Is this motor a good deal?

[fwi]

1967 318 block and steel crankshaft. Crank was turned .010/.010 and the block was decked and bored .030" over. New Keith Black hyperutectic pistons, new Scat connecting rods, new Melling oil pump and intermediate shaft, new chrome oil pan, new windage tray, new oil pickup tube and screen. Has 10.5 to 1 compression ratio. New Cloyes timing set and Mopar timing chain tensioner. New Mopar purple camshaft and lifters 280 degree .470 lift, Smith Brothers pushrods, 1985 #302 swirl port heads milled .025", new bronze valve guides, new Comp Cams #901 valve springs, Proform aluminum roller tip rocker arms, Edelbrock Street master 318 single plane intake manifold, factory electronic distributor, MSD plus wires, fuel pump, new water pump and 180 degree thermostat, alternator and pulleys. Complete engine minus carburetor. Just built by David Sammons of Mocksville, NC. Installed it in my 1972 Duster and broke it in and put about 2 hours running time on it. Car needed much work so I removed the engine and sold the car. Holds 70 pounds of oil pressure at idle. Located at Farmington Motorsports park near Winston-Salem, NC. Will consider trades. Over $3000 invested. $2000.

 

[steve from staten island]

Does a bear **** in the woods? Of course its a good deal LOL. Its got all the good stuff and assuming the machine work/assembly was done correctly the price is right for some lucky buyer

 

[monaco66coupe]

Those are great engines, and $2,000 doesn't buy much shop time anymore.It is a great deal IMHO>

 

[BeeKool]

I'd love to build something like that for my Dakota project someday.

 

[Bruzilla]

Reality check time. This engine is a perfect example of why I never recommend anyone sink a lot of money into a small block, especially a 318. I see adds like this a lot... "I have a 318 with..." and the reality is pretty much everything after 318 gets missed because no matter what has been done to the engine... it's still a 318 and for the most part someone who's going to drop thousands of dollars into an engine is going to want to drop thousands into a 340 or big block. Plus there's always guys looking for 340s and big blocks because they want to ditch a 318, but not many going the other direction.

As I'm seeing in the other posts, lots of guys saying "great engine" and "great price" but not many saying "I'll take it!" You need to find someone who wants a 318, likes the mods you did, has the money and is willing to pay your price, and is able to pick it up locally or pay shipping... that's an awfully small tip of the buyer's pyramid. $2,000 may be a good deal from a conceptual perspective, but from a functional one, I suspect you'll be keeping that engine around for a long time at that price.

I would suggest pitching this engine to the A body guys who have Slant 6's and are looking to move up to a good V8.

 

[747mopar]

I agree with much of what Bru is saying but for the money, it sounds like a good bargain.

 

[fwi]

Reality check time. This engine is a perfect example of why I never recommend anyone sink a lot of money into a small block, especially a 318. I see adds like this a lot... "I have a 318 with..." and the reality is pretty much everything after 318 gets missed because no matter what has been done to the engine... it's still a 318 and for the most part someone who's going to drop thousands of dollars into an engine is going to want to drop thousands into a 340 or big block. Plus there's always guys looking for 340s and big blocks because they want to ditch a 318, but not many going the other direction.

As I'm seeing in the other posts, lots of guys saying "great engine" and "great price" but not many saying "I'll take it!" You need to find someone who wants a 318, likes the mods you did, has the money and is willing to pay your price, and is able to pick it up locally or pay shipping... that's an awfully small tip of the buyer's pyramid. $2,000 may be a good deal from a conceptual perspective, but from a functional one, I suspect you'll be keeping that engine around for a long time at that price.

I would suggest pitching this engine to the A body guys who have Slant 6's and are looking to move up to a good V8.

Thanks Bru but it's not my engine, I am considering buying it for an A body project I am working on. I just posted it here to get my esteemed member's opinions on it.

 

[747mopar]

The Proform rockers are the only thing I wouldn't like, not very impressed with the ones I fitted to my motor to end up not using.

 

[monaco66coupe]

Contrary to popular belief, Small blocks have a strong following in the B body crowd. Not everyone is enamored with big blocks. And, The older I get, the less I care for them. When I want to hear an aggressive exhaust I start up the GTX. But when I want to actually go a bunch of miles, it stays home. I drive the small block. 18 MPG beats 10 MPG any day of the week. It stays cooler in the Summer, does not have quirky habits, and does not vapor lock. If I had a project presently needing a drivetrain, I would buy that engine on the spot. There are many small block A Body cars that could humiliate the big block B bodies all day long. it happened in 1968, and it still does.

 

[Dako]

Did I miss the valve sizes, or was that posted?

 

[fwi]

Did I miss the valve sizes, or was that posted?

Seller did not mention valves.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I personally wouldn't trust buying any engine from a guy who paints it lime green.

 

[Zeppelin264]

Contrary to popular belief, Small blocks have a strong following in the B body crowd. Not everyone is enamored with big blocks. And, The older I get, the less I care for them. When I want to hear an aggressive exhaust I start up the GTX. But when I want to actually go a bunch of miles, it stays home. I drive the small block. 18 MPG beats 10 MPG any day of the week. It stays cooler in the Summer, does not have quirky habits, and does not vapor lock. If I had a project presently needing a drivetrain, I would buy that engine on the spot. There are many small block A Body cars that could humiliate the big block B bodies all day long. it happened in 1968, and it still does.

My 440 gets around 17-20 on the highway.

 

[Budnicks]

I personally wouldn't trust buying any engine from a guy who paints it lime green.

 

[Budnicks]

I haven't built a SBM in a while other than a
Magnum 318ci-5.2/360ci-5.9ltr/392ci-4" 318/5.2 based Stroker
10 years ago now

but IMO the sum of the parts is what it's worth...

Not just for FWI, to all...
I'd trust a fellow member usually more than someone else...

If you trust the guy, know the builders or have talked with them...
I haven't shopped a combo like that for a while,
price it out, check, buy a engine from a wrecker or private party,
the 318's are great little engines & a **** load of them out there
"in stock form" they are cheap, they can take abuse &
even make decent power, contrary to some beliefs...

Price it out figure our IF a crate motor from a reputable builder
or that engine is a better deal...

IMO if it's what you want & it is what is claimed, other than color
& the Proform rockers, it's worth the price !!

yeah you maybe able to find something cheaper too,
it's not always about price, trust & not getting screwed over

{Or **** stolen, or parts aren't what's claimed etc., like a certain member here that commented
negatively, had to go thru, it isn't worth that crap, being a cheap ***, any or all the hassles,
2+ years, courts, cops, time lost, expenses & all the rest of the BS}

Time is money too, how much time is spent going to the wrecker,
getting a good core, taking it to the builder, trusting that builder,
all the parts expenses & the parts marked up, machine expenses,
bad parts possibly, heads/bock/crank bad etc.,it's all a gamble,
sometimes you, "just need to go by your gut feeling"

I like to know all what's in my builds,
but if I was in the market
& found a good deal I'd pull the trigger...

Look in Summit or Jegs, Blueprint, Mopar performance etc.
look at their crate engines a 408 base is $4,229, compare...

Selling it $2000 is about 66% of what you'd invested
$0.50 cents on the dollar for used engines, especially when they're small
& used parts, than you're "not doing too bad"

I live in a completely different market & different part of the country,
prices & availability will vary vastly from state to state...

Good luck

 

[flypaper]

I personally wouldn't trust buying any engine from a guy who paints it lime green.

And it's a boat anchor 318..lol

 

[Richard Cranium]

And it's a boat anchor 318..lol

Honestly, I was trying my best not to say that.

 

[Bladecutter]

Contrary to popular belief, Small blocks have a strong following in the B body crowd. Not everyone is enamored with big blocks. And, The older I get, the less I care for them. When I want to hear an aggressive exhaust I start up the GTX. But when I want to actually go a bunch of miles, it stays home. I drive the small block. 18 MPG beats 10 MPG any day of the week. It stays cooler in the Summer, does not have quirky habits, and does not vapor lock. If I had a project presently needing a drivetrain, I would buy that engine on the spot. There are many small block A Body cars that could humiliate the big block B bodies all day long. it happened in 1968, and it still does.

Hail hail, Thank You! Small blocks are my preference any day...better handling, easier on front brakes & tires, quicker revving

 

[Bruzilla]

Contrary to popular belief, Small blocks have a strong following in the B body crowd. Not everyone is enamored with big blocks. And, The older I get, the less I care for them. When I want to hear an aggressive exhaust I start up the GTX. But when I want to actually go a bunch of miles, it stays home. I drive the small block. 18 MPG beats 10 MPG any day of the week. It stays cooler in the Summer, does not have quirky habits, and does not vapor lock. If I had a project presently needing a drivetrain, I would buy that engine on the spot. There are many small block A Body cars that could humiliate the big block B bodies all day long. it happened in 1968, and it still does.

I know I can always count on one small block aficionado rushing out to show some love for the little motors. The demand for big blocks is not popular belief, it is fact. How many posts on this site do you see that start "Hey guys, I have a 440 and I really want to go to a 318, so what parts do I need?" Anybody ever see that string? Anyone? I see a LOT that ask about doing a SB to a B/RB, but damn few for going from a B/RB to a SB... about the same number of guys serving life sentences requesting their sentence be commuted to death. How many SB B bodies do you ever see crossing the block at BJ, Mecum, or any other auction? About as many as you see four-door B body sedans.

Yes, small blocks have their fans, but most I've known are fans out of necessity and not because they want to be there. I've known lots of guys who have told me how wonderful their 318 or 360 is and how they don't need a 440, then when a 440 drops in their laps they're calling me up asking if I can help them get rid of their once-mighty small block.

All that said, I'm seeing it's getting harder and harder for guys to get even 50% of their investment back on even 440 builds and 383/400's are taking forever to sell. I would hate to be trying to sell a 318 regardless of the mods in this market.

 

[Bb70charger500]

Guys I'm a small block fan . I just got a built big block in the charger I got and I honestly wish it was a small block car ,the car drives so much worse with that behemoth under there . Now it has its positives I'm not going to lie the power to cash ratio is much better. But reliability I give to the small blocks . You don't see small blocks cross auction blocks because the owners love them and want to keep them the big motor cars are a pain after it's all done the owner says dang wish I left it alone sells it and buys a small block car again!

But it's in our dna bigger is better! I just love when I can walk away from a big block in my 340 !