How stupid is this?? Supposed to be a good runner, 1986 chevy 350-4 barrel. I got it for $450. Hope I didn't get screwed, I'll find out this weekend when I pick it up.
Did the same thing a couple weeks ago. Turned out to be a P.O.S. Ordered a long block from Jegs and I'll use the brackets, pullys etc. And the free trans I got with it has a cracked case.
about 10 years ago, i was trying to sell a freshly built up 396 big block. it was a pretty stout motor, ran low 11's in a 70 nova. the thing is, i was trying to sell the motor while it was still in the car, so they could hear it run, AND they drive it. i was asking $1500.00 for it...and i had NO takers. the motor had 2000 miles on it, and everything was new. so, i pulled the motor, and it sat in my garage for about 6 months. some guy offered me $2500.00 for it, without ever hearing it run. i sold it to him, and he put it in a chevelle. called me back a month later and told me that he thought that maybe i sold it to him TOO cheap !!
I'm in the same situation with a Buick 430 big block that I can't seem to give away, people seem to want to pay the same for a used engine as they do a new one that is all apart for them to see.
used motors i did not personally hear run , drive and pull myself i consider cores for rebuilding i hope you have good luck with yours
I bought one in high school from a guy who had it for sale in the local nickel paper for 250. My buddy and I were not so sharp at the time. All we knew was that small block chevs bolt up where small block chevs are. We thought we broke ours in a chevelle so we needed a new one. Guy said come over and get it, so we did and didn't know what we got or what we were looking at really when we got it. Later called him up cause we had some questions about stuff and were thinking of re building it, even though it was fresh and looked the part. We asked a few questions and then he said "what are you boys doing with that motor?" We said "putting it in our chevelle." He said "street car?" "Yup." we said. He said "Don't do that, it's not a street engine." and he was kinda upset at that too, we could tell. Didn't know why so we ignored his attempts to curb our intentions. Seems this was his spare motor for his outlaw sprint car and he was retiring. This motor was only in the car for 30 laps or so and then freshend up for the season, just to set up the ch***is. Fun car for a 16 year old kid........ Moral of the story is.....sometimes you can get a good deal from a used cl***ified add.
The last engine I bought, was "running good when pulled, never been apart, bla,bla,bla..." and all the typical stuff. I am the type to always rebuild an engine before it goes in the car. I tore the engine down and the first thing I found was the connecting rods were already marked, and in the wrong order. The rod caps weren't even on the right rods. One of the main bearings was missing too. In my want ad I even stated I was looking for an engine to rebuild so I could teach my son how to. Luckily I didn't pay too much for it.
I got lucky on a Chrysler 440 a few years ago. A guy had sold the 318 Challenger it was going to go in, and had the engine ('69 440) sitting in his laundry room! His old lady got tired of using it as a laundry rack, so she said "sell the damn thing!". Went to get it and the engine stand it was on. Gave the guy $500 for what was touted as an "overhauled engine, ready to install!" Had a couple of receipts, but nothing that really indicated or verified the story of the engine build. The pan and valve covers were on by just a couple of fasteners, as the engine was not bolted up tight. No sweat, I pulled the pan, heads, intake, and front cover. Nice, shiny new parts, installed correctly, and looking ready to start! I pulled a couple of caps, and the clearances were dead-on. The pistons are brand-new .030 over slugs. So, I ****oned everything back up, and the engine is ready to install when I get around to putting it in my '48 Chevy Aerosedan. Figured I did pretty damn good for $500, plus a free engine stand, to boot! Bought a complete '70 Monaco a couple of years ago, 33K original miles, too! 383 auto with a few options. Got it started after sitting for nearly 20 years, and it had very low oil pressure. Pulled the valve covers and immediately noticed three bent pushrods. Replaced them, ****oned it up, ran like a clock! Not bad for just $325!!! I normally consider an engine out of a car to be a builder, but sometimes you get lucky.
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