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Hello, I'm about to buy a 1975 455 olds engine. I know it's a smog engine. The owner told me it has been removed from a 75 cutlass s. And he claims that the engine block has been bored .030 over, has rebuilt heads, and a solid crank. He is asking 500$ for it, complete engine minus the carb. Even exhaust included.
I'm from Lebanon, Middle East and these engines are pretty rare here.
So what do you suggest before buying the motor? And what's your opinion? I may buy the rngine but will sure rebuild it before the installation.
Here is a pic of the engine.
That does not look like a recent rebuild. Will it rotate completely? Does it still have steel shim head gaskets? If yes it is unlikely that the heads have been off. Does it have oil in it? How does the oil look? Remove the spark plugs and look for any that are oil fouled or EXTRA clean as in being steam cleaned from an overheat/head gasket.
Where is it located ? If you are in Lebanon you are taking a big chance on something if you have to get it shipped to you and then find out it is junk. I think I would rather find one that has not been touched before even if it is in worse condition. I agree with SB that it does not look like any kind of recent rebuild.
Y'all keep mentioning a recent rebuild, but the original poster didn't say anything about when the alleged rebuild was done, but he did say he planned to rebuild it before installing it in his vehicle.
This is a core engine that I will rebuild for my application. I'm not gonna install it as is of course.
The engine has not been completely rebuilt. The owner claims that he opened it up to check it out and he bored the block .030 over, checked the crank that is in a good condition, and refreshed the heads. It needs a set of gaskets too as the owner said.
I will go check it myself before buying it, the seller is 2 driving hours away.
I'm just asking what should I take in consideration for first time seeing the motor, mecanical and price wise.
Thanks
Last edited by Bassemaa93; Aug 17, 2019 at 11:19 PM.
The only things you can check are the plugs, see if it will turn over, check the top end valve train for sludge, and check for water in the cylinders. Beyond that you are going to be opening the engine.
Depending on the laws in Lebanon for smog, you can build it any way allowable. The the only real difference in a smog engine is the compression ratio is usually lower, and the smog equipment itself.
Price-wise we can only really comment that you should ask yourself are you willing to pay the price.
You really cant compare prices to USA where those are around, to Lebanon where one odd engine is for sale.
Personally, id pay that just for core if the block and crank are salvageable for that price. That would be steal at that price on Finland, and i quess more so at Lebanon.
Negotiate it down a bit, I would assume there is not a long line to purchase this where you are. As a core even $500 isn't a bad price. Get the accy brackets, extra bolts, and starter if you can. Good luck.
Having gone through this recently myself, I would be very suspect. Once you find a part inside that doesn't belong, you can't trust anything and will be replacing everything. The 455 I bought was supposed to be a recent rebuild and never fired (I didn't believe that, but that's what was claimed). A piston had a hole in it, the ring gaps were about 1/4 inch, and when I removed the pushrods, a black powder spilled out; even though the rockers and valves were covered in red assembly lube. I replaced everything but the crank, the rods, and the front cover. And I should have replaced the front cover.
I'm not saying you shouldn't buy it but I'm with the others; negotiate it down to $400 and expect the worst. Do you have a machinest in your area? The advantage of the motor your looking at is that it was obviously run so can't be in as bad a shape as mine was but it may need the cylinders cleaned up and line-honed. Or the rods may need work.
Shim gaskets don't necessarily mean the heads haven't been off. I used shims on my small block so I wouldn't lose any compression.
Whatever you decide, good luck.
Considering it needs to be shipped, I would really have it torn down and at least magnafluxed while it's in the US so at least you're confidently not paying for shipping twice in the event there's a problem with one of the hard parts.
Considering it needs to be shipped, I would really have it torn down and at least magnafluxed while it's in the US so at least you're confidently not paying for shipping twice in the event there's a problem with one of the hard parts.
The OP is in Lebanon....middle east. The engine he is considering is two hours driving time away from him....in the middle east.
