What kind of documentation for used engine would satisfy you?

ir3333 said:

Like all the older guys i've got the "rebuilt" Engine, rear axle and transmission T shirts.
For me they are all cores unless i see them' and hear them run' or it's a trusted friend!

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It is kind of the same advice I give to people on this forum all the time when they ask what we think a car they are looking at is worth. I always say that regardless of what the seller says, if you can't hear the engine run, you must assume it needs a complete rebuild. If you can't at least drive the car around the yard and test the tranny and brakes, you must assume the tranny needs a rebuild and the brakes need everything. Of course, most of us would do a complete brake job anyway, but it would be nice to know the system at least worked. Also, if you can't start it, you have no idea whether the wiring harnesses are in working order or just junk. I think we need to be as polite as possible when negotiating for a non-running car that "was running and driving great when I parked it", but you are asking for it if you aren't cautious. Also, if you can't do your own work, buy a complete, running car.

Just for the record, my earlier post about junking the engine was somewhat sarcasm and exaggeration. I was surprised and disappointed and I was reacting to that. I had no plans to do any work to this motor and I thought it would be an easy one to sell as a plug and play solution for somebody. Oh well. I'm glad I know about it.

After sleeping on it, there are a number of ways that I might go with this engine that could be a lot of fun for future projects. I will obviously diagnose the cause of the low cylinder pressure first which will tell me what I'll be in for. Regardless, I'll almost certainly fix it and/or rebuild if necessary.

Just another thought, you could build a cheap run stand, and mount it up, store the engine on it instead of a pallet and wire up an ignition and a battery. Then when a buyer comes along you could fire it up for em. I built my run stand for like $30 bucks worth of 1-1/2” square tube and some biscuit mounts.

TT5.9mag said:

Just another thought, you could build a cheap run stand, and mount it up, store the engine on it instead of a pallet and wire up an ignition and a battery. Then when a buyer comes along you could fire it up for em. I built my run stand for like $30 bucks worth of 1-1/2” square tube and some biscuit mounts.

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Not a bad idea. I may have to invest in a cheap exhaust system with mufflers so my stuck up neighbors don't call the police on me though!

Here's some food for thought.

Four years ago I bought a '68 383 big block and 727 from a good friend that ran good with good oil pressure etc.
He had it on his run in stand and checked it out without me hearing it run and I took his word for it.
It sat in my heated shop for a year and I decided to sell it complete to another friend for $1000.
I made the 400 mile round trip to get it and deliver it to him.
He called me an hour later after delivery and wanted his money back because the engine had a lot of water in the oil.
I went back and he showed me that when he took off the oil pan, it had indeed milky oil in it.
I promptly returned his money and loaded the engine up in my pickup somewhat red faced and apologized to him for his inconvenience.
I then went back to the friend that I bought it from and asked how in the world that the engine would have gotten water in it from the time he sold it to me to when I tried to sell it to a mutual friend.
We couldn't figure it out, so I decided to take it apart and see what was up.
As it turns out, the engine had water in it when he bought it and took it on the guy's word that he bought it from that it was good.
I took the oil filter off in the first step of the autopsy and it had oil and water in it......it actually looked like a chocolate milkshake!
And in taking it apart, I discovered that the engine was in perfect shape other than the water in the oil and the mess it made inside.
I did a lot of measuring and cleaning as well as having the heads touched up and resealed and put it all back together again.
It even had a Road Runner/Magnum cam in it with virtually zero wear.
And the cost?
Other than my time and the cost to have the heads touched up, nothing.
My friend gave me a gasket set and helped me do the work.

It all works out in the end and I have $800 plus my time in it.
And as for the 727, I gave it to another friend who is using it as a core (it had water in it too).
He helps me with my cars and lets me use his shop often.

All's well that ends well......

I tried to sell our iron head 360 years ago for $3500. That was ready to drop in and go…. Carb, distributer I mean literally hook up, add coolant and go. This also included the mating 904 and converter. High 10s in our car…..No takers. I’m glad it didn’t sell. We’ve drug it out from the corner a couple of times to get us to the track when we’ve had issues with the fast mill.