HELP me identify motor health/worth! PICS!

[51Chevy3100]

Gentlemen,
*I posted this in the general "engine" section but I figured here was a better spot so the other can be deleted. Thanks*

I need some help deciding if this is a good motor/tranny set up for my 1951 Chevy Pickup. Also let me know what you think it's worth.

Pulled out of a stock 2001 Tahoe with 71K miles.

Holley EFI Fuel rails
LS6 Injectors
LS1 Intake
Heads have been milled and tested, 3 angle valve job
New headgaskets5th
the block was gone through but not disassembled, everything looks good in there.
New Oil pickup and oring
new gasket on the oil pan
LS1 Fbody oil pan
130amp Alternator
Dirty dingo low alt mount
Custom water filler neck relocation

The Wiring harness is a BP Automotive setup with all the necessary relays and fuse box to run the 4L60e as well

Tranny is stock, has an Fbody shifter. The torque converter is a trailblazer SS unit and has a little higher stall than a normal TC, but not ridiculous.

Any concerns with it not having a truck intake? I have some dually wheels and tires I may make a trade for this and want to see what the quality of these parts and value of the package would be. I don't know much and was just planning on pulling a stock ls 5.3/4l60E out of a junkyard vehicle.

[70c10guy]

Looks like a decent set up there! I bought my 5.3 with stock truck I take and accessories, no wiring, just coil wiring and all sensors for 400. So with a trans, ls1 intake, rails and headers if value it around by me at around 1000.

[70c10guy]

Maybe even up to 1200.

[51Chevy3100]

Thanks for the input! It's tough trying to make a decision about something I don't know much about. I wasn't ready to buy a drivetrain yet so I haven't researched it. Thanks.

[70c10guy]

No problem, I really didn't know much either when I bought my engine. I bo Gut it for a fair price, took it apart, cleaned and registered it. She runs like a top!!

[e015475]

Around here prices tend to be a little higher for motors because bodies dont rust out people are looking for motors, but a 5.3 and trans would be a very good price at $1200 and $15-1700 about the norm for less than 100K

But this motor has a lot of extra parts like the harness, pan and intake. I'd be a buyer in the $1500 to $1700 range.

That low mount alternator will probably not fit in a stock 51 truck fame, but you could ebay it and go back to truck accesories pretty easy. There's a $20 pulley relocation kit that lets you run the car intake with the truck accesories

[51Chevy3100]

Originally Posted by e015475

Around here prices tend to be a little higher for motors because bodies dont rust out people are looking for motors, but a 5.3 and trans would be a very good price at $1200 and $15-1700 about the norm for less than 100K

But this motor has a lot of extra parts like the harness, pan and intake. I'd be a buyer in the $1500 to $1700 range.

That low mount alternator will probably not fit in a stock 51 truck fame, but you could ebay it and go back to truck accesories pretty easy. There's a $20 pulley relocation kit that lets you run the car intake with the truck accesories

Gotcha! Thanks for another opinion. The guy was looking to do an even trade for some wheels and tires I had listed for $3000 so I decided to pass on it. It's good to know what I should expect to pay though. I appreciate it!

[BR3W CITY]

My only issues with buying a setup like that, is that its never been run as-is. That thing is freshly assembled in those pics.

Since its had headwork, I'd really wanna know specifics. Which heads are on it (stock or donor?), how much were they milled and was any other surfacing done (decking the block, portwork etc), what thickness and type of headgasket was used? Was it done with new GM hardware or ARP stuff?

Without having it run before, we have no guarantee that its got oil pressure, or that the head work was properly spec'd and done. Also no word on whether or not there was matching work done to the pushrod lengths, springs, or any other typical mods that go along with headwork. A milled head with new gasket could swing c/r a large amount.

Is this all on the stock cam and valvetrain stuff?
I see more questions than answers right now, and I wouldn't touch an engine without having at least an idea of that stuff.

[e015475]

To Brew City's point, I think if I bought that motor I'd pull the heads and pan and check the assembly work and parts. Unless I had a receipt from a reputable rebuilder for the heads, I'd have them checked for flatness and leakage. I did an LS1 last year and all the valve springs were weak, so Id check them too. Same for the intake orings, and the oil pump pickup oring.

If you're not comfortable with doing this yourself, you might be better off with a fresh pull out from a junkyard that was a known good runner.

I mentioned prices I'd pay around the Phoenix area, and that's what my guess was based on. But you can look for asking prices in your area with car-parts.com. My observation is that motors in the rust belt and east coast seem to be cheaper, while California and the west coast seem quite a bit higher. You might search Dallas or Houston and see what the going asking prices are in Texas.

[51Chevy3100]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

My only issues with buying a setup like that, is that its never been run as-is. That thing is freshly assembled in those pics.

Since its had headwork, I'd really wanna know specifics. Which heads are on it (stock or donor?), how much were they milled and was any other surfacing done (decking the block, portwork etc), what thickness and type of headgasket was used? Was it done with new GM hardware or ARP stuff?

Without having it run before, we have no guarantee that its got oil pressure, or that the head work was properly spec'd and done. Also no word on whether or not there was matching work done to the pushrod lengths, springs, or any other typical mods that go along with headwork. A milled head with new gasket could swing c/r a large amount.

Is this all on the stock cam and valvetrain stuff?
I see more questions than answers right now, and I wouldn't touch an engine without having at least an idea of that stuff.

Lots of good points there that I wouldn't think of because I just don't have the experience! I'm glad I decided to pass on it.

Originally Posted by e015475

To Brew City's point, I think if I bought that motor I'd pull the heads and pan and check the assembly work and parts. Unless I had a receipt from a reputable rebuilder for the heads, I'd have them checked for flatness and leakage. I did an LS1 last year and all the valve springs were weak, so Id check them too. Same for the intake orings, and the oil pump pickup oring.

If you're not comfortable with doing this yourself, you might be better off with a fresh pull out from a junkyard that was a known good runner.

I mentioned prices I'd pay around the Phoenix area, and that's what my guess was based on. But you can look for asking prices in your area with car-parts.com. My observation is that motors in the rust belt and east coast seem to be cheaper, while California and the west coast seem quite a bit higher. You might search Dallas or Houston and see what the going asking prices are in Texas.

Yeah I had already searched around in my area and nothing was that high, but nothing I saw add anything extra done to it either. He had a receipt for the machine work but it wasn't very descriptive.
Essentially my plan was a completely stock pull out so I'm going to stick with that. Fits my abilities much better!