My "new" flathead

[tom'sB2B]

I bought this engine today that I found on craigslist. I got it on a stand and got it home. Not much info on it. The previous owner bought it as is and was told that it had been rebuilt and was ready to run. I popped the head off and it doesn't look too clean. My plan was to transfer the parts off of my old one and swap it into my truck....now I'm not so sure.

I wonder if I now have two engines that need to be rebuilt

[NiftyFifty]

By the looks of the pic with the head off..that engine has sat for a long time and also with water in it or something. The engine I purchased last summer and did was the same story but I was rebuilding no matter what anyway...worst part is when their rusted like that you will likely have to get the valve seats cut and new valves as the rust and pitting would cause those to probably never seal right...

"Just rebuilt" to some people means we only put 50,000 miles on it before we parked it for the last 25 years.... Good Luck with your project!

[JBNeal]

that flathead has carbon on the pistons and rust residue on the cylinder walls...at a minimum, take it apart and clean it real good, ya might have stuck rings and crud that might score up yer 'polished' surfaces. Check it inside & out for any other problems, slap it together for some testing, and ya might have a good replacement for the engine in yer truck.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Probably rebuilt 20,000 miles ago then left out in the rain. Seller was a well, Id say a liar!!!

[MBF]

Don't feel bad, I got stuck the same way a couple of years ago when I bought a replacement slant six. I ended up rebuilding my own engine so that I knew what I had. Mike

[tom'sB2B]

I going to do a rebuild. This engine was not what I expected it to be, but I will chalk it up as a learning experience. Its something that I've always wanted to learn how to do and now I have this engine it will be the perfect opportunity. I will document my progress as I go and hopefully I will get some feedback and help as I go.

thanks

tom

[NiftyFifty]

So do you know the exact size of this engine? I had the same issue with my seller... Looked for a 265 and he said "ya that's what mine is" get there and I had no idea what the one was but the second had a tag that said it was an industrial 218.... Took a gamble and walked away with a 251, never really know unless your a true guru

[Young Ed]

Very good points in here. Used engines are a crapshoot. The 2 I've gotten lately were from people I knew so they have been ok. The first was through a coworker who knew someone that had taken a fairly recently rebuilt /6 out of an A100 van to put a v8 in. Dad needed a /6 for his 63 valiant so off we went. When we pulled the pan and head it looked like it had been built the day before.

As you've said Tom tear it apart and rebuild it.

[48Dodger]

You may still have a sound engine to work with....and rebuilding an engine is fun!

Still stand by my last post about this:

"If he can't get it running for you...he shouold at least pull the head, oil pan, and valve covers so a guy can get a better look. Not a huge task for a 300 dollar sale IMO."

48D

[1941coupe]

looks like a P11 motor without external bypass.

[pflaming]

Join the club, this engine was 'ready to go'. I rebuilt the one that was in the truck, like a lot of others as voiced in the posts above. The next engine will run and get a compresson check and oil pressure test or I'm not interested. Yet it is a nice experience to build an engine.

[Scruffy49]

My guaranteed runner 230 I got last year is still sitting in the yard. I pulled the spark plugs, found one with a folded over (okay, crunched) tip and said it can sit there and rot. The 218 currently in the truck has a few broken rings (heard them tinkling down into the bottom end). Once I get the chassis ready and the cab repainted I'll decide which one to build or drag home another one. Most of the old country boneyards around here still have L6s in them.