Well, after having it sitting in the corner of my garage since 1989, I finally got around to tearing down the 425 so I could start getting the parts together to put it in my '65 GS (the one I just tore down to the bare frame). When I got the pan off of it I got a great surprise--it had a thrown rod in it that broke the bottom of two bores and broke the oil galley out of the center of the block--so it is on the truck to go to the scrap yard. I got it out of a '66 Riv. years ago that had been sitting in someones yard for years--now I know why! It fooled me all these years because the rod was lodged up in the block such that the engine still turned freely and made no noises when I would bar it over. About half of the pushrods were bent very badly and the rod cap was broken in two, so my diagnosis is someone majorly over-reved it. The heads and the rest of the engine are fine, and I think the crank can be turned and fixed. I want to keep the original 401 in one piece for my car since it is all original and still runs good. So now my question is, does anyone on the east coast have a good 425 block and 1 connecting rod they would like to sell before I start scouring around looking for another complete engine?
Brian I feel your pain. My buddy and I drove 5 hours each way to pick up a complete 425 and matching trans. Well long story short the trans was for an Olds Toranado and when I took the heads off the semi stripped down 425 a chunk of the block literaly fell off :af: :ball: The rest of the junk I got from this deal went into the dumpster. The ride was terrific but man it cost me some serious bucks for this deal.ou: When your ready for a rod and cap I have one for you no problem just cost you shipping.
Brian Iknow how you feel! I just bought a 55 for the motor to find the block was cracked when I started to clean the grease of it. I sold enough parts off car to get my money back but it was a lot of work for a 322 crank and ballancer. I'm useing it for mock up to see what covers etc. I want to use.
Brian, Jim Moore in Lehighton, PA had a running 425 from a 66 Riv he was selling. I think he wanted $375 for the complete engine, but would sell the short block as well. Try this email address: JMoore127@aol.com , or search the classified on this site for 425. Let me know if you work somthing out with him as I would take the Q-Jet intake. Good Luck - Cheryl
