logan1 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Hey guys I'm buying a SBC of craigslist and was wanting a little input on the engine in question. I am interested in motor No.1 for $500. Below is the ad as it appeared in CL: I have 3 motors for sale or trade 1st is a 350 4bolt main new main and rod bearings lt1 rods oil pump flat top pistons new 570 lift crane cam lifters and comp valve springs full roller rockers edelbrock intake 2nd motor is 350 bored 60 over with mild cam and round 10k miles needs intake carb and dist to run 3rd is a crate 350 with around the same miles I got rid of my chevy truck don't need the motors and need my garage space back 1st motor 600 2nd 300 3rd 175 call or text 9186395886 will trade for bout anything or best offers In his email to me the seller stated the following: "I have everything but distributor and Carb needs the valve springs put on and heads n intake bolted up and its ready to go. Also the motor has Double hump heads on it." I am well aware that you cannot tell if the engine is worth the money or not without physically inspecting it but thought that if nothing else you guys could give me a good idea of what to looks for and what questions to ask the seller. any and all help is appreciated. Edited January 6, 2011 by logan1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hey guys I'm buying a SBC of craigslist and was wanting a little input on the engine in question. I am interested in motor No.1 for $500. Below is the ad as it appeared in CL: In his email to me the seller stated the following: "I have everything but distributor and Carb needs the valve springs put on and heads n intake bolted up and its ready to go. Also the motor has Double hump heads on it." I am well aware that you cannot tell if the engine is worth the money or not without physically inspecting it but thought that if nothing else you guys could give me a good idea of what to looks for and what questions to ask the seller. any and all help is appreciated. Logan1: The first engine sounds like the most promising. Find out how many miles are on it. Suspect the piston and rods were CHEAP. Find out if it was bored and how much and if the pistons are non-forged. (cheap). Find out if it has the original crank and if the mains or rod journals were turned down. Find out what cylinder heads. If not performance heads get the price reduced. Heads, cam, intake and Carb determine the performance of the engine. The most sure way to go is with a rebuilt short block and performance cylinder heads unless a MILD engine is what will be settled for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodie Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 id go with either 1 or 3. i let the dirt guys have .060 blocks, if not done correctly youll have cooling issues. and if your looking for basic build there you go. but the are plenty of cheap aftermarket heads that make more power then the double hump heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Motor number 1 sounds like a street stock circle track engine. (stock block, stock heads, 9:1 2 barrel manifold..etc) Ask him if it was a circle track motor and if it is ask him who built it. Carbs and HEI dizzy's are cheap so I wouldn't really be worried about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zphilly Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Since the heads are uninstalled, you can easily inspect the cylinder bores for wear and damage. Thing to look for include: Cross thatching. You should still be able to see the honing marks, it should look like a fine spiderweb along the cylinder wall, and be smooth as glass to the touch. Cylinder wall wear. Run your fingernail along the cylinders and see if it sticks or snags anything, if it does, the block would need to be honed again or possibly bored out to correct the issue. Rust. Many people dont properly store engines and engine components, bearings, cylinder walls, crank journals and cam lobes can all easily fall victim to rust if not properly lubed before storage. being garage kept is not sufficient by itself, so inspect these parts carefully. Caveat about rust, you can easily repair most flash rust on the rotating assembly, however it is a vital point to make while negotiating and can bring the price way down. If any of the aforementioned parts are rusted to the point of pitting, dont even bother buying it. There are plenty of fish in the sea when it comes to four bolt 350's. Furthermore, camel hump heads made great power back in the seventies and eighties when there really was not alot of power to be made. Plenty of people due to rules in their race class or superstition would buy those heads off of you in a heartbeat. For the money, and depending on your budget and power goals, I would recommend these: http://www.jegs.com/i/Patriot+Performance/723/2151/10002/-1 Aside from a nitrous kit, those are going to provide you with the most horsepower for your dollar. and at 700 dollars for the pair, you really cant go wrong. The only downside to that is You need to buy and intake that is made for the unique intake ports on vortec heads. In my experience, the edelbrock rpm air gap vortec intake is the best for naturally aspirated engines shifting at or below 6500 rpm. (and with a carb and air cleaner still fits under the stock Z hood). Good luck and happy hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logan1 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 attached are the pictures of Engine No. 1 the seller sent me: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logan1 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 In other news i found guys selling a 450hp engine on CL for $1500. http://lawton.craigslist.org/pts/2121449999.html I'm think if i can verify the parts and see the dyno sheet etc. this should be a good motor for me. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullbound Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Engine was built to specs off a project motor that dynod over 450hp. That doesn't mean the engine he's selling has 450hp, which certainly sounds high for that combination of parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 attached are the pictures of Engine No. 1 the seller sent me: The block is a Pre 1987 two piece rear main seal block. The only thing of value MIGHT be LOW MILEAGE Pistons, Rods and Crankshaft. If the mileage is UNKNOWN, then look for another one. Ditch the aluminum rockers as aluminum has a tendency to crack whereas steel will NOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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