My New Engine

Well, I went over to my buddy's house today with another buddy and picked up my Lingenfelter take out engine.
About 14 years ago or so this buddy with the engine went to a Lingenfelter auction. What guys do is they buy a new Camaro, Trans Am, ImpalaSS or whatever and the car is shipped to Lingenfelter where they take out the new factory engine and put in one of their power houses. Every once in awhile they have auctions for all the take out engines they have lying around. My buddy, Vern, bought 3 LT1's. My wagon has 130K miles on it so I asked how much he would sell me one of those engines for. He GAVE me one! OK....we have done a lot of reciprocal favors for one another over the years but I thought this was over the top. The engine has NINE miles on it! The factory test miles! Short block with loaded heads. The engine still has the factory spark plugs in it and they are brand new!

 

Fox, you luckey ******! Way to go man, I'm real happy for you:2_thumbs_up_-_anima

 

Thanks, Fat. Now I can buy the parts and put it together and have a new engine in my wagon...all cammed up with a little more snort. I decided not to go real wild but enough to get kind of close to what I wanted it to do.

 

That is great news Fox.

A great friend who obviously wants you to have the best car you can put together. I think my friend that you are both lucky to have each other as buddies. And he knows it and realizes that this is something he can do for you that will give you great pleasure.

It is a wonderful world we live in when people get joy out of making a friends day/week/month.

 

That is great news! What a score.

 

You are so right, Saf. There was never any talking about it. I went up to his house to look at his 3 engines a few weeks back and asked him if he would sell me one of them for my last hurrah. He really wanted to keep them all for some reason. After we were ready to leave he said he might let one go but he would keep the other two. I again asked how much. He said he liked my wagon so he would just give me the short block with loaded heads. It is the lowest mile engine of all of them. Today, he and my other buddy Bryon that owns the car shop lowered the engine from up on top of a 10 foot balcony and then put it in Vern's truck along with the heads. Then we drove down to Bryon's garage where it all now sits. I did none of the work. Vern left right away after all that help without any further comments. Of course...I thanked him profusely but he blew it off as something that was nothing. Said he just wanted to ride in the car after it's finished. We all know a 9 mile LT1 is not "nothing". He has always been a good friend. And, I might add, he doesn't warm up to people all that much. It has been fun over the years bartering with each other. But I think this puts him considerably ahead.

 

Fox, that is the coolest! What a great friend!

I can't believe you got a new LT1 for FREE! You will have the best SS wagon ever! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima (you already do)

David

 

Thanks, Stuka.
Thanks wix....I hope so.

 

AmpyPants and now Vernon. Your wagon is the Friendship Chariot, Mike. No doubt about it.

 

Ya' gotta' love free stuff....
but man, Vern sure is a great friend to slide you something like that.
I can imagine how excited you are getting for spring.
I can smell the tire smoke already.

 

LOL...Thanks, Steve. To get to where I wanted the car to be in performance would cost me in excess of 10K and I don't want to spend that much. I have decided to go a milder route. It won't blow the doors off stuff like my 455, 88 Buick wagon did but it will have enough snort to handle some of the stuff out there. Nothing outrageous this time around. I may dress up the engine bay a little to match the rest of the car too. Just, generally, a nice clean wagon with a little more in that LT1 than GM originally gave it.

 

Lucky you SF

 

Thank you, Cliff.

 

mike...are you gonna keep the original motor so you have the numbers matching engine? maybe throw a rebuild on it ?

 

I will keep it, yes. For the reasons you mention and for a back up if needed. Probably never will though. I will have the new and old cam for it as well since I will use a different cam. Doubt I will rebuild it at this point since I will have to swap some of the accessories and other parts to the new engine. The new engine is a short block with loaded heads only.