how do you feel about buying an engine....

how do you feel about buying an engine that has been takin apart and is now in boxes?..a friend of mine has an engine like that.he wont give me a price though.just says make me an offer..i offerd him $50 bucks.he said no.i offerd $75 and he still kinda said no..these engines pop up often as rebuilders in the $100 to $300 range.but are usually complete..i told him i feel more comfortable buying an engine thats complete and together.what do you think?would you pay the same for an engine thats takin apart as you would for one thats complete?
pat

 

what brand and size of engine? it wouldnt bother me to buy an engine in a box ive bought alot of em that way

 

I agree depending on the engine, I would buy it apart also given the chance .

 

Sounds like a 350 Chevy. Wouldn't phase me buying in a box.

 

If it all came from the same engine, it should be a good core to work with. Having all the brackets, etc is a plus.

Bob

 

If the condition was decent, and all the parts are there,
you'll know exactly what your are getting.

Instead of waiting until you tear the motor down.

 

fe 390

 

so you would value a basket engine the same as a complete?

 

I would rather buy it apart than together. At least you can see what you are getting. I have bought a few jewels that were together and after looking in side I wished I had not bought em. Cracked cyl, spun bearing, gouge in the cyl, etc.

 

If you know how to put it back together as well as what to look for, you know exactly what you're getting. The ability to look things over thoroughly before buying with no surprises. If it's what you want, sounds more than reasonable.

 

ahh..alright..yeah he said basically the same thing..i guess im just worried becuase ive never takin one of these apart before and wouldnt know what might be missing..

 

I needed an engine for my truck and found a 350 sbc that was disassembled in the Recycler. The ad said that the heads were assembled with all new valves and springs. It came with forged flattop pistons on reconditioned rods. It came with rings and bearings and the block had been hot tanked and bored .30 over. The rotating assembly had been balanced. I looked at the engine and bought it for $500. I bought a cam/lifters, manifold and carb. One of the best engines I ever had.

 

a 390 is worth the price range 100-300 together or apart easily

 

I contacted a guy about buying an engine with tons of macine work and a lot of new parts. He had been trying to sell it for quite a while. He said the the engine was completely apart except for the heads. Seems he was an old race car driver who bought a few "total rebuilds" only to find out that they were boat anchors. He said he would take me through every piece and part to show what had been done. We spend two and a half hours going through every little detail. He even included all of the recepts. I bought the motor.

After I got everything home and started to go through the recepts. Seems the guy bought all of these parts and had all of the work done...get this... in 1989. He resisted putting that motor together for all that time even though he probably could have sold it sooner.

He was right. Seeing what your getting for your money it the way to go.

 

I would buy 390"s all day for 150.00. in boxes or not.

 

allrighty..thanks for the replys..we worked it out..were right around $200.so im happy with that as long as its all there..