Oh man, I was smiling when reading this all... sounds familiar to me!
35 years ago, I was driving home a classic '76 Ford Granada MK1 station wagon (European version - ask Google)). One owner, metallic gold, low mileage survivor car I bought the very same day from a very old lady. That car came with the 4 cyl/2 liter engine making +/- 90hp.
Arriving home, I noticed some "tick-tick-tick" noise and I tough the engine was bad. :mad:
I went to the local Ford dealer for a 2nd hand engine, but he sold me a 76 Granada sedan, MK1 V6/2.6L used car he waas planning to restore.
I swapped the whole thing: engine, front axle (the 2.6 had power steering and front vented disc rotors), trans, rear rend, suspension, etc. I even changed the dashboard to have the factory tachometer, etc. Took me hours of work!
After 2 weeks, my car was working again, with a nicer engine producing 125hp.
To get rid of the donor car and old 2L engine, I decided to put it back together as a self-moving car, just to move it away from my driveway. I topped the engine with fresh oil, started it: running like day one! I just forgot that the 2 liter was running hydraulic lifters that were noisy due to low oil level.:BangHead:
Well, at least I had a V6 engine in my classic! :rofl: