Good deal on a 350?

[76k5blazerr]

I've got a guy offering me a 350 out of a 77 pickup and he says its a 4 bolt main and was running 4-5 years ago, only things it's missing is the carb, starter, power steering pump and alternator. I've been looking for a first gen 350 to build, he wants 200 bucks for it. Think that's a good deal?

 

[kennyw]

Does it turn over freely? Will he let you pull the pan to inspect it before purchase?

 

[76k5blazerr]

Well... Bad news, just found out he's over 2 hours away from me, it'd cost me as much in gas to get there as the motor is worth lol. Not gonna happen. Thanks anyway yall, if a MoD wants to delete this thread, go for it.

 

[76k5blazerr]

Ok guys, resurrecting this thread, found a 1984 350 from a blazer that threw a rod through the oil pan. He wants 150 for it. Is this something I could rebuild without having to do much machining?

 

[diesel4me]

In a word..no.....run away!..

I know finding a carbed chevy engine around here is getting difficult,as far as one that will even run--but if you look around you'll probably find something on Craigslist or at a swap meet--sometimes you can buy a whole vehicle cheaper than just an engine,and rip it out yourself,keep all the parts you may need to swap it in,then haul the shell off for scrap,or have someone come get it...

I would balk at buying an engine thats "blown up" ,you never know if the block got cracked,or if it was overheated so badly it'll need to be line bored..
Crankshafts kits with bearings are not exactly cheap,so even a seized engine might prove to be a big waste of cash and time..

I would look for one you can at least turn over by hand,and if it can be started,that would give you a much better idea of its condition..

You can still buy replacement GM Goodwrench engines for about the same price it'll cost to rebuild a worn out engine ,especially if it needs machine work...and your still gambling it'll hold together once its done...the GM engine has a warranty...the machine shop will likely not want to stand behind their work due to the fact they have no way of knowing if you beat the engine badly or babied it...most dont even give 30 days warranty..

 

[frankin5]

Ok guys, resurrecting this thread, found a 1984 350 from a blazer that threw a rod through the oil pan. He wants 150 for it. Is this something I could rebuild without having to do much machining?

Not one I would want. Rod has to get out of the cylinder to get to the pan.

 

[diesel4me]

I would start calling salvage yards--I would assume where you live,there are more older vehicles to pick on at salvage yards,chances are you'll find a running carberated engine for about 400-500 bucks you can just drop in and use as-is...then you can work on your old engine at your own pace..

 

[76k5blazerr]

Guy says that everything else is fine but the thrown rod and obviously the oil pan, says the heads and cylinders are good. Not saying I trust people on Craigslist but is there any way I can check it out and see whether I could do something with it or not. He said he'll take 125 for it, missing intake, carb, valve covers and some of the accessories. Also it's a manual fuel pump motor, if it's useable, 125 is a killer deal.

 

[76k5blazerr]

All I have close to me is a pull a part, they occasionally get 80s c and k10s in there but by the time you get to it the motor is usually picked a part. You never see Blazers though and usually nothing pre 1980. I guess it's worth looking though, there's another junk yard that's about an hour from me that I've never been to, just seen it when riding by on road trips, might check them out.

 

[dremu]

My experience is that by the time you get your existing motor rebuilt or go get another one to rebuild, and have all the work done, you could just go down to the dealer and buy a crate motor.

They're *brand new*, no rebuilt parts, no finding a reputable machine shop. They come set to TDC, ready to drop in with your existing carb/manifold and accessories.

Might cost you a bit more up front, but the simplicity and peace of mind are IMO absolutely worth it.

Something like

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-10067353/overview/make/chevrolet

Back In The Day, I called around the local Chevy dealers, found the one with the best price, and bought it from them as they stock them.

Now, you can go stupid with power upgrades, so be careful with that ... but for stock replacement, the crate motor is no-brainer decision, IMO.

-- A

 

[sweetk30]

My experience is that by the time you get your existing motor rebuilt or go get another one to rebuild, and have all the work done, you could just go down to the dealer and buy a crate motor.

They're *brand new*, no rebuilt parts, no finding a reputable machine shop. They come set to TDC, ready to drop in with your existing carb/manifold and accessories.

Might cost you a bit more up front, but the simplicity and peace of mind are IMO absolutely worth it.

Something like

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-10067353/overview/make/chevrolet

Back In The Day, I called around the local Chevy dealers, found the one with the best price, and bought it from them as they stock them.

Now, you can go stupid with power upgrades, so be careful with that ... but for stock replacement, the crate motor is no-brainer decision, IMO.

-- A

x2 .

 

[76k5blazerr]

So your thinking the crate motor is cheaper than doing a basically stock spec rebuild myself? I like the idea of a crate motor just don't know how long it'll be till I can afford it, geuss it's time to start saving.

 

[kennyw]

You can do a Missouri tuneup cheaper than a crate motor. However, a proper rebuild with you doing the assembly work rarely saves you money by the time all the unexpected costs are factored in.

The advantage to doing it yourself is spreading the cost out over time.

 

[dyeager535]

Call whatever machine shop you'd use to do the work, and ask them what worst case rebuild would cost you..crank grind, cylinder overbore, surface heads, springs, etc. Then you get to buy bearings, have cam bearings installed, pistons, rings, pistons installed on rods, rods resized, etc.

It was YEARS ago that I last had a set of heads done "right", and for a pretty much stock rebuild of the heads it was something like $300...I'm sure it's more now, and that's just heads.

Banking on being able to rebuild an engine "on the cheap" is a bad idea. Really better to bank on worst case scenario. No way you can guarantee anything unless you have it torn down already, and can mic everything, and most people don't have the skills/tools to check the cylinders and crank to determine what/if machining is necessary. That doesn't include magnufluxing for cracks, and even that is no guarantee, as you are still relying on a human.

Oh, and as a general commentary on society, I wouldn't trust anyones word on vehicle parts condition that you can't trust your life with. Only takes one or two bad experiences with used junk to realize that even if a person ISN'T being dishonest, used junk is used junk, and it could fail in 5 seconds or 5 years. Unfortunately, many times you'll find that people are misrepresenting, and until you get it installed or torn down, you'll have no clue. And good luck after money has changed hands.

 

[76k5blazerr]

Thanks for all the replies and info guys, I geuss I'm going to start saving for a crate motor, I'm not really worried about mine in short term. I think it'll probably make it till at least the end of this summer, maybe the end of the year, maybe longer, I don't know. This truck though has a few other problems like 2 cracks in the rear of the frame so I'm going to try to have enough money to buy another k5 to DD and then start really fixing this 76 up. I was just worried about my head gaskets but from what you guys have said it doesn't sound like a dire problem in its current state. If the problem gets worse over time I'll let yall know. Thanks again