<VV> Spare 140 hp engine wanted in the Central California

[RoboMan91324 at aol.com]

First, Paul, do you want or need the spare engine to be a  140?  Is the 
purpose to swap out engines seamlessly or just have a backup  available if and 
when your present 140 needs work?  The lower HP motors are  less expensive 
and more available.  Who knows, you might prefer a 110 to  the 140; many do.
 
Second, Matt is absolutely correct about the importance of the  "packaging" 
of the motor for shipping if that is how things end up.   Previously, I 
wrote to VV about my experience shipping a proper date code 180 HP  engine from 
Chicago to LA.  Other than the seller being thoroughly  dishonest about the 
condition of the motor, he also prepared the motor poorly  for shipping.  I 
was clear in my communications that the motor should be  properly strapped 
to the pallet then covered.  What arrived was almost  insanely lacking in 
any forethought.  The motor was not covered and the  seller found a mini 
pallet with exactly the same footprint as the motor.   This meant that the motor 
would be bouncing against anything and everything next  to it on a series of 
trucks.  In addition, the engine wasn't strapped to  the pallet; it was 
tied to it with rope.  Of course the rope was loose when  the motor arrived and 
the motor had experienced significant trauma.  Things  were broken, sheet 
metal was bent and/or torn and one valve cover was  missing.  Oil had 
apparently spilled from the motor in transit.  (The  oil should be drained before 
shipping.)  Fortunately, I had the foresight  to insist that the seller 
remove the carb/turbo assembly, alternator, manifold  and distributor to be 
shipped in their own box.  Even if the motor is  crated, as it should be, it is 
advisable to remove the easily damaged items from  the motor and package them 
separately just in case.  If there is no crate,  this should absolutely be 
done unless the transport is in the back of a pickup  or SUV where there is 
no danger of other items landing on top.
 
Third, buying something like a used motor is inherently  risky.  Even if 
the seller is a basically honest person, (mine wasn't)  keep in mind that the 
condition is subject to opinion.  One man's "good  running condition" is 
another man's "OK for a very temporary spare but needs a  rebuild."  For this 
reason, you must be cautious of even a "regular"  here on VV.  I connected 
with my seller here on VV and his  misstatement of the motor's condition was 
far worse than a matter of  opinion.  To round out this segment, I also had 
an experience with a  Corvair with a spare motor that I won in an auction on 
eBay.  In this case,  the seller was also a bald faced liar about both the 
condition of the car and  the motor.  I won't go into detail on the car but 
the motor was claimed to  be complete, professionally rebuilt and never 
installed in a car.  What  it turned out to be was incomplete, and caked with 
road grime.   With dirt/oil built up in the slots of screws and the shoulders 
of nuts and  bolts, it was obvious that it had not been torn apart and 
reassembled for a very  long time.  I did not complete the transaction.
 
Let the buyer beware, especially if you buy sight  unseen.
 
Doc
 
1960 Corvette, 1961 Rampside, 1962 Rampside, 1964 Spyder  coupe, 1965 
Greenbrier, 1966 Canadian Corsa turbo coupe, 1967 Nova SS, 1968  Camaro ragtop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
In a message dated 1/29/2013 3:54:37 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
virtualvairs-request at corvair.org writes:

Message:  5
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:30:16 -0500 (EST)
From: Matt Nall  <patiomatt at aol.com>
Subject: Re: <VV> Spare 140 hp engine  wanted in the Central California
area
To:  virtualvairs at corvair.org
Message-ID:  <8CFCBAD6A8D3341-D20-3846A at webmail-d165.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type:  text/plain; charset="us-ascii"




I would like to get a backup  engine for my 140 hp Corsa. Most of the 
engines I found are located some  distance from my home in coastal California. 
Most of the sellers had indicated  "pickup only", but would probably be 
willing to strap it to a pallet. Does  anyone have any suggestions as to the best 
way (least expensive) to get a  motor from, say, Ohio to California? Also, 
any idea as to what a reasonable  cost would be? Many thanks, in advance.

Paul  Michalczyk

=========================================================


Welcome  to VV!   As you see... having a subject that is concise, will help 
 get responses..  from people  that can help.
Are you a member of  the local CORSA Chapter [  http://corvair.org].. there 
are several in the  Central Cal. area...    
http://www.centralcoastcorsa.org/

Then you have California  Corvairs in Chino....  Big Vendor / shop....  new 
/ rebuilt  /used..  parts..

Shipping takes more than strapping to a  pallet...  it must be boxed... and 
I spent $320  to ship a 140   from  Coos Bay to Las Vegas.

That engine was a GOOD  used /  rebuilt once  Complete Turnkey  unit   Went 
for  $1460  on ebay  


Matt Nall
Charleston,  Oregon
http://tinyurl.com/The-Corvair-Patio