How much trouble did I buy myself?

[Bobbed72]

Got this 5.3 from a seller who got it from a wrecking yard. Highly suspicious that it did not coming directly out of a running truck. How hard is it to clean up?

https://i.imgur.com/TS3zhXM.jpg

[mongocanfly]

whoa!!!wow!!!....I'd be getting my money back if you bought it as a running engine.....if your gonna keep it a total rebuild is in your future..

[Bobbed72]

They claimed it was running but I got it for $500 and was contemplating a rebuild either way. Just want to be sure I'm not gonna rack up costs too much outside of a rebuild.

[Bobbed72]

To clarify. They said they heard it run over the phone. No way to verify the engine they heard is the one they got.

[BR3W CITY]

Thats a donor block, and only if you hot tank the hell out of it.

[Bobbed72]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

Thats a donor block, and only if you hot tank the hell out of it.

Donor block?

[mongocanfly]

I'm betting the one they "heard" over the phone is not the one you took home...

[hjewell2]

uhh ya that motor has not run for awhile. get your money back.



reminds me of the ads on craigslist, MOTOR RAN WHEN PULLED.

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by Bobbed72

Donor block?

Good for the block and not much else. Thats gotta fully come apart, and depending on the amount of corrosion etc in the cylinders, a lot of things might not be reused. Its not a clean n run kinda thing..and if the block looks like that, I'm sure the heads and other things attached aren't in great shape either.

[Bobbed72]

Heads look good. One rocker had corrosion on it and I'm not so sure about the lifters. Crank spins.

[rapid49]

Clean it up and take a closer look . If the water got into the engine after it was running and did not stay long enough to cause any damage it may clean up . If there is any pitting in the cylinders it will need to come apart and bored.

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

Good for the block and not much else. Thats gotta fully come apart, and depending on the amount of corrosion etc in the cylinders, a lot of things might not be reused. Its not a clean n run kinda thing..and if the block looks like that, I'm sure the heads and other things attached aren't in great shape either.

I was thinking if the water got into the lower end, you may need to replace or regrind, or at the very minimal polish the crank bearing surfaces, and likely the cam too.

stick that thing on an engine stand, flip it over and start pulling it apart. if your cylinders are corroded your looking at a very minimal a heavy hone job, likely a bore and if you do a bore new pistons. IMO you bought a core engine, hopefully a rebuildable core.

IF you can get your $$ back, i would !!!

for 500$ did you get anything other than the engine? intake? throttle body? wire harness? anything?

I wonder if the seller got into it as far as you did and just decided to unload it.

IF you can get your $$ back, i would !!! you can find better condition engines for similar prices or even if you spent more on a better engine you really honestly would be money ahead.

[Bobbed72]

have everything but the harness and ecm. around here 500 is half what I've seen them go for. Some milky oil in the pan.

I'm tempted to rebuild it.

[Bobbed72]

Cleaned out and I wiped down the cylinders with oil. Looks a lot more promising.

https://i.imgur.com/koGFgTa.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/J57CvZT.jpg

[scoot_mcgrute]

Did the intake have any holes in it? My 5.3 was pressure washed before I got it and the cam position sensor was out of it and some of the plugs were missing from the intake so water got inside from that only. Mine wasn't that bad but we soaked up all the water, cleaned it real good and I've been running it. The cylinder walls looked really good after we got the water out too.

[Bobbed72]

Originally Posted by scoot_mcgrute

Did the intake have any holes in it? My 5.3 was pressure washed before I got it and the cam position sensor was out of it and some of the plugs were missing from the intake so water got inside from that only. Mine wasn't that bad but we soaked up all the water, cleaned it real good and I've been running it. The cylinder walls looked really good after we got the water out too.

I didn't see any. One side of spark plugs were loose and the oil fill is missing the cap. Owner said he cleaned it up. Try to peek in the manifold and see if there is any moisture.

What did you use to clean up the cylinders?

[Custom 68]

one thing oversized pistons are pretty pricey (IMO) for these so if you need to bore this it will cost more than a standard sbc if I remember correctly.
but I would at a minimum take it all apart it should bet new bearings and not just clean up the bore. But it sounds like you had a rebuild in mind anyway.

[Bobbed72]

Originally Posted by Custom 68

one thing oversized pistons are pretty pricey (IMO) for these so if you need to bore this it will cost more than a standard sbc if I remember correctly.
but I would at a minimum take it all apart it should bet new bearings and not just clean up the bore. But it sounds like you had a rebuild in mind anyway.

Yeah just looking at summit the LS pistons are twice as much.

A little part of my brain said I should rebuild anyways just to be sure I didn't have a problem down the road. Not in a hurry to drop it in. Can wait till summer to do that.

You guys have been real helpful. Expect a lot more questions from me for the next few months.

[Bobbed72]

Here's a shot of the crank.

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by Bobbed72

I didn't see any. One side of spark plugs were loose and the oil fill is missing the cap. Owner said he cleaned it up. Try to peek in the manifold and see if there is any moisture.

What did you use to clean up the cylinders?

I used an industrial degreaser that my buddy gets me and a brass brush to clean it all up

[BR3W CITY]

If you get it apart and have it tanked, at least you can be sure that all the coolant and oil passages will be free of gunk. Then if the block looks good naked, you can see if a simple hone will clean it up enough. The rest just bolts together with cleaned up old parts if so.

Obviously things like spun bearings or other findings can change that, but you really can't go anywhere with the block together as it is.

[Bobbed72]

Well I pulled all the rods to get a good picture of the cylinders and the rod journals.



No spun rod bearings.

Haven't pulled the crank yet. But it spins pretty easy.

One cylinder looks scored but I can't feel a groove.



Ordering a Flex hone.

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by Bobbed72

Here's a shot of the crank.

that doesnt look too bad.

[NC_John]

Like BR3W CITY said.... check the cooling jackets for sludge/gunk. I thought my 6.0 pullout was good to go until i pulled a head and saw the dexcool mess. From there it had to go the machine shop to get cleaned out and from there things got way out of hand because I am easily persuaded and have a slight HP problem.

ME. "i just want it cleaned up for a basic rebuild. I'm going to build a stroker in a couple years with it."
SHOP. "Well, its here now. Do you want to go through all this again later or just do it once now?"
ME (no hesitation) "OK. Makes sense. I want 500 hp at the flywheel"

[Bobbed72]

Originally Posted by NC_John

Like BR3W CITY said.... check the cooling jackets for sludge/gunk. I thought my 6.0 pullout was good to go until i pulled a head and saw the dexcool mess. From there it had to go the machine shop to get cleaned out and from there things got way out of hand because I am easily persuaded and have a slight HP problem.

ME. "i just want it cleaned up for a basic rebuild. I'm going to build a stroker in a couple years with it."
SHOP. "Well, its here now. Do you want to go through all this again later or just do it once now?"
ME (no hesitation) "OK. Makes sense. I want 500 hp at the flywheel"

Feel I'm in the same boat. If i take it for a hot tank and the machine shop tells me it should be bored I'll just be like "make em as big as you can"