52 Buick... worth repairing before selling?

I'm thinking about selling my 52 Buick Riveria to make room in the garage for a 38 Ford pickup project. It was a running driving car until I pulled the head off for a valve job. It will cost about a grand+ my time to get it back on the road with the original straight 8. A lot of people would prefer to pull the straight 8 and put something else in, so do you think it's worth the time and money to repair the straight 8? Or would I not get my moneys worth out of the repair? Any ideas what I could get for it either way. It's rougher than the pic makes it look.

 

put a 401 or 425 nailhead in it

 

I wouldn't think a valve job would cost around a grand unless you were going to do a lot more than grind the valves.

A later model nailhead would be nice but that would most likely end up costing more in time and money than doing the valve job.
The car looks like a pretty good start on a nice custom for someone.

 

Jesus, you could buy a brand new engine for it for a grand, what all are they planning on doing for the head?

 

I don't understand why the repair is going to cost a grand.

However, it has been my experience that non-driveable cars sell for pennies on the dollar compared to running, roadworthy cars. I think you will find your buyers very limited with the car not roadable. Personally I think if you have the capability, you need to do whatever is necessary to make the car driveable before trying to sell it.

There's a lot of stuff for sale right now, a lot of competition for buyers so you need to put your best foot forward.

 

jees, i traded a fine running low mile I8 for a rusty scrap box parts car. i could get the whole engine for you for less than $300.00

 

if you don't want to spend the money on the head , at least put it back together without a valve job so the car is drivable again. that will cost you just the gaskets and your time ,but will make it easier to sell....and maybe get more $$$ for it

 

I just double checked and it wouldn't be quite a grand, but it would be around $700-$800.
It pretty much needs the whole top end redone. 16 new valves, 32 valve springs, guides, seats,gaskets, and labor. Those parts add up to about $500. The head has already been cleaned and magnifluxed which I still owe for. Then I have to put it back together.
I don't want to get into an engine swap unless I know the engine is good. It's pretty much fix it right or sell it as is to someone who wants to put something else in it. I don't want to slap it back together half ass and try to pass it off as a runner.

 

i didn't intend you should pass it off as it having a good motor , or do anything shady. rather it would be a running and driving car again that needs motor work.....just easier to sell that way. the new owner can drive it home

 

I didn't think you were saying that, I didn't mean that as a response to your post. I'm just saying that the car started running really poorly before I tore it down and found out what it needed. To put it back together now, as it was, it would hardly be running and not worth it.

 

Dude you drop a grand on that head and you'll be rewarded with an engine that will now overheat,blow headhaskets, or smoke like a chimney. That's just the way these things go. It's murphys law.

What do you want for it?

If you think it's a 10 grand car, it might be worth putting a grand in it.

If it's a 3 grand car, it's not worth it.

The value of it not running is probably half of the running price give or take

My 2 cents: nobody will pay anything right now, I'd sell it as is before throwing good money after bad. It'll be faster and save you untold hassle over trying to get full value.

Or you might get lucky, who the heck knows?

 

Grind the valves and put it back together... it's an old car with an old engine and you won't get a penny more if you spend all that $$$. But it needs to run.

 

Grinding the valves won't cut it. It needs guides, seats, springs and new valves. The machine shop said the originals are too far gone.

 

Just yank the engine and put a good running small block in it say a 283 or 327. A straight 8 is a semi turn off to most people. plus if your looking at resale thats pretty much the route to go.

 

For the price of the head work, you could put a SBC/th350 in it and have a running car that wouldn't scare any potential buyer off.

 

hard to tell if the valves are too far gone unless they are cleaned and measured. there has to be a decent margin left after grinding (the outer edge thickness), the freshly ground face has to be free of pits and the stems needs to mic out reasonably straight and not tapered much. the springs all look unbroken. maybe a bit old and weaker than new, but that's what shims are for. i can't remember if the guides are replaceable or part of the head casting, but replaceable guides are easy to swap and the cast style can be bored and a phosphorus bronze insert installed. then the guide is reamed to size and the seats ground last. maybe price the job somewhere else. seems like you could reuse valves and springs at least. i could do that head in a couple of hours after cleaning.

 

A motor swap is going to be a lot of work for how much more? If you put a 350/350 in it, it will detract from the value for the Buick boys. Can you try and get another usable head? You'll get more for it if it runs.

If I couldn't find another usable head, I'd try and sell it as is. Just my 0.02.

 

Motor swap is sort of a big deal for it, tranny and torq tube. It's a whole can of worms. As far as another head, it would need good valves as well and you never know what you bought until you get it together. It's a gamble I don't want to take. The machine shop I took it to is pretty reputible and our shop uses them all the time, so I'm actually getting the shop rate. They cleaned and inspected everything and said it needed the valves and springs.

 

i'll give you a grand for it if you deliver it to nashville

 

watch out too for a weak bottom end ,i've seen when a valve job gets done the rings go right after it.

.02

 

figure out how much you got into it and how much your willing to lose.. its your wallet it will effect. If you got it cheap or can break even..I say dont mess with it..If you want every penny you sunk in it.. then you might have to work on it..all comes down to you..

 

I think you are getting a severe stroke job by your machine shop. I would put the pieces in a bag and take it somewhere for a second opinion.
The likelyhood that you have 16 bad valves and springs is highly unlikely.
By the way did you do a compression check before you ripped it apart. Check plug wires?? Check distributor cap??
BTW a barely running car is way easier to sell than one that doesn't run at all. Non running means brakes, tranny, steering, suspension etc. etc. are all a question mark to a potential buyer. In other words unless it is a HIGHLY desirible model you will get next to nothing for it non running.

 

I wouldn't put any more money in it myself, least not till you tried to sell it as is first. Might be someone out there looking for a good project and wouldn't want to pay extra for a "running" straight 8. Most people will want to put a nailhead in or do the whole rear/ tranny issue and do a SBC swap. Not much demand for the straight 8, running or not.

 

The machine shop isn't stroking me. They're not even supplying the parts. I'd be getting them myself from EGGE, so no profit for them. I'll check back with them to see if any are salvageable. I was originally going to replace everything and do it all 100% because I was planning on keeping it.
I did do a compression check before I tore it apart and it was way down on 6 of 8 and especially bad on two. The whole top end was definitly way worn.

 

There is a place called terrell machine that advertises what you need in hemmings. Prices not bad.

 

What you need is a machine shop that knows how to repair things on a budget, not replace everything. Unless it's had half a dozen valve jobs, all but the burnt exhaust valves should reface. The guides can be knurled & umbrella seals used. Rocker arms can be refaced. VSI spring inserts will take care of spring pressure.
Granted, these are all "used car lot" repairs, but will make it run another 20-30,000 miles. Unless the block has a huge ridge at the top, I wouldn't worry about the ring seal.
The other alternative would be parting out the car - Buick trim parts, especially pot metal, bring good money.

 

Will be 1000 times easier to sell if it runs. Too much work to remotor this car with anything but another Buick because you'd have to not only replace the trans otherwise but the entire rearend and fabricate some kind of trailing arms or 4-link or what you please to hang it on. Early Nailhead might be able to be made to bolt up (56 and older blocks). Not running, you might be lucky to get $1000 and that if it's nice otherwise.

 

It ran before you pulled the head apart right, clean it up reassemble it and tell the buyer it needs engine work. WTF your selling it. Be honest but if your going to get rid of it why put more into it than you'll get out of it.

 

Don't assume that the valves are all of the problem with the low compression.

If so, I've never had a valve job done where all of those parts that you plan on buying new were needed. Valves and seats can usually be ground, for like new performance. You have a lot to learn about that, so read a couple of the others that are telling you that. 90% of the time, the springs, valves, rockers, don't need to be replaced.

Most of the time, repairing a car for resale is just an exercise, you will be lucky to get your money back.

If it were mine, I wouldn't gamble on recouping my investment, I'd Let it go like it is. Except I'd keep that L-8 motor/bell/tranny and all, for a HotRod!

 

That sounds like the best idea. swapping engine/drivetrain is going to cost you a TON of money in your own labor. You'll never get it back on the sale-- no way.(If your honest with yourself, that is)

I'd take those valves, etc elsewhere for a second opinion. I bet that there's an old-timer somewhere who can get that head working for alot less $$.