In need of advice purchasing motor

[1973stang]

This weekend i am going to look at a 351C 2v for my 1973 mustang. It is the same engine the car has although mine is blown and damaged beyond a possible rebuild.

The motor I am going to look at is a .30 over rebuild with forged pistons, a heavy cam,rebuilt 750 holley, edelbrock intake... comes with all machine shop papers for bottom and top end and has not been broken in or installed since rebuild. Has sat in a garage sealed up for about a year. The guy selling it seems to be up front and honest and is being sent to iraq.

I am wondering what all I should inspect. The things I had in mind are...
1. make sure rotating assembly turns without any interferance
2. inspect cylinder walls through spark plug holes with flashlight for rust.
3. past that im not really sure and could use advice from some of the experienced guys on here.

THANK YOU

 

[tcrote5516]

Compression?

Not sure if the guy will let you check it, but i'd want to know.

I guess it depends on the price he wants. How much is he asking for it?

 

[1973stang]

Can you check compression on a rebuilt engine that hasnt been broken in? I mean the rings wont even be seated or anything. This motor is on a stand and not in a vehicle.

 

[68RCodeConv]

You have to assume there is a 50/50 chance that the motor will not be usable as is. One mistake in the rebuild and the motor is junk. Or he might have used mismatched parts (cam vs. heads vs. intake vs. carb, etc, etc.) and it will perform poorly. Or he may be lying to you about the rebuild.

It is mandatory that you pull the pan and see what the bottom end looks like. Pull a main cap and look at the bearings. Plus the cylinder walls. It is worth paying a mechanic that knows what to look for. Otherwise I would only pay what the parts are worth - maybe $500.

 

[runawayabc123]

Yeah, this is like taking a chocolate out of a box of chocalate... you know you get one, but you don't know which one you will get.

What is the warranty on the engine from the builder? Does it transfer to you?

This doesn't sounds like a good idea unless it is a screaming deal... like the cost of the parts only (like said).

 

[woodsnake]

Parts compatibility is of course something to look at. Find out what
cam/heads/valve train he used. Misleading info vs lack of knowledge are two different things.
If the warranty transfers, and you get all the specs up front, you should be safe. If he can't tell you what cam other than "don't worry, it's perfect for your application", walk away. Part number, lift and duration specs, valve train specs, are all things that will ruin your day. I had to learn all that crap, and I built my own engine!

 

[D.Hearne]

This weekend i am going to look at a 351C 2v for my 1973 mustang. It is the same engine the car has although mine is blown and damaged beyond a possible rebuild.

The motor I am going to look at is a .30 over rebuild with forged pistons, a heavy cam,rebuilt 750 holley, edelbrock intake... comes with all machine shop papers for bottom and top end and has not been broken in or installed since rebuild. Has sat in a garage sealed up for about a year. The guy selling it seems to be up front and honest and is being sent to iraq.

I am wondering what all I should inspect. The things I had in mind are...
1. make sure rotating assembly turns without any interferance
2. inspect cylinder walls through spark plug holes with flashlight for rust.
3. past that im not really sure and could use advice from some of the experienced guys on here.

THANK YOU

You're on the right track. Where are you located ? And how much is he asking for it ? It's really easy to tell if a motor's been run, just look for exhaust residue in the ports. If there's anything there, then worry about opening up the bottomend to inspect the bearings.

 

[1973stang]

I went to check out the engine this weekend and everything was as he stated, picked it up 1000 and thats cheaper than I could build a stocker with all the extra goodies he gave me. but at 10.5:1 looks like 91 octane here I come....
I may do a build thread on the car and install if that is common on this forum.

 

[D.Hearne]

If it's got 2 bbl (U.S.A.)heads it's not going to have a 10.5 to 1 comp ratio. More like 9 to 9.5 to 1. You still may have to run it on 91 though with the open chambered heads, depending on the cam.