Inspecting rebuilt motor

[kridgleyud]

Hey folks.

Im headed off to look at a rebuilt 1952 218 to replace my old 1940 218 this weekend.  Engine is out of car on custom crate.  What are some easy items to check while onsite before handing over the money to get a little assurance in the sale?  Of course turning motor by hand, but what else?  Would I be able to feel compression from carb?  Is opening it up too much to ask ... pulling oil pan off or valve covers?

What would you check?

Thanks everyone.

-Kev

[knuckleharley]

6 minutes ago, kridgleyud said:

Hey folks.

Im headed off to look at a rebuilt 1952 218 to replace my old 1940 218 this weekend.  Engine is out of car on custom crate.  What are some easy items to check while onsite before handing over the money to get a little assurance in the sale?  Of course turning motor by hand, but what else?  Would I be able to feel compression from carb?  Is opening it up too much to ask ... pulling oil pan off or valve covers?

What would you check?

Thanks everyone.

-Kev

I  would check to see if it turns over. I would look at it all over to see if it looked like an engine that had been hot tanked and painted,or just one that had been spray cleaned and painted. I'd run my finger up in the downdraft tube to see if it is clean. I'd pull the plugs and use a small light to see if the tops of the pistons looked clean.

Most of all,if buying it from a private owner instead of a machine shop,I would just assume  that it MIGHT just have new rings and bearings,and lapped valves. I have know a BUNCH of people would consider that to be a rebuilt engine,so they would tell you than and not even be lying in their own minds.

Finally,without receipts from a machine shop to show proof it had been professionally rebuilt,I would only pay a  "good used engine" price for it if all the checks I suggested went well.

If you are going to pay big-buck machine shop prices for a rebuild engine,you should be paying them to the machine shop that did the rebuild,not a private owner unless he is one of your best friends and you KNOW it was professionally done by a reputable shop.

[40plyguy]

I'm always a little leary of any used engine. i picked up 2 supposedly good engines. Both had cracked pistons. One had an actual chunk missing from the top of the piston and part of the skirt. If there is no paper work dicumenting the rebuild, I think I'd want to see the engine with the head and the pan off.  That's just me. In my mind any used engine is just a rebuildable core. That's just me.

[casper50]

do a compression check also.

[thebeebe5]

If I do not know the seller, and without receipts as @knuckleharley said I approach every used engine as a potential rebuildable core.   If it turns over and all the parts are present then i make a decision figuring everything will need rebuilt.

Caveat emptor. 

[dpollo]

Some years ago I bought a purportedly new military engine in its crate.  I told the vendor that I would bring a  head gasket and a torque wrench.  If inspection after removing the head proved the  engine was as claimed, I would pay his price.  If not,  I would reassemble it with a new gasket and go away.  It was new .....but certainly the cost of the gasket was good insurance for me.

[kridgleyud]

Thanks for the tips guys!

I got my hands on a borescope to borrow and I have an extra gasket set sitting in the garage I'll bring.  I like what dpollo suggested with pulling the head and reinstalling if no deal.  Off to see it this Sunday, if all goes well and I like it, I'll post pics of the find.  This will accelerate the time on my resto project.

Now I have to decide which trans route to take ... original 3 spd, later 4 spd and convert to floor shift ... or hold out for an R10 trans on the interwebs.  I love these cars!

[MackTheFinger]

Pulling the valve covers, head. oil pan, and even a rod cap or two would be your best bet. I just sold a 230 and the buyer, a member of this forum; brought a Snap-On borescope but really couldn't see much. I tried using a USB camera attached to a laptop and couldn't see much with it, either. I'm 99.9% certain the engine I sold him was completely rebuilt but I didn't get any paperwork with it so I couldn't say definitively. He said he was going to take it apart and check it out and put in a hotter cam anyway. Hopefully it'll work out for both of you. 

I posted a Craigslist link to a couple of transmissions. I know nothing about them, just ran across them while looking around,