Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyG
I just got caught up on this thread. The idea is great but there's a reason guys with pretty deep pockets have tried and realized the $'s don't make sense. I'm not understanding the economics. I'm an old Toolmaker Machinist and enjoy building machining assembling engines as much as any & have heard the $ #'s we're talking. After doing the research several years ago & after understanding of how hard it is to find a good block as said in this thread I went to Jerry Livingston at United Eengines, http://www.unitedengine.biz/united_004.htm , as you can see he offers a '49 to '53 for under $2300 assembled with all internals and earlier config's for under $2700 less bolt ons. He's one of the good ones and reasonable but their are others. Back to economics, while I enjoy the build I could buy another from Jerry and disassemble it and reassemble it ( not that anyone would, lol ) & realistically be at least a couple $Grand ahead of paying $2400 for a bear block that still needs finish matching pushing it to $3400 before any internals are bought or assembled?
Like I said, Tod I love the idea & maybe a few guys looking for a more versatile block for performance would be in I think I until guys / co.'s and available flatty blocks are gone your pricing at this time would need to be approx $1000 to compete with these guys putting out stock flatty assembled with internals for $2300 to $2700. JMO? |
Not trying to knock this rebuilder, but I would imagine that crack free cores are scarce, even in Kansas. Therefore, it could be that some of these engines are sleeved, have cracks that have been repaired by various methods, severe rust corrosion in water jackets (with the potential for a pinhole to appear in a cylinder wall), or other maladies common to 65+ year old cores. This is the real world, no reflection on the rebuilder.
That is certainly a good price, especially if it comes with a good warranty, and seems ideal for the car flipper who can say "it even has a rebuilt engine", and for the low buck enthusiast who just wants it to run without smoking, leaking and knocking.
On the other hand, a lot of us would be happy to spend the bucks for a brand new casting that we know hasn't been overheated, abandoned in a gravel pit for decades, or otherwise abused, and didn't have to scour the countryside to find. One that we can put our personal touch on, whether mild or wild. One we can run hard without worrying about a valve seat popping out or a crack opening up, or blowing a head gasket because the deck was cut once too often.
As far as "understanding the economics", if we're worried about that, sell the flathead and buy a Prius! This a hobby, after all. One that makes more sense than hoarding stamps or baseball cards!