Bought the starfire and the 57 88 today. On my travels stop at a grave yard. Found a 70 cutlass 350 with 6 heads #395558 2 block number. What is it worth with transmission C3? He wanted 500 I offered 200, came down to 400. For that I think I would strip the rest of the car. My thoughts, not much left

 

Four hundred for a core motor or running ?
Well with trans I think 400 is fair

Just my opinion

 

Running motor, with no signs of anything awful, $400 is okay, better with trans, but only if there's a good chance that trans works, otherwise you're just carting off his garbage for him.

Seized or otherwise completely non-running motor, I agree $50, maybe up to $200, depending on whether any part of it seemed unusually good or valuable.

Non-running engines, especially small blocks, are essentially just glorified scrap.

- Eric

 

50bucks for a rebuilder core
1970 block with number 6 heads

 

Current scrap iron is $200/ton, SBO dressed about 575# (please hold the beatings for correctitude)=$58.50US....

 

Exactly, so by giving you an $8.50 break, he gets to avoid loading, hauling, and unloading.

Not a bad deal.

- Eric

 

Seems like a pair of good #5 heads ought to fetch $150 or so these days

$50 is the price of scrap metal.
Last time bought heads AT THE SCRAP PROCESSOR place 'twas nearly $50 a pair.

 

So pay more, if you'd like. The last "don't know if it runs" motor I bought was $50.

- Eric

 

Put a socket/breaker bar on the balancer, see if it turns. Complete engine with brackets? If it turns and is complete don't offer less than $150. Yes, you can hold firm at 150 but you may not get it. Everyone likes a deal but if he was at $500 offering $50 is just going to **** him off. The #6 heads are the better heads, hopefully their in decent shape. This is just my opinion but I have bought/sold/scrapped a lot of Olds. Good Luck, Ken

 

Fwiw I talked my guy down to 90 although he wanted 150 but its turning out to be a learning curve

 

It is a 1970 with #6 heads but of course they flow the same as the #5 heads to which you refer.

$400 for the engine and trans is not a huge overpayment if it is pulled, drained and ready to load. That is the max I would pay but $300 would be my offer.

 

I picked up a stock 76 350, great compression and oil pressure, wanted $150, took $120. He also had a 455 that needed overhauled, didn't ask the price but could tell he wanted much more. I can get a 68 350 that needs an overhaul for $200, maybe less. 455's up here are 500-$1000 up here, $500 one had a knock, if you can find them.

 

I would not pay more than 300 . I would personally get it running clean it up and sell it for more. I have bought shortblocks in great shape for 150. Transmissions are always bought as cores no more than 75 bucks. They are always a mystery and unless you are willing to open it up and inspect the clutches chances are when you take it to a trans shop they will give you the old shavings in the pan story.

 

Okay,thankyou for the info on the sbo . I am looking at a 66 425 next week and 2 68 455. These are free turning,still in cars. I want them at a good price so I can sell them. Going to try 400 per car.Another guy had 7 455 but these are 70's. Not sure what they are worth. Some are locked up

 

I bought one 71 455 with th400 for 600 and a 72 455 locked up for 200.00 with th400

Oh yeah I bought a 69 455 marine motor cracked block with MT valve covers for 50.00 opened it up and had a fresh rebuild before it froze
Hope this helps

The one trans I just had gone thru and the only thing bad was a crack on the 2 1 band could have stabbed and ran for years most likely

Currently going thru the locked up one and it'
Had water in three cylinders and I believe this is why it's locked up from the rings rusting but other wise seems to be a low mileage motor

To sum it up its all a gamble and the cheaper is always better

 

So 400 hundred for early 70's turning 455 without transmission. What about the later 455's? Same price? 68's worth more the 400? Thanks for the info

 

The blocks are the same what makes the pre 70 worth more is they have higher compression with us due to the pistons not being dished
They still had low compression on pre 70 but I think these were 2bbl motors

So it really depends on your plans and goals I would pay about the same personally

Hope this helps again this is my opinion

 

Exactly. No matter what you observe, what the seller says, or what the seller honestly believes, there is no way for you to know what's inside until you open it up.

It's a total crapshoot. Could be a really nice engine inside, with minimal wear, no rust, and no damage, or could be a catastrophe, with not even the block salvageable.
Because of this, it is in your interest to get the price to the absolute minimum.
The seller may have an excellent, fresh, rebuilt engine, but unless you saw it built and saw it run AND drive (or unless he has a stack of credible receipts from a shop that you can call and check up, AND you're in a gullible mood), it's scrap metal to you.

After you've bought a few engines, you'll get a painfully good feel for this.

- Eric

 

Okay, thanks for the info. Yep it helps. All I am doing is stocking up on parts to sell, while at it hoping for a diamond in the rough. So even the the 455's with j heads are worth the same?

 

If your after just the block I would think so .

 

The scrap yard where the sbo is, he is trying to sell me a 455 buck rebuilt with transmission for 1200. No thanks

 

In my book, that's an expensive box of chocolates.

When I was a kid, I worked in a junkyard. I remember the owner saying he had a guy coming over to pick up a slant-six. He told my to go grab one off the rack, take it down, pull the plugs, and spin it around a few times with a wrench to get the water out of the cylinders before the buyer got there.

- Eric

 

These older yards think they can charge higher for these rare parts !!! Yeah but the best way is craiglist or in my area ksl is your friend right now there is a listing from a yard in Wyoming listing th400 cores bop 75.00 on pic up

 

Nice deal, not. Poor guy who bought the engine

 

I would snag the buck but way too much coin. Would do for 600 but I don't think he would budge

 

No. Not all 2bbl engines are low compression and 1970 is still high compression on all the 4bbl applications.

 

They dropped the 2bbl high compression option after '67, leaving only 2bbl low compression (9:1) or 4bbl high compression for 1968, '69, and '70, before going to all low compression (8.5:1) in '71.

- Eric

 

Really? Then may I ask what was the compression ratio on the 455 2bbl that came standard on the Early built SX cars and was optionally available on the Cutlas Supreme? (the L-33 engine).

 

I may be mistaken (now I have to check), but I believe that the original '66 or '67 Turnpike Cruiser had the 10.25:1 400 with 2bbl, then in '68 it went to the 9:1 400 with 2bbl, then in '70 it became the SX with 9:1 455 with 2bbl (or optional 10.25:1 with 4bbl).

- Eric

edit: I stand corrected.

1968 and 1970 had a 10.25:1 2bbl 455 (1969 did not ).

HOWEVER, in 1968 and 1969, the largest motor offered in the A-bodies was the 400 (okay, except for the H/O), and the 400 was only offered with a 4bbl and 10.25:1 CR in 1969, and with either the 10.25:1 4bb or the 9:1 2bbl in 1968 (no 10.25:1 2bbl),
SO, while the HC 455 2bbl was available in '68 and '69, it did NOT go into the Turnpike Cruiser in those years, but was available in the SX in 1970.

 

We will be here smiling when you get back from checking

 

So 71 and up is low comp with 2 or 4 barrel?

 

Correct. All are 8.5:1 for 1971-1976 inclusive.

 

Ok, now I have a question...
This is an old broadcast card from the 70
beater, E heads 2 bbl 455 W/ W-Z manifolds
from the factory in a Supreme.

Is there any way to tell if it was a high comp.
by these #'s? I know, it is hard to read.

The #'s across the top are 261011234257A01342998 937 25 A 2
Under these on the far left are AK1 then C60= a/c then U 80
The car is long gone, but I kept the engine.

 

I'll paste in the text from my edit of my post above:

I stand corrected.

1968 and 1970 had a 10.25:1 2bbl 455 (1969 did not ).

HOWEVER, in 1968 and 1969, the largest motor offered in the A-bodies was the 400 (okay, except for the H/O), and the 400 was only offered with a 4bbl and 10.25:1 CR in 1969, and with either the 10.25:1 4bb or the 9:1 2bbl in 1968 (no 10.25:1 2bbl),
SO, while the HC 455 2bbl was available in '68 and '69, it did NOT go into the Turnpike Cruiser in those years, but was available in the SX in 1970.

- Eric

 

8.5 to 1 are very optimistic especially with the 73 to 76. I calculate around 7.8 or 7.9 to 1, knowing where the pistons sit in the hole, chambers, head gasket and piston dish.

 

The 2 68's are delta. Would these be 455?

 

More than likely.

 

I know 67 delta had 425 not sure if it was the only one offered or if the offered in later years or not

 

Pretty sure 67 was the last year for the 425.
The 68 455's were brutes.

 

455 2bbl 9:1 CR was standard on Delta and Delta Custom in 1968, but 350 was standard on Delmont.

On Delta and Delta Custom, the 455 2bbl 10.25:1 CR was a no-cost upgrade, 455 4bbl 10.25:1 cost $36.86. On Delmont, it cost $100 to upgrade to the HC 455.

- Eric