360 ENGINE BUYING CONCERNS/QUESTIONS

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CFD244

CFD244

"I LOST MY ID IN A FLOOD"
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Hi Folks

I am going to look at a 360 this weekend (ready to drop in carb to pan). Engine was rebuild approx. 6 years ago (stored in a heated shop)and never fired. Owner sold the car ('70 Duster) as a roller. From what I know, All machine work done at a reputable machine shop. .030 over with flat top pistons, purple shaft cam ( specs to be determined), all new internals with windage tray and new auto oil pan. Rebuilt X heads gasket matched to an aluminum intake (not sure model) with mild professional porting by a race guy with a good rep. Engine supposedly built with a 400hp goal. Owner is a licensed class A mechanic. I believe that it has a cast crank.

What should I be looking for, and what would be a fair price?

Thanks for any advice and/or opinions
 
Will they pull the valve covers and pan so you can take a look? Better yet-pull a head?
 
Bring a cordless drill and a primer, and a oil pressure test kit. All cheap, easy, fast, and allow you to check the oil pressure (you'll need a couple quarts of oil and a filter, they should have that). Also, remove both valve covers and inspect what you see, also rotate engine while priming to verify the oil comes to the rocker assemblies. Bore-a-scope would be handy too
 
So let's assume or say that everything's as good as you say , I've seen rebuilt high performance 360 short blocks on eBay that sell for around 1600 I would add another thousand for good X heads etc I'm going with 2500 to 3000 ballpark. That being said I would never move forward without taking someone who knows their stuff. Like I mentioned there are guaranteed high performance rebuild 360s online for reasonable price that haven't been sitting in someone's garage for years. But if you like what you see start at 2k
 
For a primer, you can use a long 1/4 inch drive extension with a 5/16 hex bit and a 1/4 hex to 1/4 inch square drive drill adapter. Just make sure the oil filter (and adapter, if applicable) is tight and you have an oil sending unit or a plug in the hole behind the manifold to the right of the distributor.
 
K.O. SWINGER said:
So let's assume or say that everything's as good as you say , I've seen rebuilt high performance 360 short blocks on eBay that sell for around 1600 I would add another thousand for good X heads etc I'm going with 2500 to 3000 ballpark. That being said I would never move forward without taking someone who knows their stuff. Like I mentioned there are guaranteed high performance rebuild 360s online for reasonable price that haven't been sitting in someone's garage for years. But if you like what you see start at 2k
Click to expand...
He's asking $3000 CDN.
 
I would talk to the machine shop. They maybe can verify the work/paperwork. 6 years is a long time, I'm skeptical. Good luck!
 
I think you have a better chance of checking oil pressure, pulling a head, and pan if you ask if it's possible before showing up to look at it.
CFD244 said:
I guess I should mention that I am friends with his father, and I am an acquaintance of his.
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Unless your acquaintance will refund your money if it's not as advertised you still have the responsibility of due diligence as a buyer especially at a $3K price.
 
That sounds pretty fair if it checks out, I got a quote 3 years ago to build a similar 360 here and it was close to $4500.00.
That was me supplying the block and x heads, but using a stroker crank.
 
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