I guess it was my turn to get a lemon

honestly the only remotely special heads on a 351 were the ones on a Ford Lightning from 93-95 but the chances of you finding that are low to non-existant. If you do, I want the intake manifold. Its not the same as the regular truck one, but it will clear the hood if I ever decide to put a 351 in the Lincoln. I already have a set of the 351-specific AC brackets needed for that. Frankly I'm unlikely to ever do it but if I can lay my hands on the goofy rare parts I have no issue putting them on the shelf just in case.
 
The Windsors, like the 5.0, started using roller rocker arms when they put EFI on them.

they did not. The 302 also never got roller rocker arms. I've got a bag of them somewhere off my 1988 5.0 HO if you want them. The ones in that video are standard stamped steel arms, same ones they ran starting around 1975. The car engines got roller cams starting 1986, the trucks got roller cams somewhere around 1994. The first 351 roller cam block was also 1994, though you might find it in some late 1993 production. Same intake mounting from the 60s through the end of production.

Unless you're thinking Chevy. Starting in '87 when they went to the center bolt valve cover, the middle intake bolts ran it at a different enough angle that the EFI and carb manifolds don't interchange. Sometime in the mid 90s the middle bolts went away entirely. 94 maybe? Whenever they went to the Vortec head.
 
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I you do decide to go with the used engine, make sure to check the compression. Or at least pull the plugs and check condition/color. Then I'd consider running a flush thru the oil system put new spark plugs and wires while it is out. Thermostat or any gaskets like value covers when it is easy to reach.
But this is all mute if the yard does the work.


Barney
 
How many of you remember this?

"Is your engine sick and tired,
Want your car to run like new?
Automotive Engineering
Pleases millions, why not you?"


Damn, I'm getting old!
 
Those are some of the horror stories I've read on other forums about parts store remans. The one guy said that he went through 3 remaned Chevy 350s in the warranty period. After the 3rd he decided to go another route.

I've pretty much ruled out a cheap reman as an option. I'm not going to spend $1300+ on an engine that will likely be a hodge-podged together piece of shit.
Several years back I was in a reman place in Jersey City, and noticed they were using a hand-held belt sander to surface the heads....ouch !
 
I just came from the local junkyard I've been dealing with since I got my license. They quoted me $200 plus the old one for a core for a used engine. I think they give 30 days for a warranty. I'll probably go that route. I'll just pull the pan and look at it and if it looks ok, I'll just throw my new pan, gasket and rear main seal on it, drop it in, and hope for the best.:dunno:


$200 for a good used engine sounds like a screaming good deal. I guarantee you would not find one around these parts for less than $500 where I live.
 
agreed, but I'd do valve cover and probably the intake gaskets while its out. Fords are bad for the rear end wall seal on the intake to fail and dump oil out of the back of the motor, and you may as well do the valve covers if you've got it apart for the intake. This is much easier to do not in the vehicle if you've got the chance. Fel Pro Permadry is your friend, not cheap but you'll never mess with it again. The cork stuff is quite simply garbage. Same with the pan gasket, you want the one piece rubber type.
 
$200 for a good used engine sounds like a screaming good deal. I guarantee you would not find one around these parts for less than $500 where I live.
I don't know how "good" it will be. Basically at this place, if it runs and basically sounds OK they pull it and try to sell it. I'm pretty sure they don't keep track of the mileage or anything else. They are cheap, but a bit of a gamble. My uncle comes up from WV to buy engines there because they are so cheap. He says he has bought close to a dozen there with no problems, but over the years I've heard a number of people complain about their engines.
 
agreed, but I'd do valve cover and probably the intake gaskets while its out. Fords are bad for the rear end wall seal on the intake to fail and dump oil out of the back of the motor, and you may as well do the valve covers if you've got it apart for the intake. This is much easier to do not in the vehicle if you've got the chance. Fel Pro Permadry is your friend, not cheap but you'll never mess with it again. The cork stuff is quite simply garbage. Same with the pan gasket, you want the one piece rubber type.
I never buy cork gaskets unless there is no other option. Agree on them being garbage. I kind of agree with you on the rest, but besides putting the new pan, gasket, and rear main seal I already have on it, I plan to do as little as humanly possible to the motor before I drop it in. I don't want to waste money on gaskets and such on a motor I don't know whether it will be worth a crap or not. It's not like they will reimburse me on that stuff if I have to pull it back out and exchange it for another one.
 
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I just came from the junkyard and I am FURIOUS with them and will never (and am likely not allowed to) set foot there again.:rant: I paid for the engine, and they loaded it in my truck. The motor they tried to sell me looked like it came off the Titanic. Even the block was crusty as hell. All the metal pollution lines were rusted completely off. Most of the bolt heads were rusted almost completely away. Some brackets were rusted nearly or completely off. Even the valve covers looked like they were nearly rotted through. And, instead of just unplugging the wiring harnesses going to the engine, they hacked all the wiring off with a machete about a foot from the plugs. They also torched most of the bolts holding the motor in instead of removing them.

I walked back in, and told the woman at the desk as civil as I possibly could, that I didn't want it and why. I walked down while they unloaded it, I walked back in the office, and the woman at the counter went off on me. She cussed at me and said there was no call for my shitty attitude and that I caused a scene (which didn't really happen in the first place). Then she yelled that I should buy better vehicles than the junk I was driving.:yikes: Then she yelled at me that I was a psycho!:crazy: After that, I let loose with a big F*ck you, you c*nt and started walking out. Even Is I was walking away she was still yelling that I was a psycho, and I was still yelling what I thought she was.

She has always had somewhat of a bad attitude when I went in there for parts, but this was insane.o_O Nothing like being pissed when I was the one being sold garbage.

Please, if you value your sanity and don't want to be sold garbage, do not deal with Shartzer's Auto Wreckers in Farmington, PA.
 
Well, at least you got your money back. If you were civil with them I don't see why the woman would start screaming.

I've seen some crusty garbage in yards, but usually I try to go to ones that I can walk around in. That gives me the option of pointing and saying "that one" if its not something I'm going to pull out myself. The one yard I like has a "motor fence" area with running vehicles. If you ask they will bring a battery so you can hear it run before its removed. No tools allowed in there so people don't steal stuff. If you have them pull a motor they do just lop the wiring harness and usually burn off the motor mounts but the place is cheap enough that you can deal with it. If you ask they will allow you to remove the wiring harness or whatever else you want first, provided you pay for it up front.
 
I wasn't roses and sunshine, but I was definitely civil. She is just a bitch with an attitude problem. She's also the owner's wife so she can get away with it. She's always acted like it was an inconvenience when I would come in and ask to buy something. It's a shame because the owner is the salt of the earth and has always been good to me. Ever since she started working there a few years ago, the place has gone downhill big time. You used to be able to walk down in the yard, and pull most of your own parts. Now, they won't even let you walk down in the yard just to look for what you want. Ever since that started I just go to u-pull-it for most things. I'll have to do some research on where to buy a decent motor from. I have no problem paying a little more to get a good one.
 
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