Okay so there is this guy selling a gsr shortblock and I talked him down to 100 bucks. He sent me pics of it and the walls look rusted and pistons have alot of carbon build up Which doesn't matter it will be getting rebuilt anyways. Im always sketchy bout buying blocks on craigs due to the fact that it might be cracked or something. Does this sound like a good deal? He also gave me the vins on the block

 

check it out in person. for that cheap i'd be suspicious maybe a spun bearing.

 

Yeah tell him to take pics of the bottom (drop the oil pan). I'd never buy an assembled shortblock, you are going to rebuild it anyways, why not just take it apart.

 

If you're getting it rebuilt then it doesn't matter what condition the internals are in. They will all have to be removed anyway. For 100 bucks, you can't go wrong unless the block itself is cracked or damaged beyond repair.

 

I hate being a ****, but what you said isnt entirely true. If the guy ran low on oil then you need a new crank and maybe even new main caps. This means when you swap over caps you will need to line hone them = headache!

If you spun a bearing and damaged the crank and main caps, its scrap metal. Not worth it.

During a rebuild, the only things you can let slide are maybe slight scoring in the cylinder walls (if you are boring) and old bearings maybe, but a scored crank or main caps, where micropolishing cant fix is usually a lost cause.

 

^^^ a slightly used or even new crank, whether it be an LS or GSR, usually are pretty cheap. If it is damaged for some reason, one can easily be had for little to nothing.

If a rebuild is needed, and everything has to come out anyway, the crank and bearings will get checked. Think of it this way, for $100, the worst that can happen is everything inside is of no use. In that case, you pretty much bought a bare block for $100.

Not a bad deal either way.

 

What are the chances of the block being cracked in result of a spun bearing or ran low on oil? I don't wanna buy a junk block I'd rather buy a known good shortblock or even longblock for a extra.

 

Chances are slim to none. A cracked block will most likely occur if you throw a rod. It can end up coming through the block but would be noticeable, obviously.

A spun bearing might just mess the crank up a bit but can be easily fixed or replaced.

 

You guys all forgot about cylinders being out of round. But he could just get it sleeved. As for spinning a bearing, he could easily just get the crank cut and get the bearings like .20 over depending on how much the crank was cut. And it doesn't really matter about the actuall journals on the caps or block because the bearings just stay in place, but if it's really bad it could affect oil pressure, but highly unlikely. I say go for it.