Should I jump on this?

[Nevadastars]

My recently purchased 87 Sammi has a tired engine so I have been looking around for a decent used one. My compression is low with the best cylinder being 135lbs. But on top of that my valve seals are shot, so the thing guzzles oil, and fouls the plugs. Anyway, I found a guy that is swapping out his 1300 for a 4.3 Chevy in his 87 and wants $600 for motor and trans. His engine is stock but has a Weber and Thorley header. He checked the compression for me and it isnt a whole lot better than mine with 140, 140, 135, 145lbs. But his plugs look much better than mine because of my bad valve seals.

Do you guys think this would be a worthwhile investment for $600? I realize there are a lot of variables, but with the carb and header, I thought it may be worth it. Thanks for any opinions!

Don

[Nowhere]

You'r buying:
weber....100
trans......150
header....100
engine....250

Not tooooooo bad in my opinion.

The weber, header, and trans WILL sell well on ebay..

[martyman]

that seam's like a lot of money for the motor and trans, header is a nice touch, but the webber's more trouble than it's worth.
A good 1300 around here goes for $200 or $300.
I think i would spend the cash on a tracker/sidekick 1600, get injection, and good power

[OffRoad]

dude, a rust free sammy that runs? for $600?!?! it'd be on that before you even got your shoes on! look where i live. that would AT LEAST double (prolly triple) that here.

[OffRoad]

dude, a rust free sammy that runs? for $600?!?! it'd be on that before you even got your shoes on! look where i live. that would AT LEAST double (prolly triple) that here.

[crashnzuk]

Originally Posted by OffRoad

dude, a rust free sammy that runs? for $600?!?! it'd be on that before you even got your shoes on! look where i live. that would AT LEAST double (prolly triple) that here.

Re-read the first post
Travis..

[Bass Man]

135 low??

My dads 87: 115 lbs at best
My 88: 152lbs on 3/4 cylinders, one with 148.

His feals like it has a lot more power, but it could be from the 5.12 gears with only 33" tires... Correction; his has a lot more torque than mine.

Ask him if you can get the header for $100 and go buy yourself a salvage 1.6...

[Sooty Zooki]

Leave the replacement lump, and take off your head and fit new seals. Way cheaper than 600 smackers even if you pay someone to do it! Like you say your "friend"'s PSI is not that different to yours and I assume there is nothing wrong with the tranny... The only bit you will miss out on is the header which is worth having (the weber is shit for offroad - I agree with above) but you could buy a brand new one if you fitted seals yourself with the money you saved. That's my two pence worth!

[Fresh469]

why not put that same $600 towards a 4.3 yourself?

[MorganM]

Not a good deal. For $600 you could get a 1.6, 4.3, whatever you wanted from a junkyard with less miles.

If he thinks the used header, carb, and tranny are worth a lot then tell him to keep those, sell them, and you'll pay $150 for the engine only.

[Nevadastars]

Originally Posted by Bass Man

135 low??

My dads 87: 115 lbs at best
My 88: 152lbs on 3/4 cylinders, one with 148.

His feals like it has a lot more power, but it could be from the 5.12 gears with only 33" tires... Correction; his has a lot more torque than mine.

Ask him if you can get the header for $100 and go buy yourself a salvage 1.6...

As far as the compression numbers, I am going by what the manufacturer suggests as acceptable, which is a low of 170. I did ask him if he would sell the carb and header alone, but he said no.

I honestly dont need a 4.3 or the expense and hassle of doing it. I may just go the easy JDM 1.6 8v route for $995 from a local supplier. We use the Samurai for desert trails and a toad behind the motorhome and want to keep it simple.

Thanks for all the replies guys, it helped a lot!!