does this seem worth it?

autumn_again · Mar 4, 2008

i'm thinking with my tax return, i'll buy this one motor that this guy is selling locally

its from a 94 mustang, its a 5.0 HO with

FR E303 Cam,
High-volume oil pump
new timing chain
edelbrock performer intake
holley 650 carb.

hes selling it for 600, and its been listed for the past 2 months or so.

i dont know what heads are on it, i dont know if anythings done to the bottom end at all. i dont know how many miles are on it. anything i should find out besides those things?

does this seem like a fair price?

i planned on pulling my current engine out, which is another 5.0 HO, putting this one in, and building up my stock engine.

i dont have much money, so i dont want anything to happen to my motor, and my car be down for a couple months.
also if i were to pull out my stock engine, i'd be SOL, until i finish it.

my current motor has alotta miles on it, enough to have me questioning if it'll be still running by june.

i'm a 17 year old kid with a decent job, but not enough to build my motor the right way, without taking time. i need transportation to school and work, so taking my car down and building it now wouldn't be a good idea since it'll be down for a while.

BlownFiveLiter · Mar 4, 2008

Honestly, there's better deals to be had. I picked up a complete Explorer longblock for around $600 (don't recall exactly) with low mileage. I'd be more prone to doing something like that again, versus picking up one that's known to come from a Mustang, but with limited mods, so it's probably beat half to death. In my case, it didn't come with an intake, but I did yank the P heads off and sell them. Got about $250-300 for the heads, so essentially, I got a low mileage, great condition shortblock for about $300.

Also, shopping type thread - moved to Talk.

autumn_again · Mar 4, 2008

theres a full 1998 5.0 explorer motor for 450 complete except for timing cover with 80,000 miles on here also.

think thats a better deal?

BlownFiveLiter · Mar 4, 2008

Absolutely! Just reuse your timing cover, pop some new springs in the heads, and grab a cam. You'll have a potent engine right off the bat that way, and probably only $50-100 more than you'd be spending for the other engine.

reddy351 · Mar 4, 2008

You could go for a "moderate" mileage 5.0 out of the JY and rebuild it. You can buy longblocks with intakes for peanuts out of the local JY. (Although, if it's not an Explorer, don't even bother with the heads.) Tear it down, take it to the machine shop and see what it's going to take to make it fresh again. Spring for forged pistons, if it doesn't have them. (Especially, if the block needs bore'd.)

Guys are right about Stang motors being beat-on. I would avoid those.

Have fun with it. It's what hot rodding is all about.

autumn_again · Mar 4, 2008

i think as long as my funds are allowing when i get my tax return, i'll buy that explorer motor.

i don't want to do much to this motor, so i can spend more money and time building up the other motor.

but cam, some new springs for the heads, and a tune up, seem feasible.

just have to pray for my tax return to be nice to me.

BlackVert · Mar 4, 2008

i dunno, you could prolly sell the intake for $200, and get maybe $200 for the carb. and those carb inlet lines can get you at least $25, especially if it is an AN one with the anodized fittings.

then you paid about $200 for the motor. doesn't sound like too bad a deal to me.

but the $450 explorer motor will end up costing less if you sell the heads, but then you don't have the cam and oil pump and timing chain

it's a toss up

reddy351 · Mar 5, 2008

I guess I'm saying I'd be VERY leary of any engine that somebody else has had apart and put back together. There has to be a reason that the oil pump/timing chain was replaced. (And you REALLY don't want to use a HV pump, anyway.)

You can completely rebuild a "not too worn" longblock for that $600, and you would KNOW what you have. Think about it.

If you insist on buying it, offer him $450-$500. Maybe he'll bite. Then do like Blackvert said and unload the carb and intake. THEN, take it apart and see what you've got.

BlownFiveLiter · Mar 5, 2008

You don't even necessarily need to pick up a cam for the Explorer engine, but at least put the HO cam from your stock engine in. You can reuse the lifters on either engine, both being hydraulic rollers. They're not like the flat tappet lifters of old where you need to keep them with the cam they were originally installed with. Out of curiosity, does the Explorer engine come with an intake?

ProKiller · Mar 5, 2008

why don't you think your engine will last much longer? how many miles.

If it was me, i'd try to tough out the engine in the car as long as i could and buy another motor to build the way you want then do the swap. the way you seem to be talking is doing a swap twice. just doesn't seem worth it to me.

autumn_again · Mar 5, 2008

ProKiller said:
why don't you think your engine will last much longer? how many miles.

If it was me, i'd try to tough out the engine in the car as long as i could and buy another motor to build the way you want then do the swap. the way you seem to be talking is doing a swap twice. just doesn't seem worth it to me.

i have 203xxx miles on the engine now. its burning oil horribly, and just doesn't put out much power right now.

i found a bare block for 75 bucks a couple miles away, out of a 91 gt i think it was.

but i dont have the money to build up an engine all at once.

what im looking at a new engine for is because i want to fix it up a bit, do little things to get more power out.

right now my dad said i shouldn't do anything to the engine without building the whole bottom end up. which i agree with, but i don't have the money or time to have my car down to do that.

so i want to get something lower mileage to throw in, while i'm building up my stock motor as i want it to be.

my guess is around 3-4 grand its going to cost me at the least to get it how i want it for the most part. and thats money i dont have at this point, that i'd be acquiring over the next couple months.

i would be swapping out more then needed, but i can at least then take my time with the motor cause i'll have the car still running.

the explorer motor was complete aside from the timing cover, from oil pan to upper intake.

BlownFiveLiter · Mar 5, 2008

That's what makes the Explorer engine that much more attractive. Pop your oil pan, front cover, and accessories on, and you have a running engine. I don't remember exactly what's necessary to use the 94-95 throttle body, but you could keep your stock fuel system and everything. A step up to some 24lb injectors would probably be warranted at that point, but I'm still running my stock fuel system with the mods in my signature with no ill effects, yet (knock on wood).

autumn_again · Mar 5, 2008

yeah i like the idea of the explorer motor, but i think they took the listing down, cause i couldn't find it.

we've got the englishtown biannual swap meet in mid april coming up, so i suppose i can wait till then to find something.

i almost bought a 5.0 in the august one, i think it was out of an 86 tbird, with 70,000 miles on it, for 75 bucks.

i am kicking myself for not doing that one.

but right now i want something with a little power to it to put in there, i dont need loads, but more then my car has right now.

BlackVert · Mar 5, 2008

StangGT1995 said:
I'm still running my stock fuel system with the mods in my signature with no ill effects, yet (knock on wood).

a stock fuel system is good up to about 400+ or so. most folks with superchargers have only put in a new fuel pump, and left the rest of the fuel system alone.

even guys like keith (pokageek) still have stock lines, just a high volume pump

without a supercharger, i don't think a high volume pump is necessary

BlownFiveLiter · Mar 5, 2008

I'm still on stock injectors with no AFPR!

I've refused to really wind it out too much. Might not like the results if it detonates.

does this seem worth it?

autumn_again

New Member

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

autumn_again

New Member

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

reddy351

autumn_again

New Member

BlackVert

reddy351

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

ProKiller

autumn_again

New Member

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

autumn_again

New Member

BlackVert

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

Similar threads

does this seem worth it?

New Member

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

New Member

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

New Member

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

New Member

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

New Member

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency