Pricing on Engines

[RecklessWOT]

That's pretty sad they dont keep older things. Most people needing parts have 20 year old or older cars, silly policy.

$1100!! Ouch!
That's like the going rate for a running Cummins 12v.
I can get small blocks around here for between $150, and $200. Got a 305 for $50 and a 283 for free a while back.

Different markets. I feel bad for you guys on the east coast.

Not in the northeast. Unfortunately most vehicles turn to dust by 20 years. The profitable vehicles are the ones that are 10 years old where a headlight will cost you $800 from the dealer, and these guys can charge you $300 used. Especially in CT, there's a lot of money in that state. Sure, there are a few brokeasses driving around old sh!t (myself included when I lived down there), but unless you're some minority driving around the city in a "classic" Honda, most of us dudes driving around the sticks in rusty trucks from the 80s are considered second rate citizens. Everyone's got some new Volvo or Lexus and even the boneyard can't be bothered selling parts to old pickup trucks and stuff. Not so much a "policy" just a smart money making tactic. Simply seeing something from the 80s is rare these days no matter what it is. There are also a lot of state regulations on junkyards, they're real worried about enviornmental stuff, contaminates getting into the water supply and that kind of stuff. Older crap is more risky if it's rotting apart. A 5 year old benz that's been rear ended real hard ain't polluting the earth, and you can make a killing selling the front clip to an insurance company when they're rebuilding a car that some accountant wrecked while talking on his cellphone.

 

[Gene King]

Totally agree on the turning to dust bit, look what the salt has done to my poor square. I lost a cell phone out the holes in the floorboard on the highway one time. Exhaust is so leaky it sounds like it doesn't have one

 

[fast 99]

Was just bullshitting with my dad, he's got an old 327 with questionable bores and 10:1 heads but with sunk valves. Not sure that helps me yet but it wouldn't cost me anything to get

The sunk valves can be fixed. They install hard inserts. However, depending on the year of the vehicle it's going into they may or may not work.

 

[fast 99]

I apricate the info. We had to wait a little while for a 350 for a customers truck last fall from S & J. Not anywhere near that long, but they were saying that they were having a hard time getting good lifters. I'm on the west side of the state, so as long as Cassell engines is willing to ship, I'll write them down as my back up.

I use to use either S & J or Oregon Engines out of Sandy, Oregon, but Oregon Engines shut down about a year or more ago. So with that I no longer have had a second option. I don't like using places to far away or shipping kills me. And I can't use any place in Puget sound area because all of a sudden a $1,500 rebuild costs $3K. Thanks again for that info on Cassell.

Know what your saying about the cost. A couple years ago I purchased a new GM 350 for $1800 delivered. Those were discontinued and all of a sudden the remaining inventory went up to $3200+. Had to find another option. At that time, Cassell was the only local shop that had parts to rebuild one. Had never used them up to now but they have a good reputation. I just knew other rebuilders personally.

 

[SquareRoot]

You gonna drive it or show it? If drive, why would you pay inflated prices for 20+ year old technology? Buy once- cry once. I can get LS takeouts with trans and wiring harness for $1100. Used, but generally good for 200k miles.

 

[Gene King]

@SquareRoot to drive, it's just what I like working on, or more like able to tolerate lol. I don't want to make it a debate but I like the self contained ignition and fueling systems. I've got half a dozen small block size carbs and HEI distribs kicking around. I've had enough bad luck with in-tank pumps I never want to see another one either. You've got to drop the rear end and unbolt 1/2 the exhaust to get the tank out of a 3rd gen camaro

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Not in the northeast. Unfortunately most vehicles turn to dust by 20 years. The profitable vehicles are the ones that are 10 years old where a headlight will cost you $800 from the dealer, and these guys can charge you $300 used. Especially in CT, there's a lot of money in that state. Sure, there are a few brokeasses driving around old sh!t (myself included when I lived down there), but unless you're some minority driving around the city in a "classic" Honda, most of us dudes driving around the sticks in rusty trucks from the 80s are considered second rate citizens. Everyone's got some new Volvo or Lexus and even the boneyard can't be bothered selling parts to old pickup trucks and stuff. Not so much a "policy" just a smart money making tactic. Simply seeing something from the 80s is rare these days no matter what it is. There are also a lot of state regulations on junkyards, they're real worried about enviornmental stuff, contaminates getting into the water supply and that kind of stuff. Older crap is more risky if it's rotting apart. A 5 year old benz that's been rear ended real hard ain't polluting the earth, and you can make a killing selling the front clip to an insurance company when they're rebuilding a car that some accountant wrecked while talking on his cellphone.

Yeah, I get that, makes sense. Guess I'm lucky out here. My junkyards are full of 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s stuff, very little new cars. The actual scrap yard has a bunch of new cars, but they only hang around for a couple days, before they get crushed. The older cars and trucks hang around alot longer, because that's where the money is at. The other junkyard, my buddy there trys to get as much old stuff as he can, and then he keeps it around forever. He gets all the weird oddball stuff. Love it there.

Around here you often see cars from the 40s and 50s just driving around like its nothing, unrestored, still being daily driven. To have rust on a car from the 80s, is unheard of pretty much.

 

[RecklessWOT]

Yeah, I get that, makes sense. Guess I'm lucky out here. My junkyards are full of 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s stuff, very little new cars. The actual scrap yard has a bunch of new cars, but they only hang around for a couple days, before they get crushed. The older cars and trucks hang around alot longer, because that's where the money is at. The other junkyard, my buddy there trys to get as much old stuff as he can, and then he keeps it around forever. He gets all the weird oddball stuff. Love it there.

Around here you often see cars from the 40s and 50s just driving around like its nothing, unrestored, still being daily driven. To have rust on a car from the 80s, is unheard of pretty much.

Oh yeah, I know it's like two different worlds. I spent some time in Colorado it's amazing all the old stuff just still being driven. Unrestored with ugly paint and maybe some dings, but still cruising around like nothing. That'a actually where I bought my rust free 'burb for $1k, the guy siad he felt bad selling it to me because "it was rotting apart", he had to open the rear driver's door to show me a little bubbling on the inseam... lol. Around here if the cab corners and rockers are gone you can sell it for thousands more and sell it as "pretty clean, just minor rust in the usual spots". If you see something that's from the 60s or 70s here 99% of the time it's beautiful and has obviously had a ton of money put into it. Old unrestored stuff is EXTREMELY rare.

 

[RecklessWOT]

Totally agree on the turning to dust bit, look what the salt has done to my poor square. I lost a cell phone out the holes in the floorboard on the highway one time. Exhaust is so leaky it sounds like it doesn't have one

Yep, the last square I had in CT was about in that shape (grew up in the woods of eastern CT, pretty much never had something that wasn't rusty). '87 longbed GMC 1/2t 4x4 appropriately named "Big Brown". Was a brown and tan truck so it made the rust a little less noticeable, but oh yeah bedsides were flappin, driving through puddles made my ankles wet because the rockers and bottoms of the doors were gone (was great for ripping jeans while climbing in), under the carpet was a mostly plywood floor. Even had a big rusty patch where the A-pillar met the roof. Hah, nose was in great shape though, surprisingly the fenders were solid. Whole back of the exhaust rotted off before the cat so I just welded on like 2 foot long piece of 3" pipe with a 40 series at the end so it would end right past the back of the cab. Was a tad noisy lol

It's funny, everyone thinks of CT as one big city and full of money, but east of the river is a different story. So glad I didn't grow up in the part of the state that's still 203.

 

[Gene King]

Heh yea true Reckless. The town I grew up in had a liquor store, gas station, tackle shop, bar and nothing else. Hunting, fishing, dirt bikes, frog gigging, clamming, trapping, crabbing, raised cows&chickens, pretty much every redneck activity you can think of, we were into it. We'd buy wood lots from the state and cut/split 6 cord a year. I've never seen a truck suffer like the one we used for that, it was a 1/2 ton Dodge with a slant 6. Ass end would be almost dragging the ground, front brakes bellowing smoke, engine screaming like it was chained to a house. Truck never gave up though and eventually rotted out lol

 

[RecklessWOT]

Heh yea true Reckless. The town I grew up in had a liquor store, gas station, tackle shop, bar and nothing else. Hunting, fishing, dirt bikes, frog gigging, clamming, trapping, crabbing, raised cows&chickens, pretty much every redneck activity you can think of, we were into it. We'd buy wood lots from the state and cut/split 6 cord a year. I've never seen a truck suffer like the one we used for that, it was a 1/2 ton Dodge with a slant 6. Ass end would be almost dragging the ground, front brakes bellowing smoke, engine screaming like it was chained to a house. Truck never gave up though and eventually rotted out lol

sounds like my childhood minus the livestock (though we were surrounded by cow farms), I didn't get into raising my own food till I bought my first house. Hah, my dad had a '67 c10 longbed that he treated like a 1 ton, that poor truck would move green oak logs like 3' in diameter, 8-10 feet long sticking out the back, as many as he could pile up on top of it without falling over. I swear he'd probably put the whole tree in there if it would fit. The frame behind the axle was bent down a few inches as was the bed, suspension always bottomed out but if he kept his foot in it that sh!t would still make it home. He bought it for $500 as a halfway decent truck and sold it for $300 a few years later, I'd say he got his money out of it.

 

[SquareRoot]

@SquareRoot to drive, it's just what I like working on, or more like able to tolerate lol. I don't want to make it a debate but I like the self contained ignition and fueling systems. I've got half a dozen small block size carbs and HEI distribs kicking around. I've had enough bad luck with in-tank pumps I never want to see another one either. You've got to drop the rear end and unbolt 1/2 the exhaust to get the tank out of a 3rd gen camaro

Yeah, you better stick with old technology. The learning curve for some is too much to overcome.

 

[Gene King]

Yeah, you better stick with old technology. The learning curve for some is too much to overcome.

heh must have been all that LS wiring that has made you bitter and angry. We're all car guys here, treat people with some respect even though they have different opinions than you. It's embarrassing to the whole community

 

[SirRobyn0]

heh must have been all that LS wiring that has made you bitter and angry. We're all car guys here, treat people with some respect even though they have different opinions than you. It's embarrassing to the whole community

I don't blame you for not wanting an LS. I'm right there with you, for me at the shop we see plenty of modern vehicles. I try to avoid them as much as possible. I manage and work on the classics and older rigs, because like you I don't like modern tech vehicles. IDK, I just don't find the computerization interesting, yes I can work on them and diagnose them just fine, I just don't enjoy it. That's why my square will remain old tech, and carbureted. I just don't wanna deal with the new tech on my own vehicles. I do own some 90's fuel injected vehicles and for me I'm fine with that, but that's enough electronics for me.

 

[Rusty Nail]

Pix of the alleged "IROC"?
I've got an '88.

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