junkyard find of the year

I got a call from a friend the other day he was frantically asking me if I received a text from him. I said no so I looked and he (being strictly a mustang restorer) said I don't know what it is, but I figured you would like it. I said where is that?!! He said what is it? I said the motor for my hot rod. He said I tought you were putting a 429 in it. I said not any more. Then I explained to him that its a Mercury flathead and asked how old is that pic he said closing time at the yard so I rolled up there the next morning at 6 30 waited in the rain grabed a hoist and went for it. While pulling it, who appeared to be a foreman of the yard walked up and was scooping it out I tried talking to him, at first I figured he didn't speak English. Then I realized the dude was a vulture he lurked around every so often not saying anything just staring at it. On the way out everyone was interested in what it was, or knew what it was and said what a find. when I got up front they said 5 hundred bucks, I said its 1/2 off its raining, they said I think your thinking of ecology our main competitor this is pic a part we don't do that. My heart fell to the ground the other workers along with other customers were all checking out my motor I knew if I left it would be gone. I said why so much they said warranty's I said don't need them, they said trans and core. It being a 60s Ford 4 speed and me having three at the house, I went up and took it off right there. I then preceded to convence the counter guy that the bellhousing and hogs head were part of the motor and that's why they matched the motor paint and not the trans he actually went with it but still charged me for clutch and pressure plate in the end I paid 220.

 

Great find,btw...tranny looks lik a 3-spd.

 

Nice!

 

so where was this...? hillside,milliken?? pretty cool find. there use to be a 35 3 window at the milliken that sat behind the fence, but they wanted a but load of money for it...

 

thanks you guys and the tranny does have two on the side plate but if you look close you'll see a third shift arm on the front of the tailshaft housing and it said bw t 10 on it. It was the pic a part on 6th san bernardino

 

Looks good in my garage lol looks good all opened up also. keep working and get that damn intake off asshole . but really good come up....

 

$220 is a good deal if it turns out to actually be a merc, but you pulled the motor and afterward tried to establish a price?

 

Nice motor but Id be going back and cutting that cowl off and anything else off it that look decent

 

I didn't establish a price .. I got my junkyards mixed up, the other yard gives you half off in the rain. It was raining so I tought I was gona get it for 75 ... motors are 150 but I forgot about core and they got me on other stuff ... I took off stuff just to get it in my price range..... Id be going back to if I had anymore money.

 

awesome find!!!

 

cant beat that price

 

why didnt you buy the cowl?????
tk

 

shit id of tried to buy the whole damn car.

 

A T-10 isn`t a typical Ford tranny,go back and get it.

 

Funny,
that's in better condition than the one that was in the Hollywood Hills last year!
Nice floor, cowl and frame still.

Definitely cool tranny and adapter combo,
I'd go back and get it.

TP

 

Is that a convertible that it's in? What's up with the IFS and disc brakes? This looks like a car someone spent a lot of money on, odd that it got scrapped, possibly stolen or abandoned at a body shop? Something's up with that car, for sure.

 

That sure looks like a GM 4 speed to me. Could be worth more than the engine based upon the serial number sequence. Before you go crazy do not take a big socket to the crank pulley bolt and try to to rotate the engine, if it is stuck you will snap the bolt and have a terrible time getting it out. Since this has been setting in a yard with the carb open to the elements to check the condition of the engine pull the heads off first. If the cylinders are clear you can then spin the engine over and measure the stroke of the piston to see if you really scored.

 

The transmission looks like a T-85 3 speed overdrive, if thats what it is you made a big mistake leaving there. The T-85 is what Borg Warner used to make the T-10.

 

If you would have posted "$220 at the junkyard" and a picture you would have needed nothing else for an awesome thread. Good score. Be sure to post again with pix of it apart and if it's Merc or Ford.

 

i could afford any more, otherwise the cowl would have been mine. the frame was bent up and twisted something firece. the ifs looked to be in fine condition tought. i tought it might have been a chevy t 10 at first but it has a ford input shaft. i hid the trans so if i get the money ill go back for it. I have a super t10 ford replacement trans for my fairlane and that one looks nearlly idenical except for the weird casting lines that are broken on the top of the tail shaft?

 

I will deffintley post some pics of it apart I should of took some the other day when i started. three cylinders had rust one was just minnor from rain that day, the other two had seen water before, one was at tdc so there was much surface for the rust effect the other was about all the way down. i filled them with pepsi and three/four hours later scrubed it with a toilet brush, tipped out the pepsi and it looked prand new. i still had a few rusted stuck valves so i sprayed pb blaster on them waited a couple impatient moments and went for it. the thing turns like a dream. two of the valves stick at the top so i soaked them back in pb and that was two days ago, the engines at my freinds house so hopefully when i make my way back by it they will move like the rest.

 

so to tell stroke do i just messure the top of piston to block deck with the piston bottomed out?

 

Looks like the car had been rear ended.

 

yeah rear ended bad.. by the look of the car, and what was there and what was not it was proubly a project that someone hit. I hate to say it but if they didnt i wouldnt have that motor right now.

 

the smell from that pb wen right in my kids room and my bathroom i didnt know where the smell was coming from then tim told me about the pb

 

Luck nice find. The flathead is in really good shape. Showes you being at the right place at the right time pays off. Might have to rebuild the top half of the motor. Those flatheads are really easy to work with thats why I like them.

 

Your should be thanking me for giving your house such a sweet eroma, i guess we need to retape there door to the garage. yes deffintly the right place at the right time.... and a lil help from a pic text.

 

bear since the motors 20ft from you,can you post some pics of it with the heads off?