathead parts. I feel ok about it. Thanks everyone for the great replies! Now to build an engine…
Nice! Super glad you saved them, I hope you get at least one usable block out of it and some good smaller bits. If so, I'd say that was a great deal. More than one, you did really good. Be sure to update when you get into it deeper, I'd love to hear how it goes.
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