[TeenerTim]

Here's the scenario. The front and bottom of the engine in my $500 project car is covered in oil. It's all over the suspension and exhaust too. The odometer shows 217k and I have no records of what's been done and I haven't started it yet. At a minimum I know I need to replace the timing belt, rollers, water pump, and seals.

I also just bought another 2.5 NA engine from an '86 that had 110k miles on it for less than $200. I'm certain replacing the belts and seals will be much easier on an engine out of the car than in the car but swapping the engine itself looks like a major PITA! I've done lots of engine swaps in the past but looking at the steps required for the 944 makes me queasy.

So the question is fix the stuff on the engine in the car or do the same fixes on the other engine and do a swap? I don't have the money right now to do a complete rebuild on the new engine and I would like to get this car on the road as soon as possible.

Thoughts? Recommendations?