Cracked 383 Engine Block Advice

[superbird77]

Hey guys, i just wanted some advice on a 383 block i bought recently. I was searching for a date coded E383 HP block for my roadrunner and came across one for sale by a guy running a mopar engine shop. After talking to the owner i agreed to buy it as he had said it was checked for cracks and mangafluxed. I had to ship it via freight to a professional machine shop i had building my engine, freight was about $300.00. I just got a call from the machine shop saying they were about to bore the cylinders but noticed it had two cracks, one being located on the deck. Needless to say its totally unusable, now its just a 1969 HP 383 paperweight.

I guess i am seeking advice on what you guys feel would be fair since on my end since i made sure before i bought it that it didn't have cracks and was a solid core. I have contacted the person i bought it from and he requested pictures of the cracks as he feels it was fine. I figured since he is a machine shop selling engines and rebuilding them that maybe he should of caught this. The shop that is doing my engine build is a really reputable business that's been around since the 70's, they said the cracks were pretty obvious. I have the cost of the block and freight to consider, anything i buy now will have to be shipped as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[5.7 hemi]

I would get the pics to him asap, and after he looks at them, DEMAND a full refund!! No slack cutting on this, and if you used a cc, call them and tell them to stop payment if he does not agree to a total REFUND.

 

[Coyoteduster]

I would get the pics to him asap, and after he looks at them, DEMAND a full refund!! No slack cutting on this, and if you used a cc, call them and tell them to stop payment if he does not agree to a total REFUND.

Yeah, what he said!

 

[Meep-Meep]

Normally in cases like this I always make sure UP FRONT that the item will be magged and if it fails I split the cost. Of course this applies to an item that is sold "as is", for a good deal price. Often a cracked part is useless to anyone, so if it's cracked beyond repair both parties know where they stand. The 1/2 cost of a mag and walking away is far cheaper than flipping the bill for a junk part. If the part mags good then the buyer naturally pays for the mag. The best way to do this in the future I think is tell the seller to deliver it to a local shop for mag check because the sale is conditional based on passing mag check. The potential buyer should be the one to place the order for the mag, not the seller. The contract for work should be between the potential buyer and the shop (I think) to minimize any incentive for foul play and give the buyer some recourse by dealing with the shop directly. Do the cost split if the part is bad or whatever you agree on. This approach might stop the whole sale before it goes too far if the seller has any doubts if the part will pass mag of if he's trying to get over on someone.

In your case the seller said it was mag OK, and is a machine shop, so I say you get your purchase price back plus the shipping, and you can scrap the block. No way the seller is going to ship a cracked block back home. Take pics of the block showing areas that the seller can identify. He needs to be absolutely sure it's that exact same block that has the issue. I hope this was an honest mistake by the seller and something can get worked out.

 

[MT_Mopar]

I have magnetic particle tested hundreds of parts, the parts usually don't crack in shipping.

I hope the seller is an honest guy, seems he should of known the block was already cracked unless he has bunches of them laying around and got it mixed up with something else.

Does he have any more E383 HPs? I would want another block on his shipping dime, or a full refund + shipping cost refund.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[wedge69]

Not that I can help you on this but as said I would hope he refunds you.
If you need another one I have a complete bottum end in my shop in good shape. I will cut you a deal and you can have it up front and tested first ! Then pay me if it's all good .
Just trying to help you out Bro !

 

[monaco66coupe]

Sorry to hear of the problem, maybe the first guy just didn't magnaflux it. I do have a E code HP 383 block, if the guy can't provide you with another.

 

[Mr Belvedere 30144]

I would get the pics to him asap, and after he looks at them, DEMAND a full refund!! No slack cutting on this, and if you used a cc, call them and tell them to stop payment if he does not agree to a total REFUND.

+1

 

[bigblock]

I have one too. Standard bore and I know it is good. Planned on a 426 stroker one day.

 

[superbird77]

Thanks for all the advice guys, i am waiting to hear back from him once he views the pics. I will follow up when i know more.

 

[superbird77]

A quick update, he is going to give me my money back but wont refund any of my shipping charges. I told him he should be responsible for at least half the shipping charges. He claims he has no way to tell if its the block he actually sold me. What a joke, i debated with him but he just got cranky and said its that or nothing. He said if i argued more he wouldnt give me anything. So, Norms Speed Shop in Wisconsin is pretty shady in my book. I meet the most questionable people in this industry, it really puts me off as i own a business and don't operate like this. I'm bummed. So who has a E383 HP block they wanna possibly sell me?

 

[wedge69]

Like I told you I will ship it to you and you can pay me after you have it gone over. I stand 100% behind my parts as most on here do ! Sorry to hear this deal but at least you get something back And a End table for the shop.

 

[Jim Bob The Dancing Bear]

View attachment 179032

Sorry to hear about the shipping charges. Getting the money back for the block is better than nothing though.

 

[darc1722]

Obviously sending it back is not an option and it surely didn't happen during shipping. My advice would be to have the seller contact the machinist at the reputable shop and let him explain the crack and why it's not usable. If the seller is honest this should be enough for a refund, although shipping expenses should also be included. Did you pay with a credit card or PayPal, if you did there's ways to stop the payment. Good Luck!

 

[rev.ronnie]

A quick update, he is going to give me my money back but wont refund any of my shipping charges. I told him he should be responsible for at least half the shipping charges. He claims he has no way to tell if its the block he actually sold me. What a joke, i debated with him but he just got cranky and said its that or nothing. He said if i argued more he wouldnt give me anything. So, Norms Speed Shop in Wisconsin is pretty shady in my book. I meet the most questionable people in this industry, it really puts me off as i own a business and don't operate like this. I'm bummed. So who has a E383 HP block they wanna possibly sell me?

Ha ha! Says "crack repair and pressure testing" , right on their web page, second line!

I will put these shifty characters on my DO NOT USE list.

 

[NJRR]

I almost bought a complete 4-speed conversion package from Norms for my RR. He advertises on Ebay. When I called and spoke to him, he sorta turned me off with an attitude like he was doing me a favor. Glad I didn't go with him. Sorry he scammed you SB77.

A quick update, he is going to give me my money back but wont refund any of my shipping charges. I told him he should be responsible for at least half the shipping charges. He claims he has no way to tell if its the block he actually sold me. What a joke, i debated with him but he just got cranky and said its that or nothing. He said if i argued more he wouldnt give me anything. So, Norms Speed Shop in Wisconsin is pretty shady in my book. I meet the most questionable people in this industry, it really puts me off as i own a business and don't operate like this. I'm bummed. So who has a E383 HP block they wanna possibly sell me?