[illumina]

i find the best way to tell if an engine is locked up in a you-pull-it yard is to take a large screwdriver and try and crank the flywheel, while the engine is still in the car.

if an junk yard engine shows signs of head gasket failure, i will try to take the heads off and see if they are noticeably damaged. it is quite easy if you have a strait-edge and a feeler gauge. if they are still in good order, the engine is mine.

that said, i still rebuild every engine that comes from the bone yard. i won't even tell you about what happened to my mothers park avenue.

ok, i will.

her 86' buick (former). threw a rod on the freeway one day. being that she had no money, i mentioned a junk motor. i also suggested the rebuild. well, she had the cash for the engine, but not the rebuild. so i made sure eveything was as good as it can be, dropped the engine into the car, and voila, it worked...for about two months. odd, considering the warranty was only good for 30 days, as most junk yards carry this warranty.

BTW, the 3.8 was from a wreaked 88' park ave.

if you're going for a wreaked car engine, then chances are the bone yard may have tested it to make sure it works. make sure you ask them beforehand.