I've got my crankshaft problem solved 🙂

Yesterday I drove out to Caldwell to meet Terry Zabel and checkout a $50 buick v6.  This craigslist find was my least expensive crankshaft option, so I had low expectations, but high hopes.  The engine came without an intake, rocker arms and a few misc pieces, but one useful item they did include for me (thanks to his brother Tony) was an even-fired flywheel, which I had been seeking (but couldn't find) in case I wanted to move back to a manual tranny.  As soon as I saw the flywheel, I figured the crankshaft was gravy, so I told them I would take it.

Back home, I quickly pulled it apart (which wasn't too difficult as most of the timing chain bolts and oil pan bolts were missing anyway).  When I finally got to the crankshaft and pulled off the first rod, I was relieved to see virtually no wear.  It didn't take long to pull out the crankshaft and see that it had been turned .010 and was in excellent shape … whew!  So, I took it to Bob's today and Lyle mic'd it, confirming my assumptions and telling me the same thing, "much better than the other one".  Also, the block itself looks to be in great shape, though it's been bored .030 already.  So, I'll save this block and use it as the base for a backup v6 for future use.

Last October, I bought a 1980 buick v6 with approx 50k miles that had been built to put out approx 250hp. The engine details included:  "9.1 Compression, Hypereutectic Pistons, Balanced, 288 Duration Cam, Head is Ported with 174-150 Stainless Valves, Aluminum Edelbrock Performer Intake 4 Barrel, Holley Aluminum Valve Covers,High Volume Oil Pump".  Those are the kind of v6 specs I wanted, so it sounded ideal.

The guy I purchased it from (off craigslist of course) said it would likely need new rings and cam bearings, but everything else should be good to go.  So, I've been looking forward to the engine rebuild as I figured it would be pretty straight forward.

So, yesterday I started taking apart the engine.  Everything looked as expected until I pulled off the heads.  Inside number 1 & 2 chambers were some rust, thick carbon deposits and dust (see upper right pick — it's not horrible, but dirtier than I expected).  At that point, I decided the entire engine needed an inspection, so I pulled everything out.  When I got to the crankshaft, I could see there was definitely some wear — I would need to take it to a machine shop and have them review it.

This morning, I did just that.  First we discovered it had already been turned 010 and, after pulling out his micrometer, he determined that we'd have to go at least to 030, but he wasn't sure there was enough metal left to make that work.

So, I'm on the hunt for a cheap v6 with a good crank, or find a crank by itself (perhaps at a junkyard?), or buy a new one — approx $500 that I didn't intend to spend.

Stay tuned …