My friends 302 just went out on his 69' F100 (C4 tranny) and we're looking for a junkyard 302 that can get him by until he has money to do a re-build. I have found several engines to pick from for $150.00. What do I need to look for to make sure the engine isn't a pile of garbage. I have no clue, so any info would help. We'll be able to pull it apart in the yard for inspection, but will not be able to start it. Also, what years would work for the engine swap?? Thanks

 

With that model I think that any year block or engine should work as he should be able to bolt up his heads and intake to whatever engine he gets. If you want to keep the junkyard engine complete and leave the engine currently in the car alone you should look for leaks, freeze plug problems, water pump, and just about anything that can be visable. I dont think there is too much you can find out about an engine until you either hear it run or tear it down.

 

check the oil for coolant, and a gas smell. check the coolant for the oppisite

 

Is there anything you can tell by pulling off the valve covers or heads?

 

by pulling the valve covers the only thing I know of is a push rod problem, valve stems seals and some of the wear on the engine that might have occured. If you pull the heads you will be pulling the intake also and that would show you more. You would be able to see any sizable cracks (not too common I think) and you would be able to see the lifter wear and inside the lifter galley. I heard on some of the 80 mexican blocks this is where problems occured if I remember correctly.

 

Look for grandma cars. You know, the ones that have 2 huge doors or 4. The kind that look old but not abused. Look at the engine for recent repair work. Grandmas are the kind that have their car serviced by a trusted shop. They usually have very routine maintenance done and most times you can tell by looking at the engine. If it is crusted over in oil from top to bottom and it's missing half the smog equipment pass it up. Look for hot-rod parts. Headers, fancy intakes and carbs, chrome doo-dads and other fancy garbage. All of these things are usually added by people who are young enough to still want to abuse engines by racing them and other such stuff. You want the engine that is covered in dust and cob-webs but clean otherwise. When you go take enough tools to do a good tune-up. Pull the plugs out and put a socket on the damper bolt. Turn it clockwise a quarter turn, then back the other way. Feel for the timing chain slack and any clunking noises from the bottom end that would indicate a rod bearing loose. Look at the oil, is it black like tar, or just dark brown. If it has an auto tranny, check the fluid and see how well maintained the tranny is. Look inside the valve covers through the filler hole and pvc hole. There shouldn't be any milky residue or dirt anywhere. Deep crusty oil that is dried out indicates severe heat or old age and not driving. Open the butterflys of the carb and look inside for rust. Also look at the spark plugs and check for oil and water. If you see one that is fouled, you know that a cylinder is using oil. If you can, look into the spark plug holes with a good light or a bore-scope. If you see lots of oily carbon, stay away. Look at the cylinder walls for cross-hatch from honing. If the pistons are crusty it's o.k. If they have visible dents, gouges or hammering marks pass on it.

Look around on the car and see where it was built. Stay away from anything built in Mexico. The engine castings are garbage. They are full of sand and pinholes in the water jackets and sometimes in the cylinders. The pistons will have pinholes in the webs and they will look like they came from a third world country (Which they did). Put the spark plugs back in, one at a time and turn the crankshaft over. There should be noticeable compression, but don't worry about a little blowby or leakdown. When engines sit for awhile the rings tend to unseal till they get run a little.

These are just some tricks I learned in hunting. You can still get burned, but at least it give you an idea of what condition it is in. If you want to go deeper, you should pull the pan and look at the bearings. But for 150 bucks you aren't going to get a 3500 dollar crate motor. Good luck, and good hunting.

 

Excellent advice willd! Grandpa cars are great too. Once got a Chevy 350 out of an old man's '70 Impala for $100. He changed oil religiously every 3000 miles. 126,000 miles, no sludge, crosshatch in bores, crank went back tightly clearanced with standard bearings. Good point about the HotRod parts too. People see that and think "Oh-Boy! Hi-Po goodies!", not thinking about the abuse the engine they are attached to has been through. Another thought: You might not be able to start the engine, but all you need to do it pull all plugs, pop in a compression gauge, spin it over with a battery and jumper cables and you've got a good picture of what's inside. Also, since you said you could tear down on-site, I'd just drop the pan, pull one rod cap and maybe one main and check the crank journals. If smooth, no pitting or grooves, and bearings are not badly or unevenly worn you've probably got a winner. Also serves to see if there's any pieces or large amount of metallic sediment in the oil, or sludge from poor maintenance or using crappy oil. Ten minutes of wrenching on the bottom end will give you a good idea of what you've got to work with.