I attended a vehicle enthuasist estate auction today. Most things brought good money. I bought a early 60's 390 Thunderbird engine for $100. And a GMC truck (Pontiac engine and stick trans for $400. and a 60 Pontiac for $275. I want the 389 engine from the car. Its actually a nice body no dents or rust.
As I think Ive said before when you were only contemplating buying that pontiac, That could be super cool, with that patina, in the right hands. I would liked to have went to a sale like that today..... good way to start the year off!
It has a 389 engine with a two bbl carb. And the engine is stuck. It was the first car sold. and I bought it for $275. after that the prices went up beyond what I was willing to pay. And I also got what I think is 390 Thunderbird engine? It has the T bird valve covers. 64 or older mill. has the oil fill in the intake. 4 BBl autolite carb and only two engine mount bosses on the side of the block. And also bought a GMC (Pontiac) engine with the stick trans bell housing ect. I think its a 347? Had to drag them out of a partially collapsed building. And wrestle them up into the pickup bed with two cable comealongs and a jack. Hard work for a old man. I think a FE ford is heavier than a Pontiac engine & trans combined.
Ok I went and took pictures of the Engines. The GMC (Pontiac) has the oil bath air cleaner. I removed it and it has what I think is a stromburg carb. Someone has stuffed a shop towel in the carb top. and its dry so no water has entered thru the carb. The mice have been busy the dust cover got bent when I was loading it and I can see stuffing in there. The mice could have went into the exhaust pipe its open. The Pontiac engine isn't stuck I moved it a small amount. It has GMC painted on the valve cover. The ford has a 61 cast date on the exhaust manifold. both manifolds where open so mud wasp or mice could have been in there. The air cleaner was on it and the carb butterflys will move. it has the long nose starter. and some steel frame adapters on the engine mounts. also had the generator and all the throttle and trans kick down linkage as well a the aluminum bell and smooth steel torque converter. so it came with a crusomatic. The intake has the oil fill pipe and the pipe at the rear is broke Im not shure if it had a road draft or a PCV?The air cleaner and THUNDERBIRD valve covers are painted silver. The green paint on both mills is from my marking paint I spray on my purchases at auctions. the Ford is stuck. Even if the Ford mill turns out to be a 352 thats Ok. Its early enough to have flat top pistons and I still have the heads and solid lifter cam & rockers ect. From a 300 hp 352 interceptor engine. both engines will get trans fluid & diesel or Acetone mix in the cyls and the valve covers and oil pain removed. Likely remove the exhaust manifolds for inspection too.
Even if both blocks ended up being cracked, the bolt-on stuff on both of those engines is worth a lot more than you paid, I'd say well bought, same with the '60 Pontiac, that car would part out well. Any pics of other stuff at the auction, or prices they went for? Or a link to it on the auctioneer's website? I'm always curious to see what stuff sells for, it's good to know the market.
I forgot my camera! there are pictures on the Gary Sexton Auction West plains Missouri Facebook page. Most vehicles & stuff went for more than I would pay but If I owned it I would not sell it for what it brought. My retirement is all in hoarded stuff. I still buy and sell to supplement my Social Security. The thing is that your profit is made in the buying. You have to buy at a price where you can still sell and make a fair profit and your buyer still gets a good deal. So If I cannot buy at my price I walk away. If you keep your money sooner or later some bargain will come along.
Sometimes the greater percentage of profit is in the small stuff. I also bought a transmission jack for $12.50 and 4 chrome pipes for $10. sometimes folks cover a steering mast with the chrome pipes. I will clean & paint the Trans jack and should easily be able to sell it for $100. and get $10 each for the chrome pipes.
Nice scores, better than the crusher route ....I also attended a sale of sorts, seller moving down south , got a great buy on this 50 3 window, solid car
Nope no dents they are in good cond. I also have the air cleaner. great big thing its painted silver also. Ive go another set of T bird FE covers in my hoard. came of a 64 galaxie -390 they are painted gold. possibly this afternoon I will get those engines unloaded and pull the plugs and put some lube into the cyls. Yesterday was cold. and we got the three Grandsons here. My wife wasn't feeling well and stayed in bed. So I Watched (played with) the little boys all day yesterday. They can gobble bacon as fast as I can cook it.
That isn't too bad a start. I prefer to turn wrenches rather than do body work. Ive tried to let other people do body work without success. They want to make big bucks on insurance jobs. So they only work on mine hit and miss and it never gets done. So mine get rattle can primer paint. I don't haave any place to paint My shop has that blown in insulation that constantly drifts. and the traffic on this corner stirs up dust. You wouldn't think a paved highway would be dusty but it is.
I got the engines unloaded. The GMC I removed the mousse nest from the bellhousing. blew it off with a air hose. and it will rotate 7/8 and then locks up. rotate 7/8 the other direction and it stops again. I didn't try and force it. Maybe something on a piston or a valve stuck wide open. Im going to order a Bore Scope before this week is over. The T bird mill has a 1962 cast date on the intake. the ears are broken on the passenger side exhaust manifold. Its stuck tight. I pulled the spark plugs and filled every cyl full of a 50-50 mix of diesel and ATF. The spark plugs all where clean no evidence of oil fouling. The oil pan is badly bent and the oil filter adapter is broken. one engine mount is bent. I suspect this engine was pulled out of a wrecked car.
Ok I finally got to getting the trunk open on the 60 Pontiac. nothing great in there. a battery couple of bald tires radios jack ect. I also inflated the tires that where on it. old bias ply with tubes. the tags are dated 1970. and hard telling how long they have been setting flat. but they all inflated and are holding 30 pounds of air! No radials would do that? This isn't the first time that I successfully inflated old bias plys. The snow tires are recaps. It says Nylon on the sidewalls.
I went and drug that Tin Indian home 70 miles one way from Missouri with my OT 83 chevy 3/4 wrecker. I had to swap the engine before I could go after it. the 350 lost some rod bearings. I installed a 305. It was the maiden voyage since the engine swap. I had drove it two miles the day before. Used my dolleys under the front end.
GMC engine is probably a 336, which I want to say is a 370 bore with a shorter stroke, I think they could have 370 (58) or 389 size main bearings. Oddball to be sure. Those old bias plies usually hold air because they have a tube inside, I've had good luck with them, even flat towed the one Hudson which was last on the road in 1963 and never once even put air in the tires the whole time I had it.
The GMC mill I have is a 56 317. I ran the numbers on it. It has the exact same heads and casting numbers as a 56 Pontiac 316 that I have. That 336 was in the 58 & 59 trucks. They did use the 347 in some pickups in 57. The 336 was a small bore 370 -3.875 in 58. or 389 stroke 3.7 bore in 1959. Long stroke to make torque. What my plan is. Hook the 60 389 up to the GMC flywheel clutch and bell. Install it in a mid 60,s GMC truck backed by a SM 420 granny 4 speed. Ive already got the frame ready with a later 5 lug disk brake front end. rear leaf springs and 342 five lug rearend. Ive got a Tri power and some other goodies for the 389.
our two youngest grandsons are here. They came last nite. Yesterday I pulled the 60 around to the west side of the house. Reinstalled the mud grip rear tires and unhooked it. My wife had posted a picture of it on facebook when it was setting out front. and Our son seen it and the grand sons also viewed it. This morning the youngest Grandson Dean who will soon be three was looking out the window and saying my car gone? He had never been here when it was out front only seen the Facebook picture. Then later he was looking out the utility room window and got real excited . He was pointing and yelling my car My car! Its wet and raining and they cant go outside. I wonder why out of all the dozens of vehicles here he claims that one?
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