Mycarispurty Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 There's a guy local'ish selling an engine I want to possibly pick up for my 240Z. It's from a 77 so N42/N47 and is running in the car and I can go drive the car around before I decide to purchase, so that is a big plus to this option. He says it has a port and polished head, but hasn't personally pulled either intake or exhaust to see for himself. The only way he can back up what the p/o told him was that he's run it next to his buddies Z with the same setup w/o a cam and it pulls him fairly hard. Also says it has a cam. Other than that, stock bottom end but with triple Webers and an MSD ignition setup and header. I figured you guys would have much better eyes since I've been out of the Z community so long as to whether or not it seems like a good buy. I know the top end looks a little dirty but it's not a show car, also the carbs are a little dirty but once again it's not a show car. I am concerned about that gasket that appears to just be sticking out of the sides of the intake where it bolts up, I wouldn't imagine that's normal. I offered him $1350 pending for the carbs, motor, header, MSD, and fuel pump since I won't need the tail end of the exhaust he's selling or the 5sp since I already have one on the 240Z. He said he wanted $1400 at the lowest w/o the trans or $1500 with it. But he said if $50 was going to keep me from getting it, he'd take the $1350. I've got such a boner for triple Webers since I never got to run my last set on my last 240Z but still looking objectively. The other option is a much more local guy's n47/f54 so possibly a high compression setup unless someone went through the troube of pulling the oil pan and turbo setup from a turbo block, and he'd take $400 with the EFI setup and 5sp which I could sell for a few bucks. I could use my DGVs I have, or find a set of triples and still come out close to the price of the other guy's more complete setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Triple webers, manifold, velocity stacks, and air filters are $1,000 all day long. Header is $100. MSD and coil are $75. That's $1175.00 in parts. For an additional $175 you get a running engine. Sounds like a deal to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycarispurty Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I figured it was a pretty good deal myself, just curious if you guys would have seen anything that raised suspicion and I should check out in further detail or something like that. Thanks for the quick response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I was going to say most of that money is the carbs and manifold. I wouldn't place much value on the engine, especially if it was run for a while without any air filters, and it's far easier to botch a "port and polish" than to do a good job, so the head is perhaps not worth much either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildky Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 It's very unusual to port and polish an N47, but as stated you're buying the parts and getting the motor for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennesseejed Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I'd ask him to pull the valve cover so that you can look at the cam lobes. With a little searching you can see what a wiped cam lobe looks like and also where the lobe wipe pattern should be on the rocker. Not uncommon for someone to put a cam into a L28 without also installing springs to match (if large enough to be necessary), refurbing the rockers, and adjusting the lash pads to set a good wipe pattern. If it's got a bad lobe or two, your also buying future headwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I'd take it if it drives and runs to your liking. I'd also check the floats in the carbs really quick to see if he has them band aided or not. Rebuilding the carbs isn't cheap. You could also check the cam by just removing the valves cover and looking for a stamp. i'd think you'd come up in this situation, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duragg Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 The carbs will fight you on the transition to the new car until you conquer their spirit. Rebuild kits are cheap and they are simple. You need to know how it all works anyways, so just do it yourself if you can. Looks like a smoking deal, as long as you know they don't have to behave the same way in the new car as they did in the old car. Buy them gifts, shower them with praise, have a party ... just don't piss them off like I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 The carbs will fight you on the transition to the new car until you conquer their spirit. Rebuild kits are cheap and they are simple. You need to know how it all works anyways, so just do it yourself if you can. Looks like a smoking deal, as long as you know they don't have to behave the same way in the new car as they did in the old car. Buy them gifts, shower them with praise, have a party ... just don't piss them off like I did. There shouldn't any tuning issues with the carbs if they're staying on the same engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duragg Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Shouldn't be, but in reality it rarely works like that. Different fuel pressure and supply, different heating of the carbs, mistakes during removal and installation, different ignition setup. Not insurmountable, but don't expect a perfect transition. I've removed, rebuilt, rejetted, reinstalled and retuned DCOE enough times to be respectful of their finicky nature. ... has been my experience. I love mine, but they "own" me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srgunz Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Have you driven it or heard it run yet? Why wait? Usually you buy one that's out of the car and then its a leap of faith. Don't see a reason not to go for it. To say its not a show car is an understatement. Its a pig pen. That may be an indication on how its been taken care of. But I still would go ahead with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycarispurty Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 I decided against it guys. The one who posted about it possibly being run a while without air filters kinda made me think more about it. It may have been like that for hundreds of miles. So instead I bought a set of rebuilt Webers that look way cleaner and comes with a Holley FPR, and then went and bought a stock, running 76 Z engine from a guy a couple hours away. So for the same money, I have rebuilt carbs on their way, and an engine that was kept bone stock so no risk of a shadetree cam swap and "porting" job. I may miss out on the possible cam and portwork, but I have piece of mind. Plus, it has the N42 head so I can use my headers I already have, and I have a more desirable head. Plus, I can make a few bucks selling the N42 intake it came with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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