Tossed a Rod!! Remanufactured Engines?

[KobraKarl]

Hi guys

This is not a shelby question , but it is a Ford. One of my trucks ,(E250 HD) let go of its internals last night ,and I am not even going to bother cracking the pan on this one.

The truck is fully depreciated and as it stands probably isnt worth $2000. I was thinking maybe I would take a weekend and put in a remanufactued "long block"

Has any one used them? any one I should avoid? any one you would recomend?

thanks , KK

[blykins]

I've heard some stories about some different reman engines...I think most of them are rebuilt as cheaply as possible....i.e...if 4 cylinders don't need cleaned up, and 4 do....then they will bore the 4 that need cleaned and put oversized pistons in them....while the other 4 remain stock....I really don't think tolerances are watched closely either...I've heard of some spun bearings.

[Jerry Chabino]

You may want to try and locate a used engine. Got one for my wife's Altima. It was $650. Came with 6 month warranty

[RallySnake]

Karl,

It comes down to how long you want to keep the truck. If you want to get something from the wreaking yard and feel lucky, go for it. I've done this a couple of times and had problems.

There are reputable shops that rebuild engines right. I don't know your area, sorry.

Here in Chatsworth, California, we have RD Machine. Ron Dunlop builds very accurate engines at reasonable prices. He says that he cannot trust employees to have the same attention to detail that he does, so he does them all himself. My Cobra engine has been producing big power at high revs for over 10,000 miles. You could call him at 818-882-0500.

Paul

[RACER X #99]

KK,
I know some guys who have had good luck with Jasper remanufactured engines.

Cranky

[Jack21]

Like you, I feel silly putting a $5,000 engine in a $2,000 (or $500) car.

An ideal source would be an Insurance total with a good engine.

Also, peruse the weekly Want Advertizer (About a buck at most 7-11's) under engines and transmissions. Sometimes you'll find an entire car with the engine you want at an attractive price. Pull the engine, and junk the rest of the car. 455 Pontiac and Olds motors ould be gotten this way.

[G.R.]

KK
Take it this is a business truck? Unless you absolutely intend to keep it for a period of time I'd just find a running "junkyard dog" replace it--then sell it. You, even then, may come out in the hole since it has depreciated out. A 250 is a workhorse though. Hard to replace when you need one.
I was in a similar situation -- my accountant/tax adviser showed me I'd be better off if I just sold it off, after replacing the engine, then purchasing a newer truck for depriciation tax purposes, using the sale as my DP on another truck.
Does suck though when you really need a "hauler" and don't have one, and the costs of buying another vechicle can be tough in a tight construction market when every dollar counts.
Just my $.02 worth

[KobraKarl]

Thanks for the replies guys,

I also have heard the remanufactured engines can be crap, just hoping to hear some good news.

I should have pointed out this truck has the 300 six, and they havnt made them for eight or ten years, making a good used one pretty unlikely.

In any case I would either junk it or go new parts, I dont want some elses headache.

A rebuild is out ,as it had an oil pump failure at speed on the freeway . The driver had the stereo blasting and didnt notice anything wrong until all hell broke loose.

So its either ,a reman at about 2500 installed or .......27,000 for a nur'n

I'll see what jasper has to offer....

[weekendwarrior]

Karl, The 300 six was also used in forklifts, gas or propane. You might check with a Ford Industrial Engine Dist. and see if they have any engines in the back collecting dust.

Gary

[Bob Perry]

Karl, You may want to give walt & verns (Buckley WA.) a call or Fitzs out in woodenville Ive heard they are good for truck parts. Bob...

[misfit41]

Karl
have you checked a ford dealer ?it ha sbeen w hile,,but when I was in a fomoco parts mgr,,we had great success with the hesco authourized remans,,jasper has a decent engine as well in my opinion,with warranty,another option if you dont want to chance a used one is get a good core from a salvage yard and have it locally built,,get a reputable independent to do the tear down and assembly,,the local napa to do the machine work,,I would think you can do a 6 for under 2500.00,,300's are great engines,,Tim

[KobraKarl]

Misfit /tim,

do you have a contact for Hesco?

KK