OK, so here's a little update on the progress: THERE IS NONE! Turns out that I bought an engine, paid $2300 up front, from a con man! It was my partially my fault for not researching this salvage yard before handing over the $$$$ - especially anything over a deposit. I paid for it on the 4th and was promised delivery on the following Tuesday the 9th. Received some excuse on Tuesday and was told it would be Thursday 11th. The family took a trip to PA that weekend, so I assumed all was good since my mechanic didn't call. I called him last Monday 15th - he said he hasn't seen an engine. I called the junk yard and they said they had some stuff that came up and they couldn't get it delivered - would be delivered on Thursday 18th. I went back to work on the 18th and checked with him all morning. Lunchtime came and he called me - said the yard they bought it from pulled the wrong motor and it would be Monday 22nd before they could pull the right one (the yard owner was out of town until then or some BS) and would be today, 23rd, before they could deliver it. Well, today came and I checked with him all morning and around 12:30 the guys were almost there to drop it off at the yard I bought it from and he would call me when they were on the way to deliver it to my mechanic - YAY!
2:00 came and I got a call. The guy said they (or I) wouldn't be getting the engine today! The excuse (or truth) this time was that someone had written them a bad check (wouldn't take a personal check from me), so the check he wrote the other yard bounced. He told me that he was only going to make $300 on this engine - would I take that $300 to let them float the engine delivery until next Tuesday. I told him that I will be off on Thursday and I would drive to their yard - they can either give me $2300 cash or cashier's check. And I hung up.

About 5 minutes later the owner called me and gave me the same sob story and apologized several times. He asked if e could bring the $300 to me at work tomorrow. I told him that anything he gives to me will have to go to the mechanic for storage fees now, since the truck has been taking up space for 3 weeks now - BECAUSE I STILL DON"T HAVE THE ENGINE THAT I PAID FOR 3 WEEKS AGO! So basically he wasn't taking anything off the price that benefits me. I told him he could take the $300 and put it in my mechanic's hand and explain this BS to him.

Needless to say, I don't expect that any money will be delivered - or the engine next week for that matter even if he does bring money tomorrow. I guess my next step will be to go to the Magistrate of his town and file a judgement and start the process of a small claims lawsuit. In any event, I will have to go pay my mechanic for the work he has already done and have the truck towed home until I can either get a refund or pay off what was borrowed for the engine. Then I can order a rebuilt engine from a reputable source!

Even when I get the truck on the road I don't think I will keep it - have been through too much **** with this thing. NOTHING has gone right with it - the money pit just keeps getting deeper and deeper! I think it is jinxed. I'll end up dying or something in it if I keep it!

 

Ouch. Handing over the full price without even seeing the motor, not the best idea you've ever had. The guy wanted to flip a motor and clearly botched the job and is now in a cash crunch...

 

I TOTALLY agree! I have no idea what I was thinking - happy to find an AFFORDABLE used engine, happy that I can get one quickly, or just pissed off that I have to put one in and wanting to get it over with - I have no excuse for giving the guy full payment up front without even seeing the engine! I am usually the most extreme researcher you can imagine - I research EVERYTHING before I buy! But I didn't research this junk yard - I just took the word of 2 coworkers that have bought 3 (total) engines from the place with no problems, getting over 100,000 extra miles off of each one of them. I don't know. Anyhow, I can't be mad for my own stupidity - I have faced the fact that the guy is a crook and I am going to have to get my truck towed back to my house and let it sit until the money is recovered and I can get an engine. I'm also going to lose money on the tow truck and storage fees for my truck sitting in the shop.

Anyhow, the guy never showed up with the cash this morning (or afternoon) - no surprise. My wife contacted her lawyer friend for council on what legal steps to follow from here on out. I didn't want to call the guy and end up getting irate with him and screwing the lawsuit up. I guess one up side will be that he will end up repaying me for everything I have had to pay out including time spent worrying and chasing them down - PLUS lawyer and court costs.

 

You might want to talk to the lawyer about what happens after you get that judgement. I'm pretty sure it won't be easy to actually force the guy/business to cough up the money, or to be able to seize equipment and/or vehicles to satisfy the judgement. It might be better to try, in person, to get the guy to cough up the money or the motor more before getting to court (it may be more likely to result in you getting one or the other).

 

Thanks for your input Dave. I talked to a lawyer friend last night after work. She is a district attorney, so she isn't really into civil type cases - she said she would talk to a colleague today. But, she said that since it is over $2,000 it is a FELONY case and that it sounds like, to her, that he can be charged with felony theft by deception. This will prolong the time that it takes to get my money back (because the guy will get a jail sentence), but at least he won't be out screwing others over for that period of time. She said I could put a judgement against him also - in case he files bankruptcy or something of that sort. I am planning on stopping by the business on the way to the courthouse to file the judgement in that county. I have pretty much written off this money for the time being (in my mind anyway, so it doesn't drive me crazy or keep me pissed off) - I will just have to get the truck towed home and let it sit until I pay this engine that I never received off (or get my money back).

 

Well, I went and paid my mechanic for the teardown of the old engine. I called the magistrate at the town of the salvage yard and they said it would have to be filed with the sheriffs office and will be a criminal felony case - and they new him by name and have been waiting on someone to come up with a case that can put him in jail. It would be a criminal case bc he took my money and didn't give me a refund OR an engine. I called the guy up and relayed the new information I had and that I wanted ALL of my money back or he could go to jail and I would get my money AFTER he gets out of jail!

Long story short - 2 visits from the guy and days later I have a full refund.

Will have to take the money to the bank to pay the original engine off, then order a new rebuilt one. Looking at either one from Engineguy or Powertrain Products - both roughly the same price (~$4000 with core), but PP says I SHOULD get a full core credit, engineguy says I MIGHT be able to. Also PP says they fixed the oiling problems of these Ford engines whereas engineguy doesn't specifically say that. PP says 7-10 days delivery, engineguy - 3 days

Any recommendations besides Jasper, NAPA, Carquest, Ford, etc?

 

im glad you have atleast gotten your money back. that is a horrible ordeal.

I only have reference to the jaspers and i reccomend them

 

I would still consider phoning around and getting a used motor...just not from that guy.

 

Yep - 1 step forward. At least I'm going in the right direction again! It was something that I never saw coming, but it was a learning experience that turned out ok. I had a short talk with the guy after I got my money. He said that a series of bad investments after the recession and then scrap values dropping to nothing forced him into bankruptcy and losing everything which forced him to work from sale to sale. Seems to be a good man that lost his way. Anyhow, I wished him good luck in the future and walked away.

Now, as far as the used engines are concerned, I called around to everywhere that I had knowledge of and where others had purchased from (which led me to the place that I tried to buy from - 2 other guys had no problem buying from the place I did). Nobody around here had the correct engine! My brother is going to call around Monday to see if some of his contacts (he owns an auto body shop) can help. But, since I am planning on keeping this truck for a long while, I might as well go ahead and do it right. Hey, looking at prices on the internet, higher mileage (around 100,000 miles) engines are going for around $2,600. If I get full credit for my core, I will be in a rebuilt one for about $800 more. I don't want to put $4,200 in an engine for it, but putting a used one in will cost me $3,400 and might only last a year or two before it needs work.

When all is said and done, my "cheap" auction truck is going to end up costing me in the upper end of full retail. Live and learn. I don't make $100 mistakes - I'm hardcore, I make $1000 mistakes! Hopefully it will last me a good long time before I have anymore problems!

 

Matt- you and i are in the same boat when it comes to costly mistakes. but in the long run you will have an awesome truck that will last you years to come.

 

I figured I wasn't alone in the big mistake category and yes, I will be happier in the long run because I shouldn't have to worry about engine problems.

Thanks!

 

Well I finally ordered a rebuilt engine from a REAL company! I ended up buying this engine from Powertrain Products: https://www.powertrainproducts.net/P...908SD&CartID=1

Full warranty, updated to current oiling specs and updated phasers and timing chain guides/tensioners. Hopefully this will last me for year to come! Will be delivered before March 14th.

 

Well I finally ordered a rebuilt engine from a REAL company! I ended up buying this engine from Powertrain Products: https://www.powertrainproducts.net/P...908SD&CartID=1

Full warranty, updated to current oiling specs and updated phasers and timing chain guides/tensioners. Hopefully this will last me for year to come! Will be delivered before March 14th.

 

OK, so it's been a WHILE! My motor was delivered to the shop on 3/11/2016. I was told that it was scheduled to be installed on Monday 3/14 and they would drive it for the initial 500 break in period specified by Powertrain Products, then change the oil/filter - It would be ready to pick up that Friday 3/18. Of course, that didn't happen!


Anyhow, I stopped calling him about it. Finally, yesterday, I needed to fill out the warranty papers and mail them as well as schedule for the core to be picked up since it was getting close to 30 days. So I called him. He said "oh yeah, I had it ready to go last Friday (4/1/16), but I lost your number"! I held my tongue. I got the warranty info from him, made sure the core was packaged up and ready to go and got my total - $1,041. That included a new water pump, oil and filter, belt, tranny oil and filter and might have included the differential oil and transfer case oil change. I say "might" because I told him to do it all, but only reminded him of the tranny fluid and filter. I told him I would pick it up on Friday since I am working night shift this week and he is in no hurry to be paid anyway. He said it runs great and has no leaks. I MIGHT go pick it up in the morning after work if I'm not too tired.

 

Well, SORT OF long term. I drive my truck just about everywhere I go - mainly work. I put the first 500 miles on it and took it in for the 500 mile checkup after I changed the oil and filter. There was an oil leak at the power steering hose and a small exhaust leak - other than that, everything was good to go.
I am now at 2600 miles, so will be changing the oil and filter (Mobil 1) in about 400 more miles and taking it in for a final checkup and to get a couple of things adjusted. The only problem I have had is when it started skipping again. I put the scanner on it and found #7 injector - open circuit. I opened the hood, wiggled the #7 injector harness and all has been good since. There are a couple of small bothersome things which I will ask about after I search the forum first, but I am pretty satisfied at the moment. I guess it helps that the motor and installation are paid off now, lol. The power of the engine came up to an acceptable level as it loosened up. The mileage also came up to around 13.7 (calculated, not the displayed mileage).
So far, I have added polyurethane body mounts, running boards/nerf bars and composite head lights. I received my aftermarket towing mirrors (with turn signals) the other day. I test fit one last night and found out that they at not a direct bolt on, so they will have to wait until I get a few days off. I have also bought all of the cab roof lights and factory harness to install when I get a few days off. Other than that, my only other plan for the truck is to tint the windows. I'll post a pic when I get it all done.
When I get past the official engine break in, I am planning on going up the trailer with the tractor on it to test the power and the Ford trailer brake controller - that is the final test to see if I will still like the truck or need more power.