in about 3 hours I'm going to look at a .40 over 350 short block. he is not the one who rebuilt it. says he bought for his project but decided to go big block. complete shortblock minus cam and timing set. what should I look for before buying? 250 obo


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Got a bore gauge?

Look for hatch marks in cylinders.

 

no but I might be able to borrow one.

as long as it isn't cracked and spins freely I think it might be worth the $200 gamble


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Well it depends on whats it has.


Is it a 1 peice or 2 peice rear main?

2 bolt or 4 bolt main?

What crank, rods and pistons?

If it still has hatch marks you will be better off.

I always consider a used block like that to be a core.

Are the bearings good?

Is the thrust withen spec?

It could be a new shortblock build well within specs with good parts, but it may have a wiped journal or thrust surface, which could mean the crank is junk, or the rings may not have seated and washed down the cylinders.


Its hard to say. An in depth inspection can tell a lot.

I always ask myself, "why is it for sale?"

Don't be nosey, but look around, he says he isn't going to use it cause he's going big block. I would be looking for bigblock stuff out of the corner of my eye.

Is there a hot rod waiting for a big block? Or is there a junker with a krylon rebuild?

You hate to think everyone is lieing, but these days, its hard to trust anyone.

 

thanks you've given me alot to consider while I'm over there

I might beat him down on the price alil more


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Depending on what it is, it may be worth the price.

If its got good pistons, that alone may be enough.

Again, it really depends on whats there, but armed with the info, you can make a better choice. Good luck and let us know what happens!

 

does horizontal crankshaft play indicate a bad thrust bearing? (push/pull on harmonic balancer)


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When your buying used parts like we have,you have to come prepared to inspect them.Over the yrs we have developed a killer travel bag for that.It is the single most thing that has contributed to our success in re-sale of race parts.Well that and both me and my partner having ref numbers in our heads along with knowing the value of the stuff.It's a whole like racing where you have to willing to lay it all on line win or lose.

If your unsure of yourself or if the seller with a deposit won't let you take it to a machine shop to be checked out,then I think the decision has already been made for you.

And that isn't to say there isn't buys out there,because there surely is.

Mummmm-200 bucks would buy alot of "Micky D's" or a Thursday night date with the "Wally World Bag ladies" isle 15!!!.Wooo-woo!!!.

 

To answer your question, according to my book, crankshaft endplay should be between .002" and .006". Any more then that and you have a junk bearing, or worse a junk crank.

If you could push and pull noticably on the balancer, it's probably beyond those specs.

Hope this helps!