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That was for just the head without seeing or assessing anything about this actual engine. $600 for an entire engine sounds pretty good, but I could buy a good used head for less than $600. He may have said even more than that, but I basically lost interest when he said he had seen redblocks and they always had wear and tear in the valve train. I got the feeling that guy was either trying to shaft someone, or more likely didn't want the particular job.

I did try oiling the cylinders - no change. A leakdown test showed leakage through the crankcase, and there is a rather large area where it was obviously leaking past the head gasket and into an oil galley. The bottom end looks great from up top, but I still have to drain it and check rod/main bearing clearances. I don't have a ring compressor tool, so I am not keen to pull the pistons. The cylinder walls looks amazing and still show light but consistent crosshatching.