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What is my 289 hipo motor worth?

15K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  wicked93gs 
#1 ·
I am planning to post my k code motor on craigslist for sale.I am a member over on the hipo forum but I don't want to ship this motor,so I wont post it there.I am looking for some opinions on what price to put on it? It is a March 1966 casting with April 66 assembly date.The motor is complete,minus carburetor,just been completely rebuilt and not started yet.It has a 6F07 vin on the block.the heads 20 and 21 are original to the block.It has been bored 030 with forged pistons,new valves,cam,roller tip rockers,ported heads.I know I should put it on ebay,but I don't want to deal with building a crate for it to ship
 
#3 ·
I cant remember if i actually saw it or just read about it but $10K.:shrug:
The rest of that VIN could be worth double of whatever to someone. It might belong in a $75K GT FB or or one those oober S cars:) Advertise far and wide and i bet that sort of buyer has a "friend" near you that would help him ship it. Frankly though as a buyer i would feel better buying one that needs building.

I wonder how a person might x-reference that VIN to say if it originally made an S car go:lol::burnout:
 
#4 · (Edited)
I cant remember if i actually saw it or just read about it but $10K.<img src="http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/images/smilies/shrug.gif" border="0" alt="" title="shrug" class="inlineimg" />
The rest of that VIN could be worth double of whatever to someone. It might belong in a $75K GT FB or or one those oober S cars<img src="http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/images/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="smile" class="inlineimg" /> Advertise far and wide and i bet that sort of buyer has a "friend" near you that would help him ship it. Frankly though as a buyer i would feel better buying one that needs building.

I wonder how a person might x-reference that VIN to say if it originally made an S car go<img src="http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/images/smilies/lol.gif" border="0" alt="" title="lol" class="inlineimg" /><img src="http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/images/smilies/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="" title="burnout" class="inlineimg" />
You don’t mean an S code car do you? If so those are big block cars. The first S code was the 390 in ‘67 iirc

To answer the OPs question, I think you could try one of those really long eBay auctions for about 28 days so it gets a lot of exposure. You could probably get much more for it if you would ship it.
 
#5 ·
Snails aside, the long ebay auctions sometimes get overlooked, because people who want to buy stuff on Ebay don't want to wait 28 days to see if someone else outbids them. I generally filter for only 'buy it now' auctions myself.

I think if I were you, I'd simply take a look to see what other similar engines are selling for online first. Facebook marketplace, Ebay, and just flat out google the heck out of it for a bit before picking a price you feel comfortable with. If you Ebay it, and it doesn't sell, you can always relist.

If the price you're selling it for is one you feel comfortable about, then don't lower it when you relist. If you're motivated to sell, and feel that speed is more important than top dollar, then bring your price down a bit, or add "or best offer" to it, so that people feel comfortable talking to you about it. Hopefully, you find someone who needs that very motor for their 'very special project' and has the dollars to make you happy.

Don't overlook Facebook Marketplace either. An awful lot of car people are trolling that site and selling there these days!

Good luck!
 
#6 ·
About listing any item for sale: Make sure your description is accurate and the listing is easy for buyers to find. I have bought many items for a song because the seller didnt correctly list the item and I was the only bidder. Some of the items I didnt even want but the price was to good to pass up. I was able to relist the item and make a nice profit.

There is a k-code advertised in Atlanta for an asking price of 10k, Its been on and off CL for about 6 months.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I will add....anyone paying "big" money for whatever engine is gonna expect complete documentation for the build, part numbers, S/Ns, head and block codes etc. Especially, if they have to drive any distance for the pickup.
I know I would.....Good luck
 
#10 ·
Shipping an engine is no big deal...you strap it to a pallet and tell the buyer to arrange a freight pickup on their own dime...done.(I schedule freight pickups all day...it takes all of about five minutes). The only thing you "might" have to do is be home when the pickup happens...and that's only if the freight company for some reason doesn't have a pallet jack on their truck...and a liftgate(both of which can be arranged when scheduled)
 
#12 · (Edited)
The last engine I bought came on a pallet with 100 feet of shrink wrap and a couple of straps holding it all together. That being said, it was a junkyard EJ205, not a "we're not worthy!" Hipo 289.

I could see you taking a 20 to 30% hit on this if you aren't willing to ship it....and you can make the buyer pay the shipping cost, so really that's what I would suggest. If you are going to be firm around that $10,000 mark...I would be surprised if you can successfully sell it at that price unless you can find the right buyer who needs it for the right car. For that person (who will own a K-car missing its original engine)...it'll be worth it....but the chances are they won't live close enough to you that they can come over and pick up the engine.

I also agree with the previous poster that suggests you will need a ton of documentation for the sale that confirms to an "educated novice" that the engine WAS in fact an original K-Code engine. Documents 100% all of the date codes and special codes for all parts to verify what is original to the engine and what has been changed....and documents 100% how the engine was rebuilt, who rebuilt it, what was done, what parts were used, the cost of the rebuild, etc.

Without all of that....your k-code is just an overbored 289 with a likely story...and that's not worth 10 grand. Also, it occurs to me that it might be worth your time to procure the correct carburetor for the engine. Seems like that's a major missing piece here that will certainly drop your sale price below an engine that had the correct one.

Good luck

Phil
 
#13 ·
Phil,as I stated previously,I have documentation,receipts of detailed machine work and pictures of internal k code unique items.I would not call 030" to be an overbore.So your statement of it being"just an overbored 289 with a likely story" is just not true.I have referenced all parts with both Tony Gregory and Bob Mannels books.You are wrong saying "WAS",the facts are it IS an original K code engine.All I was asking for is what would be a good asking price for it.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Not knocking your engine...I'm just a guy that has heard every 289 anyone has ever stumbled over confused with a true k-code. As an owner of one, you more than anyone should appreciate how rare and special these engines are.

Regarding "overbore"...I'm defining "overbore" in the only way I've ever heard it used, which is when your engine was rebuilt, the machinist determined that wear was unacceptable in the piston bores and they made the decision to "overbore" by 0.030" to 4.030" Diameter. That's a very common thing and is well within the acceptable limits the engine can handle. I'm not insinuating that "You overbored the gosh darn thing and now it's no good!". Not at all.

Again, good luck with your sale.

If you could put all that documentation you have together, you might consider listing it on bringatrailer.com

It looks like that site pretty much brings "all the money" on about everything they list. So...I have no idea what "all the money" is for your engine...but with enough pictures that site could get that number for you, IMHO. (For example...I saw a set of 2 recaro seats bring $7000 there not long ago)

Phil
 
#15 ·
I am planning to post my k code motor on craigslist for sale.I am a member over on the hipo forum
What hipo forum? Thought that site was gone. (hipomustang.com)
 
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