[kevins2]

I recently purchased a 427 side oiler short block that had only been sitting about 6 months since it had last run and it already had rust in one cylinder that required boring (rather than honing) to get rid of it. I'd be wary of a motor sitting that long. I also had an agreement with the seller that an engine builder would inspect and magnaflux the block, crank and rods. The seller agreed to refund my money if the block was cracked and would adjust the price accordingly if the crank or rods were similarly unuseable. Without a similar agreement, you're taking all the risk and the seller is taking none.