Some Advice/Thoughts - Barn full of Parts - Helping a Friend

[msuguydon]

I would like some suggestions/advice on how to help a friend.

Here is the story, I worked with a young man when I lived in Indiana.  His dad past away a couple of years back,  he and I have stayed in touch via e-mail/Facebook etc.  He commented and noticed my interest in cars.  It seems his dad was a drag racer back in the day.  Raced a Chevy II.  My buddy has told me on several occasions that the barn at the family house is filled with car parts.  He sent pictures to me last night.  The pictures and some description is included.

My friend is not a car guy.  He knows that parts have value but not sure what kind of value.  He wants to sell the parts but does not want to get ripped off, because it's his dads parts.. blah, blah.  He is looking to me for some help/advice.

The parts are located in Central Indiana.

Take a look.  Lots of blocks, cranks, heads etc..

Let me know what you think.

How can I help him .. HAMB classifieds? -- EBAY  Craigs List.. what?

Pictures to follow

[msuguydon]

You get the idea

[phat46]

That's a lot of stuff! I'd have to say that an auction is the only way to dispose of that amount of stuff in a timely manner. It would take forever selling a it piece by piece. But make sure the auction occurs only after you have had your first pick of the pieces!

[GPster]

I'd have to say that the amount of stuff there is no indication of how much it's worth. None of those crankshafts jump out to me as being any newer than '86. With the rust on them they might not be worth much more than weight depending on how much grinding/polishing it would take to make them usable. That assortment might be made of stripped engines that he just hadn't junked after he got the one piece he wanted. There are engine rebuilders that tour junkyard looking for engines to rebuild. Maybe that would be an option. That carb that looks so nice is a mid '50s to mid '60s style and is probably worth it's weight to a restorer but has little value on the open market. Everybody looking at that stuff might find a piece or two that they would want but for someone to want it all it would be to make enough money with what would sell to cover the total cost of all of it plus some profit. Of course my opinion only has any worth to me but here are two suggestions. Have the son put a timeline on this stuff. When did his father stop racing and when did he die. That would put a date on when he might have stopped collecting stuff and how long it's been sitting unattended. Did his father have any racing buddies? They might have a better idea of what the father saved and maybe might have a better idea what it would be worth locally. If Good Guys still has their Indianapolis gathering at the drag strip that might be a one time swap meet deal. People interested in racing and people interested in older engines (although not necessarily Chevys) might gather around to piece through it. GPster

[wayne petty]

you only have about a dozen cranks...  what looks like a few heads...

one very nice early block...  probably a 327 small journal block...

the carb is a very clean unit...


but ... pictures only tell the visual portion...

each of those parts will have a casting or forging number...

make you list like this...   just copy this a bunch of times per page.
measure the cranks..     mark them down...   you might take a paint marker to mark the cranks as what position on the page they are.. a, b c d e ........
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
crank....   number____________    cast or forged..

large journal   small journal...

mains   std,   -010,   -020,   -030    ____________
2.300   2.450
2.290   2.240
2.280   2.430
2.270   2.420

rod      std,    -010,   -020,   -030    ____________
2.000   2.100
1.990   2.090
1.980   2.080
1.970   2.070

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
you can just circle the numbers...


CHEVY SMALLBLOCK V-8 Crankshaft Journal Sizes


Gen.I, "Small Journal"
265...Mains-2.30"-Rods-2.00"
283...Mains-2.30"-Rods-2.00"
302...Mains-2.30"-Rods-2.00"
327...Mains-2.30"-Rods-2.00"


Gen.I, "Medium Journal", includes "Vortec" 305 and 350 thru '98
262...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"
267...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"
302...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"
305...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"
307...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"
327...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"
350...Mains-2.45"-Rods-2.10"


Gen.I, "Large Journal"
400...Mains-2.65"-rods-2.10"


Non-production Gen.I combination, using Gen.I 400 crank in Gen.I 350 block
383...400 crank, Mains cut to 2.45"-Rods-2.10"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the heads have several things ...

casting numbers...

julian date code... sample  (\)7B14(/)  valentines day 1967 or 77.....

screw in studs or press in studs..  

1.94 intake valve or 2.02 intake valves...  or smaller...
thickness of the head measured at the lower mounting row..


the model numbers of the carbs and the intakes...

these can be craigslist items... or ebay items...

if you list the parts with careful titles con craigslist.. they do get picked up by google... and list the info inside..  you will get more buyers...

with all the info... you will even know which ones are worth what...

i neglected to check a forging number on what i thought was a large journal 327 crank.. and it turned out to be not only a large journal 302 crank.. but it was a DZ block also.. i sold it for 100 bucks..  boss was throwing it away..  a friend needed a lj 327...  still kicking my self..


make a list...  mark the cranks...

send me a PM if you need the list sorted at to what it fits...

i love doing research..   i am taking that you can come up with a paint marker and at least a dial micrometer..

[GPster]

One additional thought. Summit and probably others is building "Crate" engines and selling them without needing a core. Maybe they would have a use for the lot.GPster

[alchevy]

Sounds like a call to the show on tv called American Pickers!

[phat rat]

Sounds like a call to the show on tv called American Pickers!

From watching that show I think I can say with certainty that they wouldn't be interested. They have bought next to nothing in the way of car parts and seem to be clueless as to worth of them. In the same vein of thought I'm clueless in the worth of many things they buy that's outside the realm of automotive

[Carnut]

Heh, heh, don't have much to suggest on the parts selling, maybe a swapmeet, maybe ebay, maybe a flea market, maybe craigs list.

But I wanted to mention that 'Pickers' and 'Pawn Stars' are about the only network TV shows I watch anymore.

Heh, heh, and it's been a chuckle at how little the guys know about cars. And some of what they have been 'sold' and 'told' automotive wise. Their mechanical expertise seems to be totally two wheeled.

I think Dannelle has been one of the main attractions of the show for me.

It is fun to see what automotive junk they do drool over in some shows.

Its still a darn interesting show.

I think it really grabs me in the junkyard searching that brings back many many fond memories of my youth and what an adventure that used to be.

Wish to heck they would come buy all my junk, but I don't have much of interest, just a lot of junk.

Now the Pawn stars almost seems like family to me. I'll watch reruns all day long on that one.

There is such a tenuous connection to history with those shows, one wonders why they are on the History Channel, but then again I thoroughly enjoy Ice Road Truckers as well and there no history in that show.

Ooops sorry for the of topic.

[57larry]

I'm in Indy, I'd be interested in looking at the parts