I plan to build a 14s 430 for a 1982 Bonneville. The guy wants $150 for it, but it has sat outside unprotected for two years. Is it worth purchasing and what type of problems should I be concerned about? Thanks.
If the crank turns, the cylinders/pistons aren't frozen with rust. Should be an OK core. As always, you take your chances with excessive bore wear, cracks, or spun bearings, but that's just a fact of life when buying an engine that 1) doesn't run, and 2) you don't know it's history. hey, they took it OUT of the car for a reason. Around here, you have to be careful that any remaining coolant didn't freeze over the winter and crack the block or heads. How complete is this unit? For $150, I'd think it better have everything from the air cleaner to the oil drain plug, and everything in between. (I paid $200 for a '72 455 with transmission, when I stuck it on a stand, primed the oil pump and powered up the starter and coil, it ran.)
The engine is still in the car with the hood ( in a salvage yard). The carburetor and the distributor is missing. I was going to do a total rebuild of this engine. It ran before the car was parked; I'm hoping the rain hasn't ruined it. BTW, I stay in New Orleans, LA; not much is freezing here:grin: .
Once the carb's off, you have a direct passage for atmospheric moisture into whichever cylinders have open intake valves. It's the same for disconnected exhaust pipes, except on the intake side, gravity causes the moisture to flow down into the cylinder (s). Yeah, the hood keeps the rain out, but condensation is another matter. I'm less concerned about the distributor hole, but any opening into the engine is a path for evil to enter. By "evil", I mean moisture, dust, rodents, nesting birds and anything else that could enter that engine, take up residence, and screw up your day. If you can't turn the engine over, pass and look for another.
