Looking at buying a Chevy Inline 6: Need some schooling on value

Hey Guys,

Before this gets labeled a "what's it worth?" thread, I want to nip that in the bud. I'm wanting to begin gathering parts for my next build, which might be a Model A. Towards that possible end (and having something that's not the SIZE of a car to work on over the winter) I've been looking at Chevy inline 6's, specifically the 250 and 292. I already know to avoid the integrated cylinder head from the mid-70s, too.

Let's narrow the range of engine that I'm looking for, to one that runs fine, but likely needs some freshening up to make it *reliable*...not a screamer....for the time being. The ones I'm seeing tend to have everything there, and say....*allegedly*.....that they ran fine when removed, but were the usual victim of a V8 upgrade. What's a ballpark figure to expect to pay?

Now, I know that some of "yous" have gotten MEGA deals on them, cheapest one I heard of was running and purchased through friends for $50. I'm not expecting to find those. I'm seeing ballparks for the Camaro 250 engines around $250 to $350, depending on the bling. I don't see as many 292's, and I see the occasional 250 from a Chevy truck (don't know the difference). Hell, one local guy is wanting $700 for a "low mileage" 250 from a late 70s truck with the integrated head! Is something like that worth it? Are any of them worth that kind of dough in near stock condition?

What kind of things would make it worth that value? Coming with a stock trans? Offy intake? Holley carb? Special piston heads?

I know there's a difference, especially nowadays, between what the going asking rate is due to pricing peer pressure, and what may be fair market value. Again, I'm just looking for the *basic* range of what the concensus is on fair value. Thus I come to ya'll to instruct me!

Thanks!

 

Unless you can here it run it is a core. Everything ran when pulled. So you want to figure core price.

I wouldn't think that a 250 inch core would be worth much more than 100. I might go as high as 150 on a 292 inch core. But that's probably just me.

If you are buying it from a friend it may be a different story on the running part.

One of the fellas on here got lucky on a junkyard 235 about 6 years ago. I think he gave 25-30 bucks for it as ran when pulled. It was all dirty and crusty. We threw it in his truck one night about 9:00 in desparation because ha had to get to work the nect day, he drove it for about 6 years every day. But that is a rare occurance.

 

Cheap to free.

These engines, as nice as they are, just don't go for much money.

Unless you can get a guarantee any supposedly good-running 250 or 292 should be sold for core value.

I wouldn't pay more than $200 to $300 for a complete 292 or $100 for a complete 250 and that's only after you can check to see the block isn't already bored +.060 which makes the block pretty much useless as rebuild material.

Most folks that have these later 250 sixes sitting around are glad to have them hauled away for free, the 292s usually are not just given away.

 

So does the Holley carb or Offenhauser 4bbl intake do anything to justify the price range?

 

There's one odd thing to look out for on a later Chevy straight 6 that's pretty easy to check out. Be particularly cautious of an engine with any physical damage to the water pump, or if the water pump has been removed. If the engine is from a vehicle that had front end damage that was severe enough to get into the pump, it may have pushed the pump shaft into the block at the number 1 cylinder.

This was a more common issue with the van engines as they set so far forward in the ch***is. More than a couple body shops praobably fixed these vans years ago, replaced the water pump, and then found out that the engind wouldn't turn.

There's very little clearance in this area and it doesn't take much to distort the cylinder a couple thousandths and seize the engine. Pretty easy to pull the pump off for a closer inspection.

 

Wow....GREAT information to know! I have high hopes for the one I've currently got dibs on if I want it. The engine came out of the Camaro that's been in his family since they bought it off the lot. They did a crate engine swap on it a year or so ago. Drove it into the garage with the L6 in, drove back out 17 hours later with the crate engine running it. Not to say that people don't try and pull fast ones, but I have hope for the few.

 

$100 tops. My 250 was free and we drove it home. Don't rule out the integrated head/intake. Mine has one and I found out you can mill it off and have a better flowing head. Use a log type intake on this modification.

 

Curious....
Do you happen to have pictures of this modification and where to drill the new mounting holes, etc.?
I"m probably not the only curious one..

 

Its in another thread here. no pictures. I think Rich Fox might have been the one that mentioned it?

 

I'm on the same page as Porkn****** in that if you can't hear it run and it isn't freshly rebuilt with the paperwork to go along with it it is a core and has core value but that goes for any engine as far as I am concerned.
I got my 292 for my 48 for free simply because one of my buddies had one of his other friends pull in the yard with it in the back of his pickup. It came in a pickup that the guy bought, drove home 160 miles and pulled it out to put in a V8.

I have a dead tired 250 in my 48 that I would readily give someone but it needs everything and will be a bit spendy to rebuild.

All 292 Chevy sixes came out of trucks of one size or another so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

I would also like to hear more about this one.

 

Here is all I got at the minute. I have not torn mine down to investigate

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=468030&highlight=250+integrated&showall=1

 

Paid 200 for complete 250 from a salvage yard. Starter, ps, alt, carb etc. These little things add up if you have buy them up seperately. The aftermarket intakes do add value if you are going to use them.

 

That's pretty much one of the points I was trying to float. With an Offenhauser 4BBL intake and a decent Holley 390, based upon sold values I can find on here and on Ebay, seems like that puts the engine at core value. Say the Offy is worth $100-$150 and the Holley is worth $100-$150 on a good day, you could argue the engine is going for $50-$150. I don't want to make it worth more than it really is, but I'm also trying not to be an absolutist about it. Engine is complete....starter, ps, alt, carb, etc.

I guess part of it is personal experience. If you have a large pool of friends from which to get the cheap ones and freebies, then perhaps you're more accustomed to a different price range than if things aren't as easy to be had. I'm not knocking on it, just saying that some of us probably live in the oasis, while others live in the desert....and water merchants price appropriately...lol.

 

I was always told ...by my dad...the purchase price is where the money is made.

 

Ross, judging from this thread and others by you it sounds like you need to build your circle of pals! I mean that in a good way.

 

I was at a swap meet in Springdale Arkansas...a few weeks ago...I have the name of a guy who had a Camaro inline six with transmission for 250 bucks...eh? I also know a fella who said, "friends, are a good thing to have...the more the better!!"

 

why dont you just put in a 4 banger or v8 In my own opinion they are to long for a streetrod.....

 

I've seen engines with 2 and 3 grand in the rebuild not sell for 500 bucks!

I bought a running one straight out of the truck for 100 bucks. They can be expensive to rebuild and not worth a 1/2 of what you put in them.

I LOVE THEM THOUGH!!!!!! Well worth the trouble!

 

i was the one that said about milling off the in take on the late model head. i have one that i want to get too in a month. i will try to post some pics as i go.

 

Yeah, no kiddin'! In my line of work, having my own business, and not to mention a home office, I'm pretty much always at work. Hasn't left much time for making those friends....and definitely not those that have all the cool stuff! lol.

Not so! There are a number of good threads on here of guys running pretty cool inline 6's in their A's. I just think they look mighty interesting sitting in there...like an obelisk of old school powah! Seriously, though....it's a different look that I like.

Indeed, but that seems to be the story with most things. I considered going the route of the 350, but figured it was overused...and that even though there's best bang for the buck involved with them, I figured I'd go different if I could, and try not to break the bank. To that end, I looked at a few 327's (still might if all other avenues go bust) and flatheads (seem to be higher priced due to popularity). I settled on hunting a later model inline 6 after seeing the 250 thread here on the HAMB. We'll see how it goes.

Interesting thing, when I search in the cl***ifieds here on HAMB, these same engines (250,292,flatheads, and 327's) are going for mega bucks compared to condition....I reckon they oughta read this thread to get their pricing scheme in order! lol.

 

Thanks Bob, I linked that thread and DO give you credit. Keep us posted!

 

You don't need to hang around car folk, "we" are everywhere! Just start asking around and talking. I met a long term pal while selling him stuff for his mountainbike!@ That day was when I came back to cars full tilt after a brief hiatus. He was the one that let me onto my touring body that day 12 years ago...........................

 

Here is my inline story:

When I first got my '64 Acadian the 6 that was in it was leaky, smoky and in big need of attention and money.
At a swap meet I noticed another guy looking at some Acadian stuff.
Got to talking and he had just scored a '63 Acadian 2 door hardtop off the original owner! good paint and a freshly rebuilt 194ci. He says the 6 is coming out for a 350 that he has waiting. I quickly offer to buy the 6 when it comes out and he gives me his number. next week I get to hear the little 6 purring like a kitten. I spent the next 5 months calling him every 2-3 weeks asking when it's coming out finally he calls and says it's happening tomorrow, I show up as the engine clears the fenders, they spin the hoist around and drop it in the back of my truck,
I got all the extras - starter, carb - plus gas pedal & linkage, original core rad, full exhaust system and a stack of 2 year old bills for $2000 of engine work. All for $300!
2 weeks later my then 12 year old and I had it running in our car.

Moral of the story
NETWORK!
keep your ears open.




.

 

Go with the 292 if you can find one. There worth what you pay for them.

 

Tman.....this one's for you

SO....I was all ready to drive about 2 hours away to look at the 250 out of that Camaro, with the Offenhauser intake and the Holley 4bbl.....torn about the asking price because in some ways it seemed worthwhile, other ways not. I think deep down I was going to go thru with it, but feeling like I wasn't going to stay true to my "budget build" sentiment was sticking in my craw.

I'm friends with a guy at church who owns a pretty successful little shop up here in North Jersey, and I knew he used to work on old cars in the past, but never really acquired anything new or was really interested...he's really into Corvairs, and pretty much stays away from the "scene". He had some handmade floor panels from back in the day that were supposed to fit in my 50 Chevy but didn't, so I wanted to tell him that I'd be dropping them back off at his shop on Monday. I have no idea why, but out of the blue, I asked him if he had ANY decent old engines sitting around his property/shops that he'd be willing to part with cheaply...I then pitched him on my ultra budget build idea. He kinda looked at me funny and said "What do you mean OLD engines?" I said that meant pretty much anything that had a carburetor. WELL....LOW AND BEHOLD....he tells me "Adam, two weeks ago I had a guy who wanted some old heads I had lying around, and offered to just trade me for the engine that was in his Camaro....So he drove it up here and we pulled the engine and put in a V8 for him. I've got it sitting out back.....Everything from fan to trans....I'll sell it to ya for $200." I was more than blown away that he had the exact engine I was looking for! I tell him that I know of some guys *cough* HAMB *cough* who have been getting them for 50-100 bucks. He says "Fine, the wife wants me to get it gone....$100 it is." I trucked on over there this evening and picked it up....woot! Here it is:



So now I've got something to begin tinkering on over the winter while I continue my quest for ultimate budget friendly parts for the Model A idea I've got bumping around in my head.

 

Congrats! See ya just gotta start askin around! Happy for you.

 

I would suggest the 4 cyl Chevy II instead. It will fit better in the Model A and is basically the same engine less the 2 front cylinders.

Charlie Stephens

 

Ross, I set up my A Tudor to run my 250 6. You can make it fit AND look right. I built a 32 style frame from scratch and added 2" to the bay. slighly recessed firewall and the 6 banger will fit. My WB is 107 1/2"

 

around here i have bought several good 292's that i could hear run for $200, unrunable pig in a poke engines or blocks $50 to $75. i have seen them priced for as high as $500 locally! as far as 250's prob $100 to $150 for a runner, $50 for a pig in a poke. sold a non runner 230 complete engine for $80 a couple of years ago myself. the offy and 390 would def bump the price a little! as long as you aren't in a hurry deals are always around. sounds like you got one.