Let’s pick up where we left off…
I initially planned on having this car transported in an enclosed transport because the windshield was missing, but the days of waiting for someone that could accommodate that request started stacking up, as well as the storage fees, so I decided to work with an open transport. The open transport’s plan was to put the car on their trailer backwards and over the cab of their truck. This worked really well but also had some unintended consequences for the driver…
I really wish I had taken a picture of the semi, it arrived COVERED in oil from the engine leaking out of the case. I wish I could say that this was from normal leakage, but it wasn’t. This brings me to issue #1 with this car which wasn’t disclosed in the auction and is why I REALLY should have had an inspection done. The car/engine arrived with a huge crack on the driver-side engine case:
I started a separate thread on this issue when I first got the car to help me decide what to do. I have a local machine shop that can properly weld the case for $300-$500 if I deliver them the short block. At that point that also means that I might as well rebuild the engine since the case needs to be split. I’d prefer a used, original engine case but that’s been difficult to source. Either way a full rebuild of this engine wasn’t originally in the plan but now that it is, I need to decide on a plan of attack.
This car is meant to be a hot rod and I think would ultimately like to build a 3.6, I just don’t know if I can justify the extra cost right now, not knowing if the engine I have is worthless. What are your thoughts?
Also, if I keep the 3.2, what are the best bang for the buck performance mods to do while you’re in there?