Buying vortec long block core

[dylan5299]

I'm looking into buying a 4 bolt vortec long block from a guy today. said he yanked it because the spider injection assembly failed and there was low oil pressure. But otherwise no metal-on-metal noises. Is there anything I need to look for specifically when I go and look at this long block? Thanks for the help guys.

 

[sntrym]

Low oil pressure is an issue. It could be worn bearings, bad oil pump, blockage, etc. From personal experience, I'd stay away.

If you can, look for metal fragments in the oil. Take a magnet with you.

 

[dylan5299]

I'm buying it as a core and would be tearing it apart if I were to buy it. Are these things that could be remedied by machining? It's a 4 bolt long block for 200 bucks

 

[Tavi]

Almost everything can be remedied by machining. It just depends on how good they are and how much you want to pay them.

All the things @sntrym mentioned should be easily remedied.

 

[Eskimomann209]

Buying a block why?
Are you going to put your parts inside?
I'd hope it was on a stand and pull a few rod caps and maybe the center mains
Bring a good bright flashlight to look in all them under crannies to look for the silver gold of death
I'd buy it
I buy them like that a lot and freshen them up
New oil pump is a minimum and bearings...
I usually leave cam bearings if no visible wear
New rings and a hand hone depending on visual check...

Gaskets to top it off and wham
Run it

 

[sntrym]

I'm buying it as a core and would be tearing it apart if I were to buy it. Are these things that could be remedied by machining? It's a 4 bolt long block for 200 bucks

If you're buying it as a core that's fine, those issues can be fixed. I wouldn't run it as is.

At a minimum, after you tear it apart, you'll need to get the block and heads magnafluxed to check for cracks. Oil pressure just doesn't drop off after time, something is worn which means the engine wasn't taken care of properly. My 95 tbi motor has 322k on it and 60-65 psi oil pressure still.

Any engine shop will be able to flux it and look it over. They will also need to check to make sure it can be machined to work. Some blocks and heads have very little tolerance, so if a head is severely warped from overheating, it may not be fixable.

Good luck with your project, though. Sometimes it's not about the $ but about the experience with the engine. When I was younger I'd buy old motors for $50-100 and tear them apart just to see the guts and figure out how they worked.

 

[dylan5299]

I bought the long block. Heads look like they were rebuilt recently. The engine in my truck is tired after 290k miles and I wanted to put a stroker in it to really wake it up. I'll start a build thread for it as this is a learning experience for me too being the first engine I plan on building. Thank you guys for the feedback