1995 V6 mustang Motor Question

mx4life · 08-08-2008

So theres a '95 mustang my brother is interested in purchasing but it needs new heads. I'll be taking the car to a local mechanic to have it inspected, but for just in case if anybody has any incite on any things i should be looking for. Currently the car has the cracked heads and the owner claims that if left running for to long white smoke comes out the tail pipe. The sale price on it is 1300 but were negotiating to get it lower. It does have a very nice body kit on it and some rims that he just bought with brand new tires. My last question is if it needs a new motor how much am i looking at for a new motor or used and how mechanically inclined do you have to be to do it yourself or how much would a shop probably charge to swap it? Thanks in advance ...

dakine858 · 08-08-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mx4life

So theres a '95 mustang my brother is interested in purchasing but it needs new heads. I'll be taking the car to a local mechanic to have it inspected, but for just in case if anybody has any incite on any things i should be looking for. Currently the car has the cracked heads and the owner claims that if left running for to long white smoke comes out the tail pipe. The sale price on it is 1300 but were negotiating to get it lower. It does have a very nice body kit on it and some rims that he just bought with brand new tires. My last question is if it needs a new motor how much am i looking at for a new motor or used and how mechanically inclined do you have to be to do it yourself or how much would a shop probably charge to swap it? Thanks in advance ...

I would probably say pass on the Mustang with the cracked heads unless you can get the seller down to $500 it's not worth it. Cracked heads and white exhaust smoke mean that oil and or coolant have been able to leak into the combustion chamber and it's almost impossible to assess the extent of engine damage unless you tear it down. In my opinion, you need to be a pro mechanic or have more than a few years of hands on experience before you do your first engine swap.

cmaurer1 · 08-09-2008

Most mechanics do not charge a huge amount to do an engine swap though. If you could get the guy down to 1k I would jump on it. Especially if you like the body and it is in good shape otherwise. In my area I can get a straight swap 3.8 to 3.8 done for 500 or I can help with the swap and have it for 300. They are not outrageously hard to do or expensive to pay for.

dakine858 · 08-09-2008

By the time your done paying for the car, the new engine and the labor charge for the install, you could get a mustang that didn't need work for the same price if not less. You also need to consider the person selling it and get a feel for how they drove it. If they ran the sh*t out of it and that's why the head is cracked, my guess is that the transmission isn't in that great of shape and you run the risk of that failing sooner rather than later. Also, beware of kids with no real mechanical experience aside from guessing games and self-proclaimed mechanical skills if you end up getting the car and choosing a mechanic to swap the engine.

mx4life · 08-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakine858

By the time your done paying for the car, the new engine and the labor charge for the install, you could get a mustang that didn't need work for the same price if not less. You also need to consider the person selling it and get a feel for how they drove it. If they ran the sh*t out of it and that's why the head is cracked, my guess is that the transmission isn't in that great of shape and you run the risk of that failing sooner rather than later. Also, beware of kids with no real mechanical experience aside from guessing games and self-proclaimed mechanical skills if you end up getting the car and choosing a mechanic to swap the engine.

yeah apparently there was a recall on the heads of the 95 3.8 because the heads were deffective. So im assuming thats why the heads are cracked but it is a college kid who owned. The car looks great and taken care of but yeah we decided to pass on it ... the quote to straight swap the engine was 800 bux. And locating a 3.8 that we could use for a straight swap hasnt been easy cuz theres none on craigslist, ebay, and ive checked 3 local junk yards and they dont have any either. So we decided its more pain than its worth.