What would you say?

Tell him "yes sir, I'll get right on it for ya. Gimme a phone number to reach you and you'll hear from me shortly...", but make it shortly after it's sold. "Oh man I'm sorry. Someone stopped in just as I was going to take the heads off and gave me the full price NOT to take it apart. Oh well, maybe next time".

 

Well I'd pull one head and verify that it has the 4" stroke crank and ask 500. I think that is what I got for my pig in a poke Merc engine. People want the 4" crank just for bragging rights. That is the valuable part of your engine. IMHO

BTW my first Merc had no cracks that could be seen but the pan rail was cracked where it could not be seen making it a boat anchor.

 

Well, he is being ridiculous but since it's a club member you gotta play nice. Just tell him no thanks, $200 as is...

 

If it is a Merc motor, it is worth more than $200. Like said before me, pull an head to verify the stroke and sell it for $500. Merc crank is worth $300. I bought two froze up Mercs for $200 each figuring that if everything is garbage, I have a couple 4 inch crankshafts.

A little funny by the responses. When someone comes on the HAMB and asks what they should look for when buying a flathead, we tell them to pull the heads to find out if there are cracks. The difference this time is the $200 is a good deal. I would buy it for that if it is a merc without pulling the heads.

For those that don't know flatheads, they are prone to crack from valve to cylinder bore.

Neal

 

I am off this weekend and have a pickup!

 

I wouldn't hesitate for $200 for a running [but smoking] V8 flatty. If you were closer I'd be all over it. Like everyone says, lots of usable parts even if the block was cracked.

 

Yep x2

 

Thanks for all the advice, kind of what I thought. I think the best reply is no reply. Tman Pm is on the way. Chris you are next in line. I should have advertised it on the HAMB to begin with, but with gas prices etc. Thanks Greg

 

Tell him to "Kiss ol' spot!"

 

wish you werent so darn far away..i wouldnt waste much more than 15 min. of your time loading it up....hell, I'd even bring the beer for that price

 

your right the best reply is no reply. but if he calls back... tell him it's $600

 

Yep tell him to pound sand. I sold a Merc 4" crank for $400.

 

Thanks, PM sent back.

 

no !!!

 

All this anger and hating when a simple No Thanks will do the job and not get everybody all worked up.
Some people kids.

 

I have parted out a 1956 265, a Y block and a 51 216. all were junk motors so no blocks, cranks or heads. I got more than $250.00 for the bolt on parts for each. I'm sure the flathead parts would sell for even more.

 

"No" is just the bottom bracket of denying a request and hardly applicable here. The next step up would be "hell no", then "piss off", followed by "pound sand", and finally if the request is just so off the mark out of hand silly, a sturn f*ck off would be acceptable.

This request falls comfortably into "pound sand" and is far beyond a simple "no"

 

Why? Because the guy made a request that made him feel better about the possible purchase? WTF? Why does it take getting all tough guy when you can just politely turn him down.
There are probably plenty of people out that that would be willing to pop the heads off and have a look, many others that wouldn't. So what, it doesn't mean you have to be an asshole to the guy.

 

You are right. Life is too short to get upset about stupid requests (or anything else). "No thanks" is enough.

OTOH you could say "OK, but it'll be $800 if no cracks, and you've gotta put the money up before we pull the heads."

 

surprised no one mentioned the crank is worth more then that alone ( i just saw that someone sold one for 400)....and for the record, one of my mercs cost me 800, the other 500..neither running, one not even completely assembled. out of my 2 ford flatties, one was free, I cant remember what I paid for the other...yeah, I have 4....I think haha

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^would you guys shut up already! I am TRYING to buy this thing

My thoughts are it is worth a $200 gamble OR I might have been better off at the nudie bar. but for 2 bills I will take that chance. And I have ways of picking up in the sellers town so he is not out any more coin or time.

 

Wish you were closer to TN I would be all over it. To heck with that guy that wants you to take it apart.

 

I think your price is pretty fair as I paid 400 for an 8BA last year about this time. A runner that still had nice antifreeze in the block and radiator but still a bit of a pig in a poke.

 

more years ago than i like to admit, i had a Lincoln 460/C6 running, in the car, advertised in the paper for $900. back then they were selling for mudder trucks. guy calls me, even though it's running, he want's to see the bores to see if they're "ovalled"... fuck, dude, it's not smoking, it doesn't blow oil, come see and hear it run. it's got a 4v and dual glasspacks, sounds great. fucker bitches and whines, gotta see the bores.

fast forward to dumbass ME, taking the fucking engine down and calling the guy.

"Oh, sorry, dude, i picked up one from the salvage yard for $50." click.

so, FUCK you if you want me to tear down a low buck engine. i will take a fucking sledge hammer to that bitch if it won't sell as-is.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I always try to be polite to my elders. The restorer called wanting to know why I hadn't returned his call. I politely told him I did some checking around, and found out the crank was worth more than $200. So I sold it to a hot rodder who plans on putting it in his chopped and channeled T coupe. Actually it is sold to Tman, and I can deliver it within 12 miles of my house.

 

Nice. Personally I dont think he deserved it...The Original dude, not Tman. Glad a HAMBER got it anyhoo....

cheers and beers
Hodge

 

Thanks Greg! The logistics fell into place on this deal. Looks like this goes into Lil bros 27 Roadster!

 

Cool Tman.....By the way I would have told the $200 clown, "OK I am going to disassemble it so it will fit up your ass".