Need help finding an engine

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Rakers_SS

Rakers_SS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2020
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Location
Las Vegas NV
Hey everyone,

I'm hoping the community here can give me a hand. I'm in the process of building my 1971 duster and putting a 360 magnum in and have hit a snag. I had an engine ordered from MABBO down in texas and they dropped the ball on the ship date so I canceled my order (If youre thinking about ordering from them DO NOT). My dad is coming into town mid next month to help me put the motor in but thanks to MABBCO I have no engine now... Does anyone know of or have a rebuilt 360/5.9 magnum in the las vegas area? I'm fine to drive a few hours as well if there's one in california, arizona, utah, etc. Just wanting to get the engine installed while my dad is in town. He's an old school mopar guy (first car was a 1971 383 cuda). Thanks for any help finding an engine! Ballpark I'm hoping to spend is ~$1,500 max for a rebuilt engine.
 
Pretty tall order to get a rebuilt 360 for 1500. Have you considered getting a used low mileage 5.9 instead?
 
rklein383 said:
Pretty tall order to get a rebuilt 360 for 1500. Have you considered getting a used low mileage 5.9 instead?
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Really? huh I thought that would probably be reasonable since the MABBCO short block was 1200 shipped. Looking like i might go grab one from a junkyard and take it to a local machine shop and be all in around $1100. I'll keep this updated if anyone is curious, still open to any leads anyone has.
 
Rakers_SS said:
Hey everyone,

I'm hoping the community here can give me a hand. I'm in the process of building my 1971 duster and putting a 360 magnum in and have hit a snag. I had an engine ordered from MABBO down in texas and they dropped the ball on the ship date so I canceled my order (If youre thinking about ordering from them DO NOT). My dad is coming into town mid next month to help me put the motor in but thanks to MABBCO I have no engine now... Does anyone know of or have a rebuilt 360/5.9 magnum in the las vegas area? I'm fine to drive a few hours as well if there's one in california, arizona, utah, etc. Just wanting to get the engine installed while my dad is in town. He's an old school mopar guy (first car was a 1971 383 cuda). Thanks for any help finding an engine! Ballpark I'm hoping to spend is ~$1,500 max for a rebuilt engine.
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I know you said 360, but I know @Mopar Tim has a strong running 318, I think it might be for sale, he’s in Southern CA
 
Juz sayin I find it hard to believe a city the size of Vegas doesn't have an engine shop or two
 
diymirage said:
Revise your budget and get ahold of @Johnny Mac
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Thanks for the shoutout!
So I realize a crate engine isn't for everyone, But I'll drop a website link regardless. click the shortlbock if thats what you're looking for, or the complete crates are there also.
Chrysler Compatible Crate Engines

I don't want to get too preachy about how quickly the snowball effect comes into place here. Last time I had a block done (pre-blueprint employment) the block work alone was $1000. $1500 for a "rebuilt" engine i feel is very out of reach,

the cheapest thing OP can do is find a running magnum, and carb it, which between intake and carb still would be well over the original target price unless he lucks out at a swap meet for the magnum intake that edelbrock wants $400 for these days.

or even a "good core" engine that just needed a hone, and re-assembled with a gasket and ring kit...you're talking hours of labor, several hundred in parts, and then....you still have a stock, no warranty, cross your fingers engine.

if a crate shortblock, or longblock isn't in the budget, finding a running 5.9 or 360...(or a 318 for even cheaper) is the cheap route out. and just hope you're getting the "whole story" on the engines condition. once you tear into it to the point where the pistons are coming out of it, you're fighting a losing battle. IMO of course.
 
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Just curious, what did this mabbo company claim to offer you, for that 1500?
 
I think I'd be suckin back up to Mabbco if I were you. Just remember, sometimes you get what you pay for. Their Ebay store does show engines with prices in line with what you're wanting. I'm tellin you now, the only way they are making anything is they use the dead cheapest parts money can buy and they cut every corner on machine work possible. There's NO WAY they can do a good job in today's economy with what things cost at those prices. And if you think they can, you're livin in a fairy tale. They have an Ebay store with some really crappy feedback. I'd be careful.

Can you change your own oil? If that's a yes, you can build your own engine. Save yourself some money and do one yourself. You can learn something too and that's irreplaceable.
 
Rakers_SS said:
Really? huh I thought that would probably be reasonable since the MABBCO short block was 1200 shipped. Looking like i might go grab one from a junkyard and take it to a local machine shop and be all in around $1100. I'll keep this updated if anyone is curious, still open to any leads anyone has.
Click to expand...

I spent over $1500 on refreshing a shortblock. That didn't include the cost of any hard parts. Was just honed, deck ground, New cam bearings and plugs installed, crank balanced, new bearings and shortblock assembled.

I have a hard time seeing a full rebuild for less. Especially if any head work at all is done (and it should be).

There's a couple wrecking yards on the north end of Vegas. I remember seeing a couple roller tbi motors and magnums there most of the time for $750-1500 depending on miles.
 
Rakers_SS said:
Hey everyone,

I'm hoping the community here can give me a hand. I'm in the process of building my 1971 duster and putting a 360 magnum in and have hit a snag. I had an engine ordered from MABBO down in texas and they dropped the ball on the ship date so I canceled my order (If youre thinking about ordering from them DO NOT). My dad is coming into town mid next month to help me put the motor in but thanks to MABBCO I have no engine now... Does anyone know of or have a rebuilt 360/5.9 magnum in the las vegas area? I'm fine to drive a few hours as well if there's one in california, arizona, utah, etc. Just wanting to get the engine installed while my dad is in town. He's an old school mopar guy (first car was a 1971 383 cuda). Thanks for any help finding an engine! Ballpark I'm hoping to spend is ~$1,500 max for a rebuilt engine.
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t consider that $1,200 a real price since they couldn’t deliver. They might have well have said $100 since they couldn’t deliver anything in a timeframe you need. That $1,200 is meaningless so don’t consider that price relative to another engine.
 
Rakers_SS said:
Hey everyone,

I'm hoping the community here can give me a hand. I'm in the process of building my 1971 duster and putting a 360 magnum in and have hit a snag. I had an engine ordered from MABBO down in texas and they dropped the ball on the ship date so I canceled my order (If youre thinking about ordering from them DO NOT). My dad is coming into town mid next month to help me put the motor in but thanks to MABBCO I have no engine now... Does anyone know of or have a rebuilt 360/5.9 magnum in the las vegas area? I'm fine to drive a few hours as well if there's one in california, arizona, utah, etc. Just wanting to get the engine installed while my dad is in town. He's an old school mopar guy (first car was a 1971 383 cuda). Thanks for any help finding an engine! Ballpark I'm hoping to spend is ~$1,500 max for a rebuilt engine.
Click to expand...
You are dreaming if you think you will find a rebuilt 360 for $1500. I don't think I've ever seen a complete and completely rebuilt one for less than $3,000. That company you are talking about could NOT possibly be turning out anything other than junk for that price. You can easily get several thousand tied up in just a short block with parts, labor and machine work. Machine work alone (cleaning, turn crank, bore, hone etc.) will likely be over a thousand dollars at a reputable shop. And what if the block needs to be decked or line honed?

Rakers_SS said:
Really? huh I thought that would probably be reasonable since the MABBCO short block was 1200 shipped. Looking like i might go grab one from a junkyard and take it to a local machine shop and be all in around $1100. I'll keep this updated if anyone is curious, still open to any leads anyone has.
Click to expand...
Who told you that. Let's say you pay $250 for the engine. In order to be "all in around $1100", you would have to find a shop to do a rebuild for $850. That simply is not possible. Listen, I'm really not busting your chops. You just need to take a deep breath and accept reality. For your budget, you are stuck with a decent running used engine. If you have the mechanical abilities (and if the engine is basically sound) you could probably get away with a freshen up (rings, bearings and gaskets) for not much. Good luck.
 
H22A4 said:
I wouldn’t consider that $1,200 a real price since they couldn’t deliver. They might have well have said $100 since they couldn’t deliver anything in a timeframe you need. That $1,200 is meaningless so don’t consider that price relative to another engine.
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EXACTLY. Just because one fly by night company has a shady price of $1200 hanging out there, that does not mean that is what the normal price is. Multiply that by about 3 for a well built engine with quality parts from a reputable dealer. Plus, I bet that block from MABBCO would not have had a timing cover, or water pump, or anything other than a bare block.
 
rklein383 said:
Pretty tall order to get a rebuilt 360 for 1500. Have you considered getting a used low mileage 5.9 instead?
Click to expand...

Johnny Mac said:
the cheapest thing OP can do is find a running magnum, and carb it, which between intake and carb still would be well over the original target price unless he lucks out at a swap meet for the magnum intake that edelbrock wants $400 for these days.

or even a "good core" engine that just needed a hone, and re-assembled with a gasket and ring kit...you're talking hours of labor, several hundred in parts, and then....you still have a stock, no warranty, cross your fingers engine.
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To puts some more numbers to this, I located a wrecking yard in Las Vegas that has 5.9 Magnum engines available with a 6 month warranty at a cost of around $550, plus maybe shipping to your yard. (Linked below) Add an intake, even a Professional products is going for $283 at Summit. Carb, $300-350 for a Summit/Holley vacuum secondary, Oil pan, with pickup $100ish or more, electric fuel pump since Magnums don't have an eccentric, LA timing chain cover and water pump if you don't have them. Also bolts, gaskets, and maybe a different flexplate depending your converter balance. I did not look everything, up, but it has to be close to your budget if not more, and you have not even put a cam in it. Check MagnumSwaps.com to make sure of all what you will need, and decide if it is an option for you.

Find Used Auto Parts | Car or Truck | 1996 Dodge DODGE 2500 PICKUP Engine Assembly Parts | B&R Autowrecking
 
harrisonm said:
You are dreaming if you think you will find a rebuilt 360 for $1500. I don't think I've ever seen a complete and completely rebuilt one for less than $3,000. That company you are talking about could NOT possibly be turning out anything other than junk for that price. You can easily get several thousand tied up in just a short block with parts, labor and machine work. Machine work alone (cleaning, turn crank, bore, hone etc.) will likely be over a thousand dollars at a reputable shop. And what if the block needs to be decked or line honed?


Who told you that. Let's say you pay $250 for the engine. In order to be "all in around $1100", you would have to find a shop to do a rebuild for $850. That simply is not possible. Listen, I'm really not busting your chops. You just need to take a deep breath and accept reality. For your budget, you are stuck with a decent running used engine. If you have the mechanical abilities (and if the engine is basically sound) you could probably get away with a freshen up (rings, bearings and gaskets) for not much. Good luck.
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Not entirely true, I do know a shop around here that’ll do it for that.... but the work quality is suspect at best. And I mean very suspect. You get what you pay for, a lesson I learned the hard way.
 
Johnny Mac said:
Thanks for the shoutout!
So I realize a crate engine isn't for everyone, But I'll drop a website link regardless. click the shortlbock if thats what you're looking for, or the complete crates are there also.
Chrysler Compatible Crate Engines

I don't want to get too preachy about how quickly the snowball effect comes into place here. Last time I had a block done (pre-blueprint employment) the block work alone was $1000. $1500 for a "rebuilt" engine i feel is very out of reach,

the cheapest thing OP can do is find a running magnum, and carb it, which between intake and carb still would be well over the original target price unless he lucks out at a swap meet for the magnum intake that edelbrock wants $400 for these days.

or even a "good core" engine that just needed a hone, and re-assembled with a gasket and ring kit...you're talking hours of labor, several hundred in parts, and then....you still have a stock, no warranty, cross your fingers engine.

if a crate shortblock, or longblock isn't in the budget, finding a running 5.9 or 360...(or a 318 for even cheaper) is the cheap route out. and just hope you're getting the "whole story" on the engines condition. once you tear into it to the point where the pistons are coming out of it, you're fighting a losing battle. IMO of course.
Click to expand...


So, looking at this, the company you tried to buy the engine from "dropped the ball". As you can see by the very experienced member's post here, a Magnum with the buildup you requested is highly unlikely at the price of $1500.00, even for just the long block assembly only. Not surprised they couldn't supply it and led you on. Mark it up to experience and move on. Cheaper way out is to find a running pickup/van with a Magnum 360 and transplant it. I'll bet you could find one in the 1000-1200 range .These engines are usually in good shape (have heads magnafluxed) as most ran synthetic oil and show very little wear in the cylinder bores even with high mileage. Your Dad will understand being an old hotrodder and will love the challenge and opportunity to do this with you. Good luck with your project and....Post Pictures of your progress!!

Cheers!!
 
You can get a decent running junk yard motor for that money, but not a rebuild. I've rebuilt my fare share of engines. The most basic rebuild, block dipped, ridge rheem/honed, rings, bearings, etc. is going to be 1k. That cost doesn't even include my time. I just built a 440 HP spec motor for my cousin, 4k complete. 65'
 
Maybe I hadn't provided enough information, I've got all the parts minus the short block. Heads, intake, carb, cam, gaskets, water pump, timing set, oil pump, pan, headers, etc. are all sitting in the garage. All I'm looking for is the short block (block and rotating assembly). Nevada Pick a Part sells a short block for $125 if you pull it yourself and now I'm just calling around to machine shops to get prices on the bore/hone, new bearings, pistons, etc.
 
harrisonm said:
You are dreaming if you think you will find a rebuilt 360 for $1500. I don't think I've ever seen a complete and completely rebuilt one for less than $3,000. That company you are talking about could NOT possibly be turning out anything other than junk for that price. You can easily get several thousand tied up in just a short block with parts, labor and machine work. Machine work alone (cleaning, turn crank, bore, hone etc.) will likely be over a thousand dollars at a reputable shop. And what if the block needs to be decked or line honed?


Who told you that. Let's say you pay $250 for the engine. In order to be "all in around $1100", you would have to find a shop to do a rebuild for $850. That simply is not possible. Listen, I'm really not busting your chops. You just need to take a deep breath and accept reality. For your budget, you are stuck with a decent running used engine. If you have the mechanical abilities (and if the engine is basically sound) you could probably get away with a freshen up (rings, bearings and gaskets) for not much. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, that's why all I'm looking for is the short block (block and rotating assembly). I have what I think are most if not all of the other parts in a pile in the garage. After calling a few places it looks like I should be able to get a basic rebuild for around $1500 plus the block that I bring them ($125). Then I'll bolt all the parts I have on to the engine to complete it. I'm not going for big power numbers, just a nice cruiser around town. Thanks again for the input!
 
Rakers_SS said:
Maybe I hadn't provided enough information, I've got all the parts minus the short block. Heads, intake, carb, cam, gaskets, water pump, timing set, oil pump, pan, headers, etc. are all sitting in the garage. All I'm looking for is the short block (block and rotating assembly). Nevada Pick a Part sells a short block for $125 if you pull it yourself and now I'm just calling around to machine shops to get prices on the bore/hone, new bearings, pistons, etc.
Click to expand...

A LOT of the Magnum stuff you will find will not need boring. The cylinder and piston wear is fantastic from modern EFI and modern oil additives. SO likely you will be able to ball hone the block yourself and use the original pistons. = more money saved. That said, I have a Chrysler 400 on the stand now that's a fresh re-ring with original pistons. I've done all the work myself, valve job and all. I am still in over 2K. It's just not a cheap hobby if you want to do it as right as you can.
 
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