found a motor

[Ryans71challenger]

A guy local to me has a 1968 440hp long block that he is offering me. it came out of a 68 gtx in the early 80s that had 58k on it, never rebuilt standard bore. Now naturally I'd guess I'd have to rebuild it but how can I check a motor that has beeing sitting for years OUTSIDE to see if the parts are still good- or what are the chances of it running on a stand with some marvel mystery oil? Is it worth the about $500 he's asking even if iI gonna rebuild it with stuff from 440 source? Thanks
Ryan

[hotrod98]

When you say outside that could mean a lot of different things. If you mean totally open to the elements, I say that there is a good chance that the motor is ruined, especially if you live where the temps get below freezing. If the motor has been well covered on a continuous basis, the motor stands a better chance of having survived.
You best bet is to get the guy to let you take the motor to a good machine shop for a teardown and inspection. They can check the block and heads for cracks, etc. This will cost a couple of hundred dollars. If he's unwilling to do this I say don't mess with it. While $500 is a good price for an HP motor (you have confirmed that it is an HP motor, right?) you can still find good deals out there on motors that have been stored correctly.

[Ryans71challenger]

sitting on a tire in a yard under a tree in northern california with the carb on it. The engine is a cali motor and yes it is an 440hp stamped motor out of a 68 gtx. maybe I can negotiate that if I do what you described and it comes back as cracked or otherwhise worthless its a no go but I will disassemble it and pay to have it checked out.

[rallyechall]

Even if you leave a motor uncovered and it rusts over completely, all is not lost. Actually that is another way of seasoning the block. In theory, the grocery getters do not make the best block, but the Police units do. This is due to the fact that they running more often then they are shut off. Rusting the block seasons it in a different way, but gives the same results, it just takes longer.

[HemiOrange70]

Pull the heads and put diesel fuel in each cylinder and try to trun over by hand. Also drain what is in the oil pan as it is a good indication of what is in the motor.

[KellysCuda aircard]

Its all a gamble till you have it checked for cracks.