Hello, i was looking at the ads on craigslist, and i saw a 350 for $25. The ad said, That the engine had water in the oil, so they pulled it and replaced it. I e-mailed them, and they said that the engine still had tons of power to the day he pulled it. And would still roast the tires on his 70 truck. He said he didnt have the money to tear into it and find out what is wrong. He got a good deal on a new one so he swaped it. After talking to him, he got it from a guy who just put $5000 into it, stroker crank, rv cam, blanced and blue printed, etc. It is from about 1970, 4 bolt main. Also, when he pulled it, he says he broke off the starter bolt, and tried to drill it out and screwed up the hole. My question is, what is most likely wrong with it. And how hard is it to fix the starter bole hole? Thanks

 

well for part's for $25.00 you cant go wrong ,water in oil could be some thing simple like a bad intake gasket over the crossover ports on the end's or blown head gasket .to fix the starter bolt hole you wont know until you see it , is it a two hole mount or three ? you might be able to change the style of starter .or get the engine upside down and see how bad it is !maybe a helicoil will fix it .

 

dont rule out cracked heads or block....

 

So i got the engine home. I just pulled one of the heads off and everything looks good. I was wondering what and where to look for a cracked block/head? Where do they usually crack? Pics would be a great help. Thanks

 

This might be a beneficial time to google "Zyglo dye". If there's cracks, you'll likely find them.
Until you find the cause of the water in the oil, you just have to assume the worst.

But, like Old Dog said, for the money you can't go wrong.

 

If you can find the source of the leak, then it can be established that the rest of the engine parts are more or less OK. Still, a whole engine for 25$, that's a steal, even with a major crack.

 

You should also check the heads and block deck for warp age.Could be they were improperly torqued.Check it all to be sure.