Junkyard Hunting For Good Core Engines 

Pro tip go to the Sedan isle 1st and grab a trunk mat/carpet to use while laying on your back.

This is an appropriate place to ask about junkyard etiquette. I hate it when the part I need is destroyed by someone who hacked it apart to get at what they needed.

I'm glad to see atleast one of the kids from the sandlot grew up to be a gearhead

Wandering craigs' once, "Real clean looking van, motor locked up, cheap." Went and looked at it, yep, locked up. Bought it, removed belt and started it up. Alternator was locked up, not the engine.

wow engine shopping with Uncle Tony what an honor and learning experience

Lol 😆🤣😂 the look Tony gave the kid when he said I really wanted those stickers. 😆🤣😂

I love how Tony popped the radiator cap, stuck his finger into the coolant and then tasted it.

I helped pull a sbc out of a wrecked square body once. It was in the drivers seat. Low miles. Air cleaner to pan, fan to flywheel is $203. SO we spent the day finding all new accessories. Found new stater, carb, distributor wires, plugs, cap rotor, air cleaner and housing water pump, belts chrome valve covers, .. literally replaced everything with as new parts we could find! $203!!! Fucker looked like a fresh build engine rolling out of the wrecking yard. Hahaha

You can tell this is the kids first time building a car. UT is trying to be professional in explaining the details for the viewers, and the kid is just having fun picking out parts for his car and making jokes. Then he trips over the rims!! I’ve never had the chance to build a car but watching all these car videos all the time gives me the confidence to try some day when the money is right.

It breakes my heart to see all those trucks on the scrapyard. I´m sitting in downsized engine Europe, struggling to keep my non pc US truck running...

Probably not going to be any oil in the oil pan if it's in a wrecking yard. Can check the sludge inside the valve cover at the oil fill easily though to see a ghost of what the oil inside was like.

The rear ended cars in the lot are my first choice if looking for a good candidate for a 🏃

After seeing the blacked out paint, intake left open to the elements and decals it was obvious to me this vehicle had led a hard life. The abandoned on the road sticker was the clincher. Along w locked up engine of course.

If you're checking if the engine rotates, just make sure it's in neutral if it's a standard transmission. Just saying. :-)

TWO turns of the crank with a ratchet will give you the full story of compression. One turn with a breaker bar is only half the story.

The wrecked chassis is much easier to deal with by including a cordless Sawzall. Sounds crude but it can really help get stuff you don't want out of the way.

Tripping over those rims is something I would end up doing too. Lol.

Teaching is more rewarding than learning

Remember to look out for the elusive 10 or 13 mm socket. Ah, Rare in deed but a wonderful find when you spot them in the wild :)

I’d pull all plugs,check them, and then rotate with the plugs out.

I used to love going to the wrecking yard to get parts..... Not anymore!

the 5.2 and 5.9 magnum have a common problem with the intake manifold....there is a lower sheetmetal belly cover that faces the lifters and usually blows out the gasket which causes a vacuum leak and the rich condition that had the carbon on the rear of the first truck

The heads on them motors usually crack between the valves

Exploded airbags make great sacks for carrying many smaller/greasy parts around the junkyard. Just bring a very sharp knife along to cut it free.

I could spend all day on scouting missions at the boneyard. I got my 95 360 from a wrecked 1500. The doofus nose flipped it over but the entire drivetrain was intact. I took the engine, 4 speed automatic, and 9 1/4 differential and put it in my 78 D-150.

Great tips for the beginner! Awesome job..

I kept hearing the theme from the good, the bad and the ugly as they were walking through...the second one had plenty of power left, look how far it drove that post into the front of it...

“This looks like a good motor” *motors locked up*

This video reminds me when I was a kid going with my gear head friends to the Ecology Center in Santa Fe Springs, California and trying to find parts for our MOPAR cars… All I can say is enjoy 😊

Magnum engines are damn near bulletproof. Simple ECM "OBD1" neither of mine have thrown a code for anything that I didn't do to the engine myself, the sensors are cheap too. It much easier to work on then a OBD2 system "less interconnectivity of running parameters" next too a pure mechanical system this engine series is what I prefer working on.

dont they drain all fluids before putting them out in the yard? The yards around here do

That's not even a Dodge.....what is it?....it's a 4.7. 😆 I love it.

I usually like to pop off a valve cover and check for sludge when I'm getting an engine.

Its amazing what you can find in a junkyard. I used to work for Tate's Auto salvage, and we had an Acura Legend, a 426 hemi, and a head for a first gen hemi among other things.

Learning SO MUCH with these guys.. thanks UTG

Great job teaching the young guys Tony. Passing on knowledge is very important. Keep up the great work and videos.

This is what I had done for a motor to put in my Dart. Mine came out of a 2001 ram 2500. It had block that was in great shape. Only issue were the heads were cracked 5 of 8 cylinders. Got new heads and she runs like a top

Didn't see an oil taste test as per VGG

This reminds me of parts shopping with my dad, back in the sixties, at our local junkyard. Can't wait for the next video.

Keep it up Tony! These junkyard videos are right up my alley not to mention that is my local yard as well 😀

Since I pull engines at you pulls as a norm now and check them over here is a tip no matter what it is. These yards generally by law have to drain to all the fluids. I personally do deal with one that doesn't but that's another story, and it's a hillbilly off the radar place anyway. Pull the drain plug if it's even in the oil pan and shove a small magnet in there. If it comes out with just used oil on it, great. If it comes out metal soup, move along. I have gotten pieces of valve train in the pan on my magnet.... metal soup from a spun bearing, etc. They usually also spin okay even with a pooched rod bearing.... bit me once lol. I had a nice smooth spinning 6 liter that made no noise and voila... number one rod bearing had spun on the crank. It's honestly the first thing I do on all my junkyard engine escapades.

Great instructional video UT!! Let's hope it turns out to be solid! Looking forward to seeing that motor torn down.

He reminds me so much of me when I was younger. Even kinda looks like me!

6:35 The ford sticker is hilariously hanging off of the Ram vacuum lines.

You can also see how much slop there is in the timing chain if you rotate it back and forth a few degrees between compression strokes. I also like to listen to the "hiss" as it hits compression strokes.

when its raining hard out and i cant go out, i love watvhing these videos, i learn a ton too,..stuff i forgot.

It’s good to take serpentine belt off if your checking the motor that way, the alternators and sometimes ac pumps can seize after a month or two of sitting, I got a screaming deal on a Durango once because the guy thought the motor was locked up

I'm watching this build. I've been wanting a 360 in my 1999 Ram for a while now. In a couple years I can do what I want because it will be over 25 years old and I won't have to do emissions testing anymore.

Good tips. I've been learning the ropes on this process.

Learned a few good things..thank you!

5:47 “Son…” “Yes?” “Lay under there.” 😜

CLOSE THE HOOD WHEN YOU'RE DONE! Just because you got your part, doesn't mean someone else like UT will need that engine after you snatched the throttle body. It's not that hard, people. You know: Do unto others...

Bro I’ve been Mopar for life, and you’ve taught me more from your channel in the last 2 weeks than I’ve learned in the last 2 years! I need your help on my 71 Sublime 340 Duster!

Great mentoring, and additionally your engine recognition(line-O-site) is impressive!

Title should be, Austin took a trip at the junkyard. LOL

I love how you are teaching "hands on" and passing your knowledge down to these guys! You always learn quicker and better by doing it yourself! I wonder way those places don't have hoods closed at least to just before they latch. Probably could save a lot more engines that way. (No water getting in from open hood).

I wish uncle tony lived near me. Lots of common sense used in finding a good rebuildable engine Good teaching video

I want to see the Junkyard Jet owners pull this motor from start to finish.I have 2 frozen pizzas,a 12 pack of soda and a box of Little Debbies.This will be pure entertainment.Please guys, bring your PPE,tools and a few big ass pieces of cardboard.Let's see the next episode!

Such great info, thanks uncle Tony!

That’s so much fun!

Great education for the young man! Real World experience!

Great lesson for junkyard hunting!

I picked up a 360 from an RV still sittin' in the garage though . I also check the condition of the dip stick to look for sludge and burned on oil

In 2008, I cracked my oil pan bottoming out. I didn’t know it and drove on the highway at over 90 miles an hour for 45 minutes. That that thing finally seized up you should’ve seen the oil on the back of the car as well as dripping all underneath.

A word of wise to that young guy. Never walk up to a truck, jump underneath it and start torquing on the engine. Make sure it is well anchored. You literally put your life into the hands of the last guy who was there. Didn't even check to make sure there was no chance that truck was gonna fall on you when you started throwing around that wrench.

Our pull a part around here has all the vehicles placed by manufacturer. All ford's/mercury/Lincoln together, all GMs together, all Chrysler/Dodge , and Imports all as one lot.

Thanks for This Tony gonna be looking a motor core for my car soon.

In the Florida pick n pull junkyards. They pop a hole in the oil pan ,tranny pan and rear axle pan and drain the fluids before placing them out on the yard

I will probably never pull an engine but I am glad I watched and learned.

Must be nice doing this stuff in the south the front frame rails and exhaust manifolds look mint on that blue ram

Glad them youngster got off the couch . Props.

Awesome job guys.

Awesome and that would be a great color for the Junkyard Jet 🤗

You guys are lucky to have nice big yards by you...Tony I'm sure you remember how many junkyards (and racetracks) were here in long island 20-30 years ago, now they're all covered by condos and houses people can't afford lol

After Uncle Tony’s checks that is!!!

Wow GMT 400 trucks that dont look ragged like that all do here. I gotta go to TN!

Thats a busy looking yard. Wish we could do that here

This dude is like the kid from bad Santa all grown up lol

"man I really wanted those stickers" Lol

When the motor isn't sludged you can probably use a ball hone, install new rings and bearing and have a good bottom end. Too bad the first one was locked

Very good info for newbies

I really wanted those stickers

Good video uncle Tony as usual does make me wonder though in terms of spinning the motor by hand I’ve never really been able to do that with the plugs in because the compression was too high…. And infact in some regard if I could turn it by hand all the way round I used to pass on that motor

i immediately knew he was going to taste the coolant. +100 points to myself

I always remove the serpentine belt. I've had where a seized alternator and belt tensioner were locking it up.

The problem with magnum engines is the fact people overheat the engine and the heads crack as a result. The weakness of them is bad valve seats that can crack.

5.9L magnum is a bulletproof badass. I had a 1999 ram 1500 4x4 sport, and i went to hell and back on that fucker, and it never skipped a beat. Engine never leaked, or consumed oil. Only weak part to the truck, was the automatic transmission. Burned right through it right after i bought it. Replaced under warranty, and lasted many brutal miles after.

Every magnum head will be cracked in between where the two exhaust ports are side by side, my only gripe with the magnum engines. Also I wish you could put the 5.2 crank in the 5.9 so you could bore it .040 over and have a 340 magnum.

Good point about the exhaust pipe. When it comes to wrecked vehicles, however, avoid if the rear axle got moved forward--it could very well have pushed the crank forward and you won't know until its disassembled and the thrust is measured. but I avoid the first generation of Rams anyway--every one I know had one, went thru so many repairs and got approached at gas stations by other owners to find out how many times it was in the garage. For you Ford fans, check out "tussin 5.0" he has some junkyard hunting videos for cheap Fox performance. what's the best price to pay for some greasy lump sitting in a shed the seller insists "ran when pulled" ? figure out what you could sell the individual parts for, if you found the block was cracked, and pay that amount. A bad reciprocating assembly is just an excuse for a forged stroker kit anyway :)

There is one is the junkyard by me in NC with headers on it, MSD coolant wires, k&n filter lid and lots of upgraded stuff. I don't have a need for it so I took a picture and kept moving

The color on that truck is pretty nice, maybe in the future take a sample of that color and make that the Junkyard Jet color

The speedometer in the van whose engine I pulled said 109,000 and that was good enough for me!

Sweet! Got my stuffed crust pepperoni pizza, a glass of coke with ice and lemon, and UTG! 👌🏻

My way to check condition of a engine is try and turn front pulley then to take a valve cover off and if it looks like crap it probably is.

All right now let's pull it!! 💯

Ut looks so at home walking that place !!!!! Hahaha lol

I'm jealous of the solid 2nd gen Dodges you have in TN.

that t shirt is awesome 👌

You know 1986-89 Dodge 318 or 360 truck/Vans have high swirl lean burn heads. The 360 has taller runners then the old 318 1972, but I don't know if the '86 to 89 are different. I do like the stock high swirl cast iron heads, they get good gas mileage. I have a 1989 318 w/f.I., the fuel tank was full of red glue (marvel mystery oil?) it did not mix with the gasoline and after filtering the gasoline it separated into three spots in the five gallon bucket. But I am gonna rebuild this 318 with one of those step above stock Hydraulic cams for gas mileage. Stock rings and bearings, maybe get the crank turned 0.010/0.010 on the mains and rods and just rebuild it to freshen it up. I am hoping this 3/4 ton van has a good transmission, lots of times if you find an old choo-choo custom or something like that, they will have a Hendrix, Jasper, or Roush automatic transmission, they have better clutches and jacked up valve bodies for the Heavy duty service they see in those heavy vans.Finger crossed!

Been looking through auto wreckers for 30+ years, I now buy any big block I find.