[Wayne 962]

Here's what I'd recommend. Since you don't have information on the condition of the engine, I would get more info. See if you can find someone who has a chassis that has the engine out temporarily and see if you can "borrow" the chassis to install the engine so that it can be run. Shouldn't take more than an afternoon - you don't need to bolt up any axles or clutch cables, etc - just fuel, electrics and oil lines. Then run it after dumping some Marvel into it. Let it warm up and run a leakdown and compression test when it cools down enough to not burn yourself.

I'm a big fan of buying used motors when they are still in the car. The next best thing is putting one back into a car to test it. There are also ways to run the engine on a stand or on a pallet, but that's a bit more difficult if you don't have spare oil tanks, lines, ignition, and a fuel system lying around.

-Wayne