Got a '66 396 engine, numbers matching for a 365 hp Chevelle. Local guy wants it, has the matching car. It's not fresh but not very old I don't think. Note welding on crank? Pulled a lifter, like new. I have run it, sounds great. 2 bolt main, oval port heads. He's offered 1k. Fair price?
probably fair. but you may be able to ask a bit more due to his desire to own an era correct engine for his car
Probably. There's not much demand for them....although it does cost a bit more than a grand to build one today. The weld is for balancing, it's the cheap alternative to heavy metal. The crank in my 55 was done that way, 23 years, 100k+ miles with a blower and it's still fine.
intake? carb? distributor? pullys and brackets? any guess at a price would be just that, a guess. a complete air cleaner to oil pan 1966 396 would be worth a bunch more than a longblock alone
Well if he has a grand and you want a grand it sounds good to me. I look at it this way unless it is something that you really don't want to part with and all he has is a grand to invest you would be a fool to price it higher then he can afford.
If it's a '66 396, it's either a 325, 360, or 375 horse variety. 325: cast crank, iron intake, Quadrajet, oval port heads, hydraulic cam* 360: steel crank, iron intake, Holley, oval port heads, hydraulic cam* 375: steel crank, aluminum intake, Holley, square port heads, solid cam* *all early 396 motors had a groved rear cam journal to aid in oiling. The early 396 engines were notorious for starving the journals and spinning bearings. The 360 horse engine in 1966 and 1967 had a very unique combination of a cast iron intake and a Holley carb. In 1968, the same engine was changed to a Q-Jet and the hosepower was dropped to 350 horsepower. If your 360 horse motor is undamaged, and the stamping on the ID pad on the p***enger side of the block is clear and has never been decked, and you have the "Holley" cast iron intake, it's worth at least $1500. If you have the original date coded Holley carb, it's worth $2000. Granted, this value is only for a collector trying to put a Chevelle back to stock. Other than that, your price of $1000 for a good running 396 is very fair.
I paid $800.00 for one 4 years ago, was told it was good (heard that before) , when I tore it apart it had a spun rod bearing ,2 different cyl heads, it was complete less air cleaner , was a 360 hp version, I knew it was going to have to be rebuilt, really wasn't much of value, I likely paid too much for the condition it was in , bought from someone I have know for years, I feel I got taken , but kept my mouth shut, $1000.00 is a great price if u don't have to rebuild it, if you have to rebuild it , would be fair, not many people looking for 396 engines any more, unless it's for a restoration .
Is the correct block for his car or the actual motor that came in his car. Two different things. if it is the correct block then I would sell it for a grand, if it was the original block that came in that actual car, I would bump the price up to $1500.
2 things...$1000 is a smoking deal for the buyer, IF it is a match to his car. And "every" used engine is a "core"...
if it were the motor that came in the car I'd ask $4,000 since it will increase the value of the car by at least that much. it's all about the money.
IMHO if he has the car the engine was born in sell it to him & feel good you helped reunite the two. I agree with MBog, every used engine is just a core and oval port 396's are only desirable to the car they originally came out of. Over the years I have bought many for 500.00 or less..
Thanks for the replies guys. To answer a couple of questions, not the engine that came in his car, just matching numbers and date codes. Has stock exhaust manifolds. Aftermarket Edlebrock intake, valve covers and 780 Holley, all of which he probably doesn't need. Short water pump, balancer, pulleys, distributor, starter. Non of the originally ancillary components like air cleaner, valve covers, tabs, etc.. If I had a car to put it in I wouldn't hesitate to use it as is, but your're right, a buyer has to ***ume it needs a rebuild unless guaranteed otherwise, and I haven't run it enough to do that.
My first car, a '66 Caprice with 325 hp 396, had a forged crank. I bought it from the man who bought it new, and it was the first engine I ever rebuilt (40 years ago). Even the low-horse big blocks had forged cranks until 1968. The engines with cast (nodular iron) cranks included the 2 barrel 265 horse 396 of '69, the 325 hp 396 in '68-'69, the 210, 240, 300 and 330 hp 402 and 335 hp 427. '65-'67 big blocks had forged cranks. (Source: How to Rebuild Big Block Chevy Engines by Tom Wilson, pg 36)
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