Whats a Newly Rebuilt 218 worth?

[fadingfastsd]

Guys,

Quick question.

Cruising Craigslist yesterday, I found a newly rebuilt 218 from a 50 Plymouth.

Its had absolutely everything replaced, bored .080 over, and is ready to drop in. It's rebuilt to bone stock specs, and comes with a 3speed trans already bolted up.

I called the guy, and I can get it for $600. He rebuilt it for his 50 Plymouth, and after finishing it ended up dropping in a Chevy 350, so he needs this thing gone.

Is this engine + trans a good deal for $600?

I really can't find much info on what these are worth, but I'd assume its well over $1000 in parts just to rebuild one of these.

Since I just got my headers/intake/carbs from Langdon, I'm thinking about picking up this engine and putting them on there, rather than my original engine.

With that being said, what is my original engine & trans (in great running shape) worth so I can sell it once I drop in the rebuilt set?

Thanks!

Evan

[steveplym]

If it's legit I would say yes. I rebuilt my 218 and it cost me over 1k to do it myself. Be careful though. I got burnt by bad machine work and next time I'll pay the extra money to get it done by a very reputable shop.

Not saying that would be the case with this one, just do your homework. Wondering why he would sell it cheaper than he built it.

[Young Ed]

That rebuild should have cost him at least 1500 if its a quality job. Thats the iffy part though. Does he have receipts to verify what was done to it?

[fadingfastsd]

Thanks Steve.

What some things to look for on a newly rebuilt engine?

Any idea on what my (strong running but original 100k miles) original 218 & 3speed are worth?

[fadingfastsd]

dodgepu - I've gotta call him back tonight to let him know if i'm gonna pick it up tomorrow or not.

I will ask him about receipts, and I'm not clear if the engine has ever been fired or not since it was finished.

[steveplym]

Thanks Steve.

What some things to look for on a newly rebuilt engine?

Any idea on what my (strong running but original 100k miles) original 218 & 3speed are worth?

Without taking the motor back apart and checking specs you would just need to check receipts like Ed said. You can go look at the motor and turn it over, see how it feels, see if it has compression, etc.

I would think your motor would be worth $200 - $250. According to what someone wants to pay for it. I paid $100 about 5 years ago for a spare 218. It ran fine, but had high mileage and was in need of a rebuild.

[fadingfastsd]

I will ask about receipts and all tonight.

Here's his ad & some pics:

THIS AWESOME 1950 218 L-HEAD STRAIGTH 6 ENEGINE,3 SPEED TRANS, IS ALL ORIGINAL

AND REBUILT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, WITH COMPLETE ENGINE GASKET, ALSO

THIS MOTOR IS BORED 80 OVER WITH NEW PISTONS /PINS, ALSO INCLUDED

** NEW BEARING / CAM BEARINGS

** NEW WATER PUMP

** NEW FUEL PUMP

** NEW SINGLE BARREL CARB

** ALL NEW ELECTRONIC ALSO INCLUDED

** NEW STARTER

** NEW ALTERNATOR

*** THIS BAD BABY IS READY TO DROP IN NOW ***

I'm pretty tempted!

I think it would be alot better starting point bolting on all my new goodies from Langdons onto a fresh engine.

[steveplym]

I will ask about receipts and all tonight.

Here's his ad & some pics:

THIS AWESOME 1950 218 L-HEAD STRAIGTH 6 ENEGINE,3 SPEED TRANS, IS ALL ORIGINAL

AND REBUILT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, WITH COMPLETE ENGINE GASKET, ALSO

THIS MOTOR IS BORED 80 OVER WITH NEW PISTONS /PINS, ALSO INCLUDED

** NEW BEARING / CAM BEARINGS

** NEW WATER PUMP

** NEW FUEL PUMP

** NEW SINGLE BARREL CARB

** ALL NEW ELECTRONIC ALSO INCLUDED

** NEW STARTER

** NEW ALTERNATOR

*** THIS BAD BABY IS READY TO DROP IN NOW ***

I'm pretty tempted!

I think it would be alot better starting point bolting on all my new goodies from Langdons onto a fresh engine.

If all the parts are there and he can prove they are new or freshly rebuilt it is definitely worth the money. Good luck with the purchase.

[Mr. Belvedere]

My pappy used to say if it sounds to good to be true than it probably is. All I can say is that its alot of money for an engine you have not even heard run. What happens if it blows up 50mi down the road because the rebuilder did something wrong? It'll be all your problem you are the warranty once you buy it. If anything about this deal smells bad or causes you think twice about it don't do it.

[Young Ed]

As long as the ad isn't BS thats a steal. Laugh all the way home

[claybill]

#1....take it and run!

or

#2 give me his phone number.

clAYBIll

also....i wouldnt bother ytrying to sell your old engine for 200 bucks..KEEP IT.

you will be glad you did......someday.

bill

[JerseyHarold]

Isn't .080" oversize kind of pushing it for these engines?

Also, if you have a lighted flexible borescope you could look into the cylinders and check for crosshatching on the cylinder walls.

FWIW, there has been a rebuilt 230 listed on the local Craigslist for $1850. for months with no takers.

[brian hood]

Hey

Here is my 2 cents worth. I had a v8 Chevy and a Ford 300 6cyl bored 60 over. The shop stated that if it were any more worn I would have to look for another block. Additionally, I didn't think they made parts for 80 over. If this block is really 80 over, it might run hot. I would ask a reputable shop for their advice.

Brian

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have heard of these going .080 and over..not sure of the reliability though...factory only offered piston sets to.060 over according to my book...these blocks were really cast..

[james curl]

Didn't Howard Tarnoff bore his .100 over?

[Plymouthy Adams]

is his still running?

[james curl]

I do not know, he has had a lot of problems with his. I seem to remember someone else posting about a .100 overbore, just cannot remember just who.

[Don Jordan]

I took my engine out (it had been sitting in the desert for over 20 years and wouldn't even turn over) and took it to a trusted machine shop. They did everything I could think of and stuff they thought of - $1500.

I looked at the pictures of your engine and it reminded me of the old saying: You can put lipstick on a pig - but it's still a pig.

For $600 with the transmission go for it. I would consider taking a compression tester just for grins. At least it's clean.

[fadingfastsd]

Well I just talked to the guy again, really nice guy.

I asked him some more questions.

He said he's an old MoPar guy, and has rebuilt a bunch of these old flathead sixes. Sounds very knowledgable about them.

He said there is no problem with boring it to 80 over, you can go up to 100 over with no problems. Plenty of meat on the block and no cooling issues.

He ran the engine in the car for about 150 miles after the rebuild, before deciding to pull it for a chevy 350.

He has receipts for the parts and machine work.

He will fire it up for me when I get over there to verify it runs fine.

And he sounds like he needs to sell it and may be negotiable on the price,

which would be great b/c even $600 is pretty far out of my price range right now after spending over $1k at Langdons!

[Norm's Coupe]

If you need an engine and this one turns out to look like the description, I'd say go for it. $600 is cheap if it really is rebuilt and runs good.

Look at it this way. Just the block alone that needs a rebuild will normally sell for $100 to $200. A transmission that hasn't been rebuilt will cost you another $50 to $75. Plus, you have the bell housing with the clutch. Rebuilding a clutch will cost approximately another $100 or so.

So..........this would be a deal if good, especially if you're trying to keep the spending down.

[Allan Faust]

I do not know, he has had a lot of problems with his. I seem to remember someone else posting about a .100 overbore, just cannot remember just who.

Me... but I haven't run mine yet..... the machinist said there was still lots of meat left afterwards....

Allan

[De Soto Frank]

I've been pricing re-build stuff for my various Chrysler / De Soto Sixes...

I also recently did a full-rebuild on a 1960 Chrysler Windsor RB-383, that included cutting the crank .010" on the mains and .030" on the rods, knurling the original pistons and honing the cylinders (cylinder bore wear was minimal and did not justify boring and new pistons (at $450/set)), new valve springs and valve job, new cam & lifters, hot-tank & deck the block, etc.

The 383 job came to almost $1,500 ($600 machine-shop work, $900 parts), with myself doing all the assembly work and sourcing as many parts as possible from folks like Summit or other sources with decent parts at attractive prices. This was essentually a "stock rebuild"; no high-performance tricks.

It's looking like a full flathead rebuild is going to cost me between $800 & $1,200, again just to go stock.

If the seller has receipts and seems legit, $600 sounds like a fair deal.

Good luck !

De Soto Frank

[norrism1]

Isn't .080" oversize kind of pushing it for these engines?

Also, if you have a lighted flexible borescope you could look into the cylinders and check for crosshatching on the cylinder walls.

FWIW, there has been a rebuilt 230 listed on the local Craigslist for $1850. for months with no takers.

I agree, my B3B was bored to 60 thousands and that was considered max for a 218 truck engine.

[Allan Faust]

And BTW, mine, with rebore, head and block planed, new cam bushings, valve area done, cleaning, etc, without rebuilding.... $1000. Add in rebuilding, painting, and what I was quoted between $800-$1000 for parts, but in actuality cost me a lot less due to ebay and online ads.... you have an approximate total, so if the stuff was done....it is definitely worth it in my opinion.....

Allan

[Norm's Coupe]

As mentioned $600 doesn't sound like a bad price to me.

However, ask the guy if he had the block magnafluxed to check for cracks in it before rebuilding. My brother in law spent $1800 on rebuilding a 49 Ford V8 flathead a few years ago. Did not have it magnafluxed. When finished he put coolant in the engine while on the stand to test it. Cylinder wall had a crack in it that was not visible to the naked eye.