new motor, no history, lots of clues, any thoughts?

[pacemkr]

currently working on rebuild of 73 240.

went out to purchase some new bumpers and other various pieces from a fella out of town, and was surprised to see alot of other items for sale in his garage also.

long story short, i purchased all he had that was for a 240z, one item of which was this new motor.

supposedly pulled from a 71, it looks incredibly clean, but has obviously had some work done to it.

here's the scoop. The motor has all that is common to a 71 l24, e88, dome top su's, no smog items, etc.

however, the block has been painted( orange), gaskets are obviously new, clutch looks like it has very few kilos on it also.

PO, says that that he found it in a 'barn find', car was rotten, but it looks like whoever stored the car had just finished a fresh rebuild shortly before putting it away.

PO says that it turned over fine and oil pressure came right up sharp, but that he didnt spend much more time on the engine.

decided to sell all datsun parts he had, as he was relocating to west coast.

so, to me the engine looks tip-top, ready to go. linkages are beuty, and everything looks great.

half of me say'drop it in the car and see what it runs like. the other half says do some minor pulling apart to at least see whats inside? i dream of finding some goodies like head-work or something, but who knows.

i dont have endless funds, as rebuild of unibody and various other parts of my car are soaking up vast dollares, so not sure

what i should do.

what would you people suggest? any ideas? or should i just drop it in and try it out.

hope i dont seem like a dummy here asking for opinions.

[beandip]

currently working on rebuild of 73 240.

went out to purchase some new bumpers and other various pieces from a fella out of town, and was surprised to see alot of other items for sale in his garage also.

long story short, i purchased all he had that was for a 240z, one item of which was this new motor.

supposedly pulled from a 71, it looks incredibly clean, but has obviously had some work done to it.

here's the scoop. The motor has all that is common to a 71 l24, e88, dome top su's, no smog items, etc.

however, the block has been painted( orange), gaskets are obviously new, clutch looks like it has very few kilos on it also.

PO, says that that he found it in a 'barn find', car was rotten, but it looks like whoever stored the car had just finished a fresh rebuild shortly before putting it away.

PO says that it turned over fine and oil pressure came right up sharp, but that he didnt spend much more time on the engine.

decided to sell all datsun parts he had, as he was relocating to west coast.

so, to me the engine looks tip-top, ready to go. linkages are beuty, and everything looks great.

half of me say'drop it in the car and see what it runs like. the other half says do some minor pulling apart to at least see whats inside? i dream of finding some goodies like head-work or something, but who knows.

i dont have endless funds, as rebuild of unibody and various other parts of my car are soaking up vast dollares, so not sure

what i should do.

what would you people suggest? any ideas? or should i just drop it in and try it out.

hope i dont seem like a dummy here asking for opinions.

I would drop it in as is. One thing though, remove the valve cover and have look at the cam and all the parts. It should be vary clean if a fresh rebuild.

As easy as it is to remove the engine if it is NOT as you hoped I would just

install it. You should turn it over though first just to make sure it is not frozen

up. pull the plugs and put some ATF in the cylinders , about a half a tsp.each.

pour some oil over the cam and rockers prior to starting it if you do install it. And spin it on the starter without the plugs watching the cam and rockers to make sure none of the valves are stuck. Important for a engine that has set

like this for a long time. Once you have the engine running keep it running at about 1500 rpm while watching for overheating at the same time. Use your

fingers touching the head around the spark plugs area. Some times you can

get a air lock and over heat the head because the thermostat is surrounded

by air and the gauge doesn't register. If this happens just shut it off and let it

sit for 5 min. or so . the conducted heat will cause the stat or open.