[kookykrispy]

Thanks to wonderfully helpful members of this forum, we have determined I have an early '69 model year RAIII/HO WS 400 block installed in my '68 GTO. I understand this is a rare block that may be valuable to someone restoring an original '69 4 speed RAIII GTO or Judge. The engine runs great, and it was professionally rebuilt, bored .040 over, rods/mains turned .010. There is a tag that the engine builder attached to the block proving this.


SO.... How much do you guys honestly think is this engine worth? I do not have the matching heads, so I would be selling just the short block assembly. If its worth alot, I will find a different engine to put in my GTO and sell the '69 WS. If I can't sell it for that much, I'll simply keep the WS in my car and enjoy it.

It only makes sense to go to all the hassle of buying a different motor swapping engines if I know it will be worth it for some serious extra $$ that I can use on other areas of my project.

Thanks everyone for your help.

[marxjunk]

a little more than a 400 wt...rebuilders arent as caring and particular as a pontiac shop, and at 40 over its done, so if theres issues and it need re worked it could be detrimental to the value..RARE and valuable dont always go together..rebuilders scare a lot of high end car owners, so to them its still a core....

id try to find the car, do a PHS in the patrial VIN..and see if you can find the original car, if ya cant then id try to sell it in an open market...

[Greg Reid]

I'd just keep it in the car. It is certainly worth something but so is the correct engine you're going to have to replace it with.
By the time you sell it, buy what you need, build it and the trouble of the swap, you're only going to be moderately ahead moneywise I think.
I'd just keep it and enjoy it.
Heck, I'd feel like I won the lottery if I found out that I had that engine...and not just because it's worth more money.

[GOAT WHORE]

I am going to say the short block would fetch about $500.

[John Eiseman]

The old adage: Its worth what someone will pay". Greg thinks $500?

[GOAT WHORE]

Hey John whats up?
I sold a rebuilt 455 a year ago, short block, got $1000. It took a while.
I have sold good running complete 400s for $500.
This is a short block that is used. Who knows what was done to it exactally?
The guy who wants it for his RAIII car is going to want to rebuild it in my opinion so its core value to him and the guy who just wants a good runner does not care about the "WS".
Any way I am by no means an expert at pricing I was just taking a stabb at it.

[marxjunk]

500 sounds right to me too...unless i owned the car it came from...

Ive had and sold many engine rebuilder motors..take one apart and youd be amade at what ya see in there..rings upside down, cam bearings in the wrong order..rods turned wrong, and absolutely the cheapest products they can put in them..most have 10,000 mile warranty so the have to make it to 10,001 miles...

not all are like that, just most

[goatnutz]

So it must be thg cover,valley pan,rods,pistons,etc. that make these engines sell for 3000-5000 bucks.

[John Eiseman]

500 sounds right to me too...unless i owned the car it came from...

Mark has a valid point. If that where the original motor from my Ram III car I'd be all over it for 3000.00 , 5000.00 maybe so. As a running short block to put into any old car at 500-750 would be a good price. Someone may want to put a correct engine in their 69 and be willing to pony up for their personal taste.
An old friend, about 3-4 years ago, found his original RamIV motor in a Trans Am in Nevada. He worked out a deal, 15,000.00, drove down from Wa., and pulled the motor out and brought it back to its original chassis The engine had been rebuilt and was missing the original dist. but J was happy to have it.
Now, if I could only find the original YZ block for my 69.....

[marxjunk]

the only person that can value the motor is the guy with the car that needs it for his car..i dont think ramIII short block are bringing 3500 to 5,000..maybe ram IVs, but not ram IIIs....maybe 5 years ago..but not in todays market...now stick the heads, intake carb and dist and your getting up there...and it becomes an attractive package for some one needing it for a correct car..its all about persective...

i could see the right guy paying 1000 to 1500 and if it didnt sell..two fools met..one for offering and one for not accepting

i know if some one had the block for my ramIV and they tried to ransom it to me..they could stick it where the sun dont shine, and they'd never buy the car either..so we'd both be d!cked...but id have a car that i could do what ever i want with at that point...which is about where im at now anyway..

theres a guy i know that has the drivetrain out of a WS 70 judge..he found the guy with the car..by doing a PHS then a title search....neither will budge, they got into an argument and now spite will never re-unite the motor and the car...funny part is, the 70 Jude is claimed ti be numbers matching...whatta ya thinks goin on there..

I had a friend track down his 455 HO complete drive train out of his 72 T/A, it was in a running driving 70s ford pick up..lol

Some how, in the state he found it in, every person that owned the T/A knew the last person that had it, and some one knew who seperated the car and the motor..back when the cars where worth little to nothing..now thats a 1 in a million story right there...
he found the ford owner approached him the correct way..which is with HONESTY, told him he had the car and wanted the motor and they came to an agreement, my buddy would have paid twice what he did, but the motor owner was a rare guy..he was honest and thought it was the right thing to do by re-uniting the car and motor..it even had the orig carb...

[GOAT WHORE]

I would hate for the OP to think hes got a $3000-5000 short block. Even if he does find the original car he would be very lucky to to get the $3000.
John, if I remember right you might be talking about reuniting a RAIV back into a race car with history?
I still think 5 hundo is about right maybe $750 to someone hungry.

[goatnutz]

I was refering to long block. Sorry i wasnt clear in my first post. Any ws block should bring $2000.00 plus . tripower ho or ram air. Unless your on the four bolt kick where any thing else might as well be a 76 350. I bought three 69 ws motors searching for dates for my judge conv, and five hundred bucks hardly buys a set of bare heads. The ones to early for judge prduction may bring less. Im no expert but i paid plenty for mine several years ago. good luck if you decide to sell.

[marxjunk]

Originally Posted by goatnutz

Im no expert but i paid plenty for mine several years ago. good luck if you decide to sell.

there the whole story on values....SEVERAL YEARS AGO...the market has tanked with a capitol T

[ta-69]

I will take 10 of them at 500.00 that shortblock has to be worth at least 1500.00

[GOAT WHORE]

Goatnutz I dont get why you bought 3 blocks to find the right date codes, were you not aware of the dates before you bought them?
Marxjunk has it dead on, things are NOT what they were "a few years ago".
A few years ago I was selling like crazy and now I hardly even advertize as its almost a waste of my time.
Lots of people will tell you what its worth including myself, does not mean s**t till someone puts that cash in your hand!

[tom s]

I would pay $500 for a good not over bored 69 WS block today.Not $500.01.JMO,Tom

[John Eiseman]

Greg, { GOATWHORE } if I had lots of $$ I just might pay 3k for my original engine, if the conditions were better then the WS block in question. But we are only talking a short block thats already .040 over with lord only knows what components within. It could be a real peach
So.... its only worth what an individual will pay.

[slowgto]

Have any of you guys actually bought a WS for $500?

If you have not bought, sold, or know personally of a transaction, stop guessing. It doesn't help the guy. Only actual sales establish value.

It's running great, so just keep the motor in the car.

[GOAT WHORE]

Slogto, the op was asking for opinions of what it was worth not what we have actually sold or bought one for. Besides it is not always relevant what something has sold for in the past, time changes things. At least from options here the op can make a decision based on what the majority of people are saying. Without these opinions he is left on the dark.
Amy way what do you think its worth?

[John Eiseman]

Originally Posted by slowgto

Have any of you guys actually bought a WS for $500?

If you have not bought, sold, or know personally of a transaction, stop guessing. It doesn't help the guy. Only actual sales establish value.

It's running great, so just keep the motor in the car.

Maybe 4 years ago I came across a 69 WS complete motor ,48 heads, it was missing the dist. which the seller said he would throw one in to make it complete. The price: 1300. It was pulled from a 65 GTO , was a running engine when pulled and he claimed it was a good runner. I passed only because I truly thought it was too much $$. I spoke with the seller a month later and he still had it but was offered 1500. He did sell it for that price.
Hindsight I should have gotten it.