I recently had a friend buy a 500 cubic inch 1970 caddy engine to install in his t-bucket hes built, he spent all day in the salvage yard unbolting the engine removing it with the help from the salvage yards fork lift, to lift and place it in his pick-up truck, and most of the next day to install it only to find it had a busted crankshaft, the salvage yard didn,t have a second 500 caddy engine so he got a big discount on a 472 caddy engine and about 90% of his cash back he paid for the 500 caddy as they have a 72 hour guarantee on used engines, (which IM sure is because they figure 90% of the buyers can,t possibly install and test an engine in that time limit) that clearly states that if the block or crank is not salvageable/rebuild-able, with normal rebuilding processes such as a mild over bore or cutting the journals on the crank no more than .010, that the core may be returned for a similar core, provided the faults found and verified within that 72 hours, and that the salvage yards not responsible for testing, inspection,transportation or related costs.you can avoid lots of problems by carefully inspecting spark plugs, if they are clean and dry chances are far better that the engines in good condition that if they have indications of oil or coolant, if the intakes been removed or the carburetor off so you can use an inspection probe look at the back side of the intake valves, if they are fairly clean the valve seals and guides are more than likely serviceable,If I was choosing between two engines, I find for sale at some salvage yard or yard sale, Id look at the two engines in question with a close inspection looking for corrosion damage, indicators of rough treatment or lack of care in storage, like obvious open exhaust ports or intake manifold openings showing rusty surfaces, I'd try turning the engine with a breaker bar with the plugs removed and feel for resistance that may indicate damaged bore or rings,, Id look over the valve train carefully looking for obvious wear,and looking for any previous repair work, Id look under valve covers and take the oil pan off if I could looking for coolant leaks sludge build-up , slack in the timing chain, wear on the distributor gears and rusty sludge in coolant passages, all indicators of either low infrequent maintenance or improper storage.
in an engine that old chances are fair that its corrosion that will be your major potential damage problem, if no obvious mechanical damage or wear is obvious.
all the drama and trips back and forth and arguing could easily have been avoided if he had done a careful inspection before he started removing the engine.
yes, your correct, if your rebuilding the 500 caddy you can generally select the components you want to get to the compression range you desire, but theres no where near the selection a Chevy or Ford , big block engine would have unless you go the custom built piston route.
OR go with a caddy performance parts supplier (neither routes cheap)
Id also point out that the stock head casting come in several versions (NONE OF THEM) are really high air flow rate,(look at these links) and they require a good valve job, port & bowl clean-up and the adapter that allows you to use the ford 460 intake manifolds if you want to get a decent flow rate with the stock heads.
yes there used too be and still are a few sets of aftermarket heads.
http://www.cad500parts.com/catalog/page17.htm
http://www.cad500parts.com/catalog/page10.htm
http://www.pricemotorsport.com/html/body_intake_adapters.html
http://www.pricemotorsport.com/html/body_ap-23__intake_adapter_kit.html
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-2966/overview/make/ford
an adapter plate, a cam change and this intake with a 850 holley works wonders on a 500 caddy if you have hood clearance
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=845&p=1281#p1281
go to the salvage yard only after doing your research and having an extensive printed list of casting numbers carried with you and any VIN NUMBER info that will help identify what engine your looking for!
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=3045&p=8043&hilit=numbers+casting#p8043
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=93&p=7030&hilit=numbers+casting#p7030
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=951&p=1627&hilit=+numbers+casting#p1627
viewtopic.php?f=78&t=632&p=846&hilit=+numbers+casting#p846
find out before, your pull any engine, what the salvage yard guarantees, and for how long its guaranteed good for,
get it in writing, and get a dated receipt, and GET A DETAILED PRICE, listing WHATS BEEN PURCHASED ,WHATS COVERED in the cost, and WHATS guaranteed, WITH A MANAGERS SIGNATURE, then take several pictures of the guy, the engine and make copy's
any time you go and look at a salvage yard engine core you do a few simple tests, test one is before you start work, you'll need to be sure theres access under the car and its firmly and safely supported, and you'll need to clarify who moves the engine from the car to your pick-up truck or trailer and if the salvage yard has a fork lift that can lift the engine out of the car once its been un-bolted and if theres a charge for that service if you unbolt the engine, always get a price on the transmission also as a package deal, as at times you'll find an extra $30-$60 buys you a rebuild-able transmission core and converter
(1)pull and inspect the spark plugs, looking for a consistent condition and no coolant in the cylinders
(2)turn the engine with a breaker bar and watch the distributor and valve train move, it should turn freely and not bind-up
(3)do a compression test ON ALL CYLINDERS, results should be similar and all above 100 psi after squirting a bit of oil into each cylinder when turning the engine over by hand with a large breaker bar
(4)SLUDGE and oil under the valve covers should be minimal and NOT mixed with coolant, some minimal sludge is good as it prevents rust,lots of sludge indicates an engine that was not well maintained
(5)most salvage yard engines have their oil drained already but the dipstick should not be rusted,which might be indicating water or coolant in the crank case.
(6)cars that were in minor accidents were probably running when hit so that's a potentially good sign, cars pulled from lakes or cars that were in serious fires were not usually a good indicator, I generally look for cars that were hit in the rear or side for engine salvage candidates
if your allowed ID suggest pulling the intake for a close inspection
an inspection tool like the one linked below will allow a casual inspection of the lower engine internally without pulling the oil pan if used thru the oil pan drain plug hole, this is also a great way to easily locate 4 bolt vs two bolt main cap engines without pulling the oil pan.
http://www.toolrage.com/prodView.asp?sku=SLI-PV618
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=1513
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=881&p=8362&hilit=leak+down#p8362
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-resol ... ?hftref=cj
GOOGLE SLI-PV618
http://www.tooltopia.com/provision-pv61 ... opping_r1&
http://www.toolrage.com/prodView.asp?sku=SLI-PV618
http://www.toolrage.com/prodview.asp?sku=SLI-PV300
a tool like this, with its 1/4" lens and cable lets you remove the spark plug and lets you closely inspect the piston and valves at least giving you some better info on the condition in the combustion chamber, its also good once the oil pan plugs been removed to inspect what you suspect to be lower end rotating assembly conditions in many cases.
I bought one and while its not used daily its a great help when you really want to inspect things before dis-assembly, as for example if you want to know if a salvage yard engines a two or four bolt block, without pulling the oil pan
btw if your thinking about a t-bucket kit, or something in a traditional hot rod, for example
http://www.spiritcars.com/
http://www.tperformance.com/
http://www.tbucketplans.com/
http://www.corbinrods.com/1923_t_bucket.html
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deluxe-27 ... 24789.html
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deluxe-23 ... GoogleBase
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... dster.html
http://www.tperformance.com/total-performance-kits.html
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4706
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/tec ... index.html
in an engine that old chances are fair that its corrosion that will be your major potential damage problem, if no obvious mechanical damage or wear is obvious.
all the drama and trips back and forth and arguing could easily have been avoided if he had done a careful inspection before he started removing the engine.
yes, your correct, if your rebuilding the 500 caddy you can generally select the components you want to get to the compression range you desire, but theres no where near the selection a Chevy or Ford , big block engine would have unless you go the custom built piston route.
OR go with a caddy performance parts supplier (neither routes cheap)
Id also point out that the stock head casting come in several versions (NONE OF THEM) are really high air flow rate,(look at these links) and they require a good valve job, port & bowl clean-up and the adapter that allows you to use the ford 460 intake manifolds if you want to get a decent flow rate with the stock heads.
yes there used too be and still are a few sets of aftermarket heads.
http://www.cad500parts.com/catalog/page17.htm
http://www.cad500parts.com/catalog/page10.htm
http://www.pricemotorsport.com/html/body_intake_adapters.html
http://www.pricemotorsport.com/html/body_ap-23__intake_adapter_kit.html
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-2966/overview/make/ford
an adapter plate, a cam change and this intake with a 850 holley works wonders on a 500 caddy if you have hood clearance
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=845&p=1281#p1281
go to the salvage yard only after doing your research and having an extensive printed list of casting numbers carried with you and any VIN NUMBER info that will help identify what engine your looking for!
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=3045&p=8043&hilit=numbers+casting#p8043
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=93&p=7030&hilit=numbers+casting#p7030
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=951&p=1627&hilit=+numbers+casting#p1627
viewtopic.php?f=78&t=632&p=846&hilit=+numbers+casting#p846
find out before, your pull any engine, what the salvage yard guarantees, and for how long its guaranteed good for,
get it in writing, and get a dated receipt, and GET A DETAILED PRICE, listing WHATS BEEN PURCHASED ,WHATS COVERED in the cost, and WHATS guaranteed, WITH A MANAGERS SIGNATURE, then take several pictures of the guy, the engine and make copy's
any time you go and look at a salvage yard engine core you do a few simple tests, test one is before you start work, you'll need to be sure theres access under the car and its firmly and safely supported, and you'll need to clarify who moves the engine from the car to your pick-up truck or trailer and if the salvage yard has a fork lift that can lift the engine out of the car once its been un-bolted and if theres a charge for that service if you unbolt the engine, always get a price on the transmission also as a package deal, as at times you'll find an extra $30-$60 buys you a rebuild-able transmission core and converter
(1)pull and inspect the spark plugs, looking for a consistent condition and no coolant in the cylinders
(2)turn the engine with a breaker bar and watch the distributor and valve train move, it should turn freely and not bind-up
(3)do a compression test ON ALL CYLINDERS, results should be similar and all above 100 psi after squirting a bit of oil into each cylinder when turning the engine over by hand with a large breaker bar
(4)SLUDGE and oil under the valve covers should be minimal and NOT mixed with coolant, some minimal sludge is good as it prevents rust,lots of sludge indicates an engine that was not well maintained
(5)most salvage yard engines have their oil drained already but the dipstick should not be rusted,which might be indicating water or coolant in the crank case.
(6)cars that were in minor accidents were probably running when hit so that's a potentially good sign, cars pulled from lakes or cars that were in serious fires were not usually a good indicator, I generally look for cars that were hit in the rear or side for engine salvage candidates
if your allowed ID suggest pulling the intake for a close inspection
an inspection tool like the one linked below will allow a casual inspection of the lower engine internally without pulling the oil pan if used thru the oil pan drain plug hole, this is also a great way to easily locate 4 bolt vs two bolt main cap engines without pulling the oil pan.
http://www.toolrage.com/prodView.asp?sku=SLI-PV618
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=1513
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=881&p=8362&hilit=leak+down#p8362
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-resol ... ?hftref=cj
GOOGLE SLI-PV618
http://www.tooltopia.com/provision-pv61 ... opping_r1&
http://www.toolrage.com/prodView.asp?sku=SLI-PV618
http://www.toolrage.com/prodview.asp?sku=SLI-PV300
a tool like this, with its 1/4" lens and cable lets you remove the spark plug and lets you closely inspect the piston and valves at least giving you some better info on the condition in the combustion chamber, its also good once the oil pan plugs been removed to inspect what you suspect to be lower end rotating assembly conditions in many cases.
I bought one and while its not used daily its a great help when you really want to inspect things before dis-assembly, as for example if you want to know if a salvage yard engines a two or four bolt block, without pulling the oil pan
btw if your thinking about a t-bucket kit, or something in a traditional hot rod, for example
http://www.spiritcars.com/
http://www.tperformance.com/
http://www.tbucketplans.com/
http://www.corbinrods.com/1923_t_bucket.html
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deluxe-27 ... 24789.html
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deluxe-23 ... GoogleBase
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... dster.html
http://www.tperformance.com/total-performance-kits.html
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4706
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/tec ... index.html