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Thread: The 'value' of my spare engine, and the tale of its demise

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Posts:    1,313

    My VIN:    03238 Grey & Black Hybrid - Auto - work in progress Former owner 10902 - Universal 93 Raffle Car

    The 'value' of my spare engine, and the tale of its demise

    Literally and functionally.

    I considered posting it in for sale, but I don't know what to ask for it, or if I should hang on to it.

    This was a good PRV, about 40k miles that I had in my first Delorean. The story starts when I upgraded the cams but I couldn't get the valve adjustments just right - it continued to tick - and I couldn't figure it out. Turns out I had swapped my good rocker sets for spare sets I had and didn't inspect them closely enough, and the rockers were worn - no problem with the valve adjustments it was going to be loud with those rockers no matter what.

    I sent the car to a pro to adjust the valves for me and he argued with it for a while, and finally gave it back saying it was done - sounded pretty much the same to me but I thanked and paid him. Within a quarter tank it started getting louder and then it got bad, then loud knocking and loss of power.

    I sent it back on a flatbed and my guy says "its a real bad idea to put cams like this in an higher mile engine". Great. He checks and compression is almost non existent, he says I blew out the bottom end with the cams. He'll put in a 13k mile engine for me at a great price though. I agree if I can keep the old engine and he swaps over the cams. he agrees and we do the deal.

    So The car comes back running fine. I remind him about the engine and he says I don't want it - its junk. I remind him I do and thats the deal - I intend to rebuild it as a spare as I have two Deloreans and I'm not taking no for an answer. About a month later I take the minivan to pick up my old engine, and the guy is acting really sketchy- he puts me off for a couple hours before I can come down. When I get there - the engine is assembled, no head gaskets, but reassembled. ?

    "You had it apart to pull the cams out, and the head gaskets were off. These head bolts aren't even finger tight. You knew I was coming to pick it up, but you bolted the heads back on it knowing I was lifting it in and out of a minivan? I specifically asked you to keep it in manageable chunks."

    "Yeah, well, It helps keep things together." he says.

    "Well - I'm not lifting it with the heads and exhaust manifolds on, grab me a socket so I can pull the heads and rockers off before we put it in the van please."

    "Nah, I gotta close early, and you need to go. Let's load it up and you can do that some other time - come on" - so we heave the dang thing into my van and he sends me packing.

    At home I can, A) lift it out alone in one piece. B) make my wife or kids help. C) Pull the half loose heads in 5 minutes each and take it out in more manageable chunks. Duh.

    So when I pull the heads - guess what? None of the exhaust valves are seated and every piston has a score on the top where they were hitting - and all of the locking nuts on the exhaust valve are either loose or missing. No wonder he bolted the heads back on and gave me the bums rush.

    So, my guy struggled like I did to get the valves quiet, and in the end, he forgot to lock down the nuts on the exhaust valves and they spun longer until they started hitting the pistons and bent. The bottom never blew out, and the engine was still operable.

    He might have believed what he told me before he pulled the heads off my old engine and saw what really happened - and by then, yes, the new engine may have already been in my car - but that doesn't make it right. He should have said something before I paid, and then bolting on the heads and hoping I never got around to taking a closer look? Or that I wouldn't know what I was seeing? It wasn't cool. Who it was that got the better of me isn't the point. It could have been Manny or Moe or Jack, but its nobody that's working on your cars today so that's not the point. Anybody might have made that mistake but I was never impressed with how he handled it. I admit I started the whole thing by installing rocker assemblies without inspecting them closer enough. Owning up isn't that hard.

    I've had some friends who rebuild engines look at it the engine and say its optional but it wouldn't hurt to polish the score marks on the tops of the pistons to soften the edges a bit, but it would still be fine as it its and if there was never any water in the oil then the bottoms never blew out - the loss of compression was clearly from the bent valves. I've got a spare set of pistons for it anyway. I've played with the idea of rebuilding it but its just just been sitting on the engine stand since about 2008 waiting for me to find the time. It made more sense to have a spare engine when I had two Deloreans, now I'm down to one and I'm not sure if I keep holding onto it or let it go.

    So here's the first part of the question: Is it worth hanging on to this engine in case I might need it some day? Are these things readily available if I need one in the future? Do I want a spare engine or do I just fix whatever goes wrong if my fails? I'm trying to make space in the garage and this is an item that could go, but I know the provenance here and it has more value to me than to anyone else.

    The second question, is there even a market for a good used engine on a stand? Ebay is a total disappointment these days. I'd probably hang on to the heads as they have very low mile on them but I've got a starter, complete exhaust, intake, new water pump, good alternator, I could send this thing away with most of what you'd want to build up a working running engine ready to wire up and drop in but I'd have no idea how to price it if its not an auction.

    What do I do here - save it for a rainy day, or get whatever I can for it and deal with the future if it comes?

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Nov 2019

    Location:  Pittsburgh, PA

    Posts:    504

    My VIN:    Yes.

    Club(s):   (DCO) (DMA) (DCUK)

    Without being an engine guy, one thing I'm sure of is that someone is going to want the parts. Maybe not immediately, but soon enough. Hold onto it, you might get a little money.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Posts:    301

    My VIN:    02855

    Club(s):   (NCDMC) (DCUK)

    if you have no need of the money from it, and you have the space, Id keep it.

    good core blocks may be valuable in future as block rot consumes more.

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Posts:    1,313

    My VIN:    03238 Grey & Black Hybrid - Auto - work in progress Former owner 10902 - Universal 93 Raffle Car

    I am looking a the space it takes up - I just got another car and I can fit 3 in the garage if I really clear out some space. The engine is on the cusp of keep or sell. The Hot tub is going to go - the old passenger door is going to go, half of the shelving is going to go. I rotate thru the local goodwill drop offs so I don't show up at any one location more than once a week.

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