Junkyard Magnum Motor Finds

-
E

EvanS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
62
Reaction score
14
Location
Alta Loma, CA
Hey everyone. I am searching for a good 5.9 magnum motor, hoping to find one decent enough that I only have to redo the top end. In my search I have found the car-part.com has some outrageous prices now, when I first started looking but didnt have the money set aside, they had them for $600 under 100k miles. Now those same motors are around $2k. There is LKQ out here, but I am looking for a car that has been crashed and there are none within 50 miles of me. I want a car that was crashed because they are less likely to be there for motor issues. I'm looking for any tips or stories of finding a good donor motor from a junkyard and more affordable options in this crazy market. I have also looked at ATK motors, but I have seen a lot of really bad reviews from them as of late.

TIA
 
If you were local, I could build you a shortblock for less than 2k....I have plenty of 360 magnum cores. Shipping might be prohibitive tho.
 
If you pull one from a wrecked vehicle, check for obvious damage caused by the collision.
Broken engine mounts, or frame pushed into the crank pulley etc.

Bought a 2.5 liter once out of a wreck for my wife's Daytona.
The doner engine came from a car hit pretty hard on the drivers side.
I had to constantly put timing belts on that car, my guess is the end of the crank had a slight tweek to it.
It would eat a belt about every 5,000 miles.
 
@EvanS you are not far from me. Look up Indiana truck Salvage in corona. I have bought a bunch of engines from them. 2 magnums. Both 5.9s and less than 100k miles. Guaranteed to run and one of them I got to hear it before they pulled it. Both were $700 and complete efi to pan with harness and ecu.


Indiana Truck Salvage
(951) 737-7753
Google Maps
 
check marketplace also. In my area pretty easy to find them between 250-400 bucks.
 
Also the LKQ on hammer in Ontario had at least 10 magnums in trucks last time I was there. Couple weeks ago. No idea what the price is like now.
 
Might be a little far for you but at the LKQ in Wilmington by me, I saw at least 8-9 5.2 and 5.9 magnum motors in durangos, rams, and dakotas
 
Thank you all. I'm looking for specifically the 5.9 and if I go to LKQ I would want a side or rear wrecked one. Unless I am wrong, they don't give you vehicle history so you don't know if the motor was bad and thats why its there.

@TT5.9mag I think i will check out Indiana this week, since I have to drive through that way.

@sireland67 thank you for the feedback, I will to check.

@318willrun I don't really trust marketplace too much and there arent many locally.
 
I tore a 5.2 down a few years ago that had 212K miles on it with no rebuild and you could still see the cross hatching in the cylinders.
 
EvanS said:
Thank you all. I'm looking for specifically the 5.9 and if I go to LKQ I would want a side or rear wrecked one. Unless I am wrong, they don't give you vehicle history so you don't know if the motor was bad and thats why its there.

@TT5.9mag I think i will check out Indiana this week, since I have to drive through that way.

@sireland67 thank you for the feedback, I will to check.

@318willrun I don't really trust marketplace too much and there arent many locally.
Click to expand...
IMO just limiting yourself to a wrecked vehicle take out is not worth it. I’ve torn down a handful of magnums and the chances are pretty good that any long block you get with reasonable miles, (50-150,000 miles) will be just fine. Hell I tore one down that came out of a Durango that had burnt to the ground and it runs just fine.
 
EvanS said:
Hey everyone. I am searching for a good 5.9 magnum motor, hoping to find one decent enough that I only have to redo the top end. In my search I have found the car-part.com has some outrageous prices now, when I first started looking but didnt have the money set aside, they had them for $600 under 100k miles. Now those same motors are around $2k. There is LKQ out here, but I am looking for a car that has been crashed and there are none within 50 miles of me. I want a car that was crashed because they are less likely to be there for motor issues. I'm looking for any tips or stories of finding a good donor motor from a junkyard and more affordable options in this crazy market. I have also looked at ATK motors, but I have seen a lot of really bad reviews from them as of late.

TIA
Click to expand...

If you settle for a 5.2 Magnum. I have one I could sell you.

Otherwise, LKQ is your best bet for a 5.9 Magnum. You can easily locate one because the LKQ yards are full of old Dodge RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500's. They even post the VIN number so you can use a decoder to see what engine it had.
 
LKQ ENGINE ASSEMBLY, GAS (NO ACCESSORIES) $507.81 total: $352.16 part, $50.00 core, $105.65 90 warranty

trouble is they will nickle and dime you for everything attached to it. You gotta ask whats included before you pull it. Q'uite a few Vans with 5.9's too. A wasted day at the yard is tough when the thing ends up having a hole in the piston or a cracked head.
 
TT5.9mag said:
IMO just limiting yourself to a wrecked vehicle take out is not worth it. I’ve torn down a handful of magnums and the chances are pretty good that any long block you get with reasonable miles, (50-150,000 miles) will be just fine. Hell I tore one down that came out of a Durango that had burnt to the ground and it runs just fine.
Click to expand...
Man, the one in my 02 Ram had 308k on Her. Original, never touched but the heads were replaced at Jerry Ulm Dodge.. had an Advance Auto China Hub take her out. Sucked. Still ran like a Raped Ape... I was the 2nd Owner....sent to Lqk. Seems like they bought almost all the yards up, Nationally... hmmmm
 
Look on your local craigslist for Dakotas, Rams and Durangos that have bad transmissions.

Usually several here for under 1K.

Pull the complete engine and everything that goes with it, part the easy stuff, then get your $100 from the scrapper.
 
pishta said:
LKQ ENGINE ASSEMBLY, GAS (NO ACCESSORIES) $507.81 total: $352.16 part, $50.00 core, $105.65 90 warranty

trouble is they will nickle and dime you for everything attached to it. You gotta ask whats included before you pull it. Q'uite a few Vans with 5.9's too. A wasted day at the yard is tough when the thing ends up having a hole in the piston or a cracked head.
Click to expand...

@pishta Is the warranty mandatory now, or you threw that in just in case the block is bad?
 
It's just what was listed. They used to have pulled motors in a big corral sitting on skids. Just pick which one you wanted, pay the $150 (!) And they would fork it onto the back of your truck, pallet included. I remember seeing an old Dodge hemi Red Ram (?) on a skid back in 1985. Short blocks were $50. This was before the pic-a-part yards were corporate.
 
pishta said:
It's just what was listed. They used to have pulled motors in a big corral sitting on skids. Just pick which one you wanted, pay the $150 (!) And they would fork it onto the back of your truck, pallet included. I remember seeing an old Dodge hemi Red Ram (?) on a skid back in 1985. Short blocks were $50. This was before the pic-a-part yards were corporate.
Click to expand...

I miss the days of the 40% discount at LKQ. I haven't seen that since pre-COVID. The LKQ in Ontario usually has a good inventory of old Mopars. I pulled a 440 out of a motorhome there. I pulled a 400 out of a land yacht in the Wilmington LKQ.
 
Thank you all for the wealth of knowledge, I am now more conflicted and thinking about taking the lkq chance, cost wise sounds the best. Covid is running through my house right now so I will be pushing the motor acquisition back a few weeks until we start the mend and have time.
 
EvanS said:
@318willrun I don't really trust marketplace too much and there arent many locally.
Click to expand...
I got mine from marketplace, unknown mileage 318. I did add new oil pump, all bearings and gaskets. Run great for $200 all in.

FB1AEE7C-ED6E-4245-BF18-26F0DEC0F9C9.jpeg
 
dusted said:
According the manager at the LKQ I go to. They won’t ever have those sales again ☹️.
Click to expand...

Awww... that's terrible news! And they really nickel and dime you at LKQs too. Core charge, on a used part? Seriously??? :(
 
JoesEdge said:
Awww... that's terrible news! And they really nickel and dime you at LKQs too. Core charge, on a used part? Seriously??? :(
Click to expand...
Scrap metal weight, that is were the money is. Sell a good part, get the same weight back.
Anything sold is 100% profit, and you still have your scrap weight.
 
EvanS said:
Thank you all for the wealth of knowledge, I am now more conflicted and thinking about taking the lkq chance, cost wise sounds the best. Covid is running through my house right now so I will be pushing the motor acquisition back a few weeks until we start the mend and have time.
Click to expand...
Maybe another idea...check FB and the like for someone selling a beater truck cheap. Yank the motor, pull what parts you need, scrap the body, you'll probably have the motor for almost nothing. And you can drive it before buying.
 
YY1 said:
Look on your local craigslist for Dakotas, Rams and Durangos that have bad transmissions.

Usually several here for under 1K.

Pull the complete engine and everything that goes with it, part the easy stuff, then get your $100 from the scrapper.
Click to expand...


Like what I said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top