Junk yard search

[olddog]

Some neighbors where I grew up, ran a small time junk yard operation for better than 60 years now. So I'm going to do some looking around - hopefully this week end. Mostly parked them in the woods an let trees grow up through them.

He (owner) said he had an old pick up truck with a 390 and that there was a mid 60's Mercury wagon with a 428 with no heads on it. A family member of the owner spun a bearing in a 68 mustang 428 cobra jet back about 1975 and swapped out the engine. I'm keeping an eye out for that engine too. It may still be up there.

Were 428 actually put in non performance cars?

Was the pick up truck 390 the same as cars or did they have the large snout steal cranks like the big truck engines?

I'll be taking my books, light, mirror, and calipers. Any tips on best ways to identify these engines or things to take with me? I'm sure there are quit a few 352 up there, unless they drug them out in recent years. Any quick identifying factors to rule these out, as I don't want to waste time on them?

The 351 C kind of tickles my fancy. I'm keeping an eye out for one of these as well.

[Dwight]

Last year I bought a 67 stationwagon from a friend. It had a factory installed 428. After I removed it, I found that it was a rare "S" code block. Back in the 60's they would sell you anything you would pay for. Four speeds in 4 door luxury cars and stationwagons. There are a lot of odd cars out there.

Dwight

[kris-kincaid]

I was in Tijuana several years ago, and I saw a '68 or '69 station wagon with 428 fender badges that was being used by a street vendor to sell food out of. It had a big fat "$" on the windshield that means "This car is for sale, please inquire about the price and depending on who you are will determine the price". I talked with the owner for a bit trying to act like I just needed a good wagon, then I asked if I could peek under the hood. When I opened it, it had a 302 in it. He said I could have it for $500. I assume it was an original 428 car that had the 302 slapped in at some point. I doubt this guy added the 428 fender badges to make it look racy.

[Barry_R]

The 428 was used in plenty of T-birds and Galaxies & the Merc equivalents) - big cubes to haul around town with style....

[olddog]

The owners son (~25 yr old) has a truck he runs at the truck pulls. He runs a 460. He said the engine in the wagon without heads is a 429 not a 428, and he wants that engine. He said there are a bunch of 390 and one 352 4v. He also said there is a 351 C 2v that is missing one head.

What price is a steal verses typical in your honest opinion? Lets say the engine is complete, turns free, and no obvious signs of failure - just wore out? Say a 390 - obviously a 428 is worth more and a 427 more yet with the side oiler being tops (doubt I find a 427 SO - I'll be lucky to find a 428).

[Dwight]

I give $75 to $150 for junkyard motors. It's safe to assume that they will need to be rebuild and some will have bad cranks. The first 390 motor I bought turn out to be a 360. The second one had a bad crank. I now have 17 or 18 motors. It's a crap shoot but I now have enough that it we need a pulley or bracket I can find a good one. I have bought whole cars just for the motor. Pull the drive train and sell the body to the scrap yard.

Dwight