Well, after several conversations with the engine supplier, I think it's finally gonna ship.
The problem is that there are numerous suppliers, and everyone of them ( on both coasts) are showing pics of these engines, claiming that they're all 40-60k mileage engines. The prices are all over the place, ranging from 2799 for the engine only to about 3500 with the trans attached.
And everywhere in between.
I paid 2999 for mine. It included shipping, but there was a residential up charge to have it delivered to a residential address.
That, plus tax brought the thing up to slightly over 3300..
Add to that the equally numerous you tube videos out there either bragging up the engine, or dissing the supplier for shipping a problem engine,...and you become Leary.
As you would be when buying any sight unseen15 year old junkyard engine from a supplier 2000 miles away. From a car that lived it's life in another country 10,000 miles away.
But today was the come to Jesus conversation. He was getting testy with me because he thought I was being overly nit picky. Basically told me that he was ready to refund my money.
Said he didn't need the sale of a single used 2jz that bad to have to keep justifying to me that the engine was in the condition he listed it in.
That didn't stop me from telling him that the drive belt on the engine that was listed as ultra-clean, and low mile looked like it had been on the engine for way longer than 40-60k miles.
I apologized, told him that while he was probably getting frustrated with me, he had to understand that I was buying an engine that I expected would be turn key. Told him that all I planned to change was the oil pan, the oil pump, the water pump, timing belt, cams and springs.
And with a different intake and exhaust manifold, and bigger injectors......expect it to make 500 WHP.
And...( here's the kicker...) told him that despite the fact that he was only selling one used 2jz to a single individual,...the monster is a future mag car that only needs to be at the right car show, and ichibanjdm will be seen as the supplier by thousands....and if it makes it on the right youtube vid.....by 10's of thousands.
The final touch on the " make sure we don't fck this guy" mandate was I linked him a pic of the current engine and the current car that engine is in, and...
Things changed.
Now I get a note from dude that he just had his guys do a full compression test and hand picked a different engine that showed no signs of rust behind the VVTI gear, with additional pics of the timing belt to confirm the the engine he ships me is indeed a low mile engine.
I'm happy.