I bought a house built in the 1950s that was abandoned for at least a decade, in the back corner of the garage was a partially disassembled engine. All of the numbers on this engine indicate that it is out of a 1970 W-30. It has the W-455 aluminum intake with a date code of 1970. The heads are labeled with the letter F and the numbers 404 438. The block has the number 396021 and the letter F. The water pump has the number 404847 and the letter X. Many brackets, bolts, and accessories are included. I will take more pictures tomorrow. I did not find the carburetor or distributor. The engine does not turn over, it will need a complete rebuild. I do not see any signs of catastrophic failure, no cracks in the block or heads that I can see. No warranty is expressed or implied. I will work with any potential buyer to provide whatever information will make you comfortable: detailed pictures, bore measurements, etc. I would like to sell everything together for $5700 (USD). I will aid with shipping preparations, buyer must make all shipping arrangements. I will accept cashiers check or cash only, no PayPal. My cell # is 334-618-7167, name's David.

 

It would be beneficial to know the vin# stamped on the block. Its on the drivers side.. should be 30MXXXXXX

 

Looks like it's been stored for either a very long while or in a very moisture ridden environment.

Cool ink stamp on the water pump.

Good luck with the sale.

 

Still out there.... Rare Finds...

 

Thanks for the replies, I will look for that VIN. It has sat in a garage in Florida for decades. No leaks in the roof but I suppose our humidity counts as "moisture ridden"!

 

Here are the other codes on the block:
VIN code


Code near distributor mount:

 

Looking at the pics i wouldnt say its a home run....maybee 2k for the heads for someone looking...1k-500 block. I have the same thing in my shed that ive been selling for acouple years..id give it away.

 

Well that's strange. I thought all W-30s were made in the Lansing assembly facility (code M).

 

They were.

 

455 block (from an Atlanta, GA "0D" assembled full size '70 OLDSMOBILE) with W30 top end

even if its been sitting for 30 years, that leaves ~18 years of available use/parts swap unaccounted for

 

More pictures as promised these show the intake with date code:

 

Olds 1970 engine but I do not remember a “D” plant

 

I am considering selling the W-30 specific parts separately from the block. This will greatly simplify shipping and it seems that the block does not carry significant value unless it can be traced to an original W-30. Are there any components in the block or other markings that would be W-30 specific?

 

GM plant in Doraville, GA "D"

1970 model year they assembled 23,721 full size Oldsmobiles

today's engine donors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doraville_Assembly

 

That, of course, explains why it's disassembled.

Likely the original short block got ventilated at some point.

 

The non serif "F" blocks code in 1970 were cast in 1969. This one was cast the 261st day of 1969.

 

Pm sent

 

I would say that the W30 specific parts are worth $5k. Put them on eBay

 

I'm getting inundated with PMs now so I'll post a general response to the interest in the W-30 parts. I will sell the W-30 specific parts for $4700 plus actual cost of shipping. If I decide to lower the price I will post that information here. I will ship ASAP upon clearance of payment.

 

The W30 specific parts being: F heads (condition ?), W30 intake (condition?) and w30 waterpump - needs rebuild.

 

Correct. Also the buyer has the option but not the obligation to take receipt of any of the assorted other parts provided they assume shipping costs.

I will take many more detailed pictures of these parts this afternoon to aid the buyer with assessing the condition.

 

I'm sure someone out there really needs some of these parts. Hoping you connect with a buyer who actually needs them, not someone who just wants to put them away for a decade or two. Good luck!

 

Thank you! I just dropped the heads and intake off at a reputable cylinder head shop to have them cleaned and magnafluxed. They should be done tomorrow. Pics will follow. I did not have the water pump cleaned so that the owner has the option to accurately document the ink stamping / grease pencil marking in case they want to recreate it.

 

Got the heads and manifold back today. They look better than I could have hoped. No cracks found on either. He pointed out one exhaust manifold thread that will likely need an insert. He didn't see any signs of previous work. If anything they may have been lightly surfaced, likely when swapped onto the D plant block.

 

Sale pending cleared payment.

 

$45 for all the cleaning and magnuflux? What a great deal. And those parts came out looking dynamite. Nice sale.

 

Yes I couldn't believe how good a deal it was. They were very nice and were proud of their work. They also knew these were something special and treated them with respect.

 

These are shipping out today! I always take pictures of the packaging process in case I ever have a dispute with the carrier for mishandling. I figure most forum junkies like pictures, so I'll post them for your viewing pleasure.

Each cylinder head was rolled in double walled container board, blocks of thick foam were stuffed in the ends of the rolls.


Each rolled up head was put in a box from the cylinder head shop with foam to fill the extra volume.
The first box went in a second box with foam padding.

Both heads ready to ship.


The intake manifold got a slightly different treatment. It's irregular in shape with several protruding pieces. First I put a thick layer of foam in the base of the box. Next the manifold was held in place with thick foam corners.


Finally, plenty of foam was used to layer over the protruding parts. Reliefs were cut as needed for each layer.


A packing slip was included in each box in case the shipping label is destroyed.


Tower of parts, ready to go!

 

You knocked that out well. I'm sure whoever they are going to will appreciate the effort. Nice.

 

Will see it again = Scottsdale 2019 ?
Nice parts and your packaging job looks incredible.

A guy just shipped a dominator intake to me..it was one strand of tape from being gone. Worst job ever in a cheap box he must of found on the side of the road.

 

The engine block cleaned up nicely. It rotates freely but has some scoring in one cylinder. It was probably burning oil, hence the decommisioning some decades ago. The pistons are .030 over, forged TRW. Selling it for $300 with the rest of the parts included, except the engine stand. Local pickup only.

 

you deserve an award for that packaging..