Hot Rods Crate Motors

I don't know if this is appropriate if not then delete. I was on my I-pad the other day and this ad pops up. Now Jegs ads pop up and I look at them but didn't know you could buy one of these motors from Walmart. Oh our changing world.

Pat

 

That co. is listing any and everything under the sun trying to compete with the big A.
Think the typical drop shipper except it's the biggest retailer in the US.

If those 2 sentences don't convey my personal feelings about buying from them, I guess you are going to have to read other's opinions on buying an engine thru the internet from a conglomerate. Let us know how the customer service helps you with selecting the correct engine for your application and after sale issues.

 

I wonder if you have to slide that BBC across the scanner in the self-checkout lane...

 

I'm sure glad I know how to keep ads from popping up on my computer and my phone.

 

RodStRace, I wasn't thinking about buying from them, personally I rebuild my own motors. I don't particulary like them or Amazon. BUT I do a lot of charitable donations to homeless shelters and children's causes and 3 to 5 hundred dollars in clothing, bedding and needed supplies goes a long way from Walmart and it's delivered free.

Pat

 

1/4 glass sponsorship will never be the same.

 

@1934coupe Understood, we all have to work within a budget and the lure of a deal is strong. I won't go any deeper than I already did and I applaud your work.

 

Pat, some people just don't know where you are coming from. You are a good man, so disregard anyone elses bull crap.

 

In this day and age we live in , this does not surprise me at all. Strippers probably can by their poles at WM. In chrome.....

 

Wonder who handles the WM tech line for these (CRATE) motors?

 

Its still from Jegs. Amazon saves you shipping if that matters, same with Walmart.

 

A while back I needed brake fluid and checked Autozone. then I checked Walmart seeing I was ordering stuff there too. Walmart was cheaper but guess what? They were a third party seller for Autozone and it was shipped from Autozone at Walmart cheaper price and seeing I was ordering over $35 from Walmart at that time I got free shipping on it even though it was coming from different vendors. Directly from Autozone, it would have cost me more and I would have to pay for shipping too.

 

yep, Wally World online offers a wide variety of items sold by other companies. true that you can find some items not regularly available elsewhere, some lower than other sites.

 

Hahaha! I like your train of thought.

 

I am 76 and built my first engine, a 37 Ford flathead when I was 14. 105 cars later I am still building my own motors. I am very leary of production built engines. By building it myself, I know who did the machine work, exactly what parts went into the build, and how it was assembled. I guess am just too fussy and particular to allow other hands, or unknown machinists to do the work. But, a couple hundred engines built over 62 years have proven that my choice machinist, known quality of parts, and careful assembly has paid off. Plus I am very tough on the standards the actual builder (me) works up to.

 

I'm about the same age and my first engine was a Y block in a 54 Mercury (also at 14). I have bought some "crate" short blocks as I would source new LT1 short blocks from the Chevy dealer (back in the 70's). However, I did disassemble them and open up the rod clearance before they went in the race car. Even though they were brand new, I checked all clearances before they went back together.

 

I always thought "crate" motors were exactly that- a new motor which you take out of the crate, install, add oil and all the bolt-on bits, and then it is good to go. I hear stories that these engines have to be torn down, get the swarf removed from them, and then re-built before installing them. What's the point? I will stick to getting into it myself and making my own mistakes. Although after about 20 engines, I can still never get a GM motor rear main seal to not leak after a few thousand miles!

 

I don't trust such ready-made engines. I don't think that someone who assembles them en masse pays attention to detail... it's almost like working at McDonald's when assembling sandwiches. Letting someone mess with your engine is like letting another guy put his hands in your girlfriend's panties. I always build my engines myself.

 

Let’s not forget that Sears and Robuck had this idea years ago before the internet and Sam Walton started Walmart. They had a catalog and you could mail order dang near anything that was out there including chickens. At one time they were the largest third party supplier in the country. They had the Allstate cars and parts that you could order and if you were out and about you could always stop at their service stations around the country.

So would that make Walmart market place traditional?!?

 

Put a tag on it from a candy bar... modern problems require modern solutions...

 

I haven't seen Walmart trucks out like we see Amazon trucks. Compared to the US postal service, Amazon seems to really know what they are doing. Any given day, I see one mail truck in the 'hood. Yet I'll see 4 Amazon trucks and always a lot more on the highways.

 

I'm with some of you other guys that would rather just build a motor than buy one. I recently pulled the heads off of one of those ZZ502's that we have at work and some of the bolts were about finger tight. After I found that, I checked torque on every other fastener in the engine. That seems completely stupid to me considering the engine was $11k... At least if something blows up that I put together, I only have one person to blame and also spent less money.

 

I’d think maybe the Big 3 are outsourcing the builds of the crate engines today.
Back in the late 90’s my BIL bought a crate engine from the local GM dealer. I recall the guy saying which GM plant it was built at. BS or not? I dunno. But we put it in his pickup, did the accessories bolt on thing and off he went. My friend did the same thing around the same time.
Although I don’t know if he was told it was basically built by GM.

Now the GM “crate engines” I see gen 1 SBC) are basically rebuilt engines. No clue on the newer LS kind, no need to look at them.
Also no clue on Ford or Chrysler corp engines.
But I’d bet the Big 3 don’t want to pay Union workers to machine engines for sale to the public.
Just my thoughts.

 

Chevy built 350s in Mexico and sold them as replacement crate engines for decades.....they're new engines, not rebuilt. But they also sold rebuilt engines as replacements for some specific models.

The term "crate engine" is pretty vague, it can mean a lot of things. Basically it means that the engine is sitting on a pallet, eh?

 

I remember looking at the Sears or Montgomery Wards catalogs and seeing all kinds of car engines available. They used to sell a lot of speed parts too.

Back to the topic, there are plenty of places selling crate motors these days, I'm sure some of them are completely reliable and others not so much so you have to do your own research. Who knows where the ones on the Wall-Mart website are coming from.

 

@Budget36 Chevrolet does in fact build their crate engines with all new parts machined and assembled by UAW represented employees. There are a number of different big blocks but only a 383 cu in small block that is available in different combinations. They also sell over the counter rebuilt engines but I don’t know if that machining and assembly is contracted out.

 

I've had a few GM rebuilts that were contracted out. They have a supplier code on the tag.

 

The engine I just pulled the heads off of was a GM part number and I am not sure whether it was contracted out or built by UAW employees. All I know is that they forgot to tighten a couple of the head bolts which doesn't work well with a blower.

 

What Regan said about the Russians also applies to crate motors(& anyone elses's rebuilds) : "Trust but Verify"...