Flat head horde

miniceptor86

miniceptor86

Senior Member
I going to look at a pile of flathead engines and transmissions. Pretty much ignorant of values and the guy won’t start the conversation. Do I just value them as cast iron at the recyclers. Or can someone give me a going price per engine per transmission or what you would pay.

Thanks,
Jim
 
I pay $200 max for 59AB and 8BA engines if they turn over & are relatively complete. $100 max if they will not turn over. All other flatheads prices adjust from there. I buy some every year with these terms to add to my large pile. That’s how I do it. Good luck. Cheers. Tony
 
I'm with Tony on this, too many people think they have a gold mine but it's all about condition. Were they inside or laying in a field exposed to the elements, are they complete or missing parts. Do the engines turn over, do the transmissions shift freely? Hopefully the seller understands this and is willing to negotiate, good luck.
 
You all are generous. Unless you actually need a given engine, the chances of a cracked block burn't crank, valves that must be destroyed to remove and so on make things dicey at best. Of course a clean 221 or 239 block with no cracks and good bores will bring more to someone that needs it. The market is soft now.
 
KiWinUS said:
I pay $200 max for 59AB and 8BA engines if they turn over & are relatively complete. $100 max if they will not turn over. All other flatheads prices adjust from there. I buy some every year with these terms to add to my large pile. That’s how I do it. Good luck. Cheers. Tony
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Thanks that’s what I’m looking for. My wife just rolled her head and eyes, “I guess whe have room in the barn”
 
jimTN said:
You all are generous. Unless you actually need a given engine, the chances of a cracked block burn't crank, valves that must be destroyed to remove and so on make things dicey at best. Of course a clean 221 or 239 block with no cracks and good bores will bring more to someone that needs it. The market is soft now.
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I’m going to check scrap prices before I go. We have a recycler close and not far to the horde.
 
Inside is good. But my prices typically adjust down from my suggestion. Stripping alone can take some time before cleaning. Crack testing & pressure testing. All need done before you know what you have. Usable or scrap.
 
Engine complete weighs about 545 lbs. I guess a transmission would be about 100 lbs.

My advice would be don't buy them if you don't need them. As more of the hoarders die this stuff will become available.
 
I say buy them all if there cheap. I pay less for bulk. More handling. Buy them all cause if you don’t they are headed for scap. That would be a shame. Guy’s they are going to run out sooner or later. I’m sure most all have wasted money on less. This is helping preserve the future along with the past. Enjoy the journey it’s so fun for me.
 
when I was looking for some good servicable blocks I quickly realized the 5/6:1 ratio, meaning roughly one in 5 or 6 blocks where worth using.

Pan rail cracks are quite common here in New England with old man winter and the wrong mix in the cooling system:eek:

Good luck and get some help moving those buggers around they are hard on the lower back moving by yourself.
 
I was just at an estate auction and the scrapper had a 52 yd Dumpster bin there. He was buying a pallet of engines for $25, and dumping them in his bin. A bunch of 21 stud engines went his way. Newc
 
You also need to factor in your labor to tear them down. That can be a trying experiencing depending on how they were stored.
 
Tim Ayers said:
You also need to factor in your labor to tear them down. That can be a trying experiencing depending on how they were stored.
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I couldn't agree more with the "trying experience" statement!


Years ago when searching for rebuildable 8BA engines, I acquired 9 engines before finding one that didn't have terminal cracks. After that, I found a couple more, so my ratio is, like 39portlander's, 1 in 5 or so. I finally learned to only consider buying engines when I could remove the head and inspect the top deck on-site with a magnetic crack tester. Otherwise, I assumed that any engine with the heads still on was cracked.


Good luck,
John
 
not worth buying unless youre an engine rebuilder.


what does it cost to get a hernia fixed? I m on my 2nd and many have had a dozen hernias. buying engines and moving them is like buying pianos and storing them/


just not worth it.


better off spending your time making $
 
I agree with KiWinUS. Buy them all. Taking them apart is like Christmas morning....Mark
 

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I didn’t buy them all, I bought none. 200 a pop I just am not a gambler. Only one car transmission rusted up solid and since I no.longer have a boat I have no need for an anchor. No other misc. parts

Thanks for all the help on this.
 
Ya $200 each is a lot when buying more than one. If nobody buys them I don’t think he’ll get close to that for scrap weight.....to bad, everybody needs a few to play with!....Mark
 
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