Weighing my options

[wickedmerc]

...so I decided to drive my poor MM hard, not knowing I was way low on oil (no idiot light to notify idiot behind the wheel to check his oil). End result was the demise of a perfectly good 64k mile motor :(

What to do now? Here are my options as I see them or as I'm hearing them. They're basically listed in cost order, from lowest to highest:
A: get rid of it
B: find a used MM or Mach 1 motor and take my chances (least cost but highest risk option). Anyone got 1 laying around?? :D
C: OEM replacement
D: Try to salvage my motor but will need it completely disassembled, inspected, machined and reassembled with many new parts
E: Aluminator short block, salvage what I can from my motor (ie heads completely redone)
F: Aluminator long block. ("easiest and quickest" option...not cheap!)
G: ???

What would you do?
.....understand, any option beyond "A" will economically strap me pretty good. It can be done but it's gonna hurt ("that's what I said" :D)

[dohc324ci]

OE + r&r 6-7k with 100k warranty. I was quoted 6200 back in 09

[RacerX]

Depends on how much you like your MM and how much free cash flow you have. Will you ever add a poweradder? My choice:
F. Aluminator longblock

I would have the heads checked before getting just a shortblock. Could be warped, cam bearing surfaces need to be checked. You can hurt the top end with oil loss too.

[PonyUP]

Well if option A is the only affordable option, but you are willing to drop some cash even though it would be difficult, then get the baddest and best you can so you can enjoy it for many more years to come.

+1 on "go fast" improvements

[burkem]

I vote Coyote...

[LANDY]

i like the aluminator 10.1 compression longblock. that would be my option and still have 36k miles warranty

[MOTOWN]

i would get the alluminator long block, and never look back!

[wickedmerc]

Thanks folks, keep 'em coming. I'll admit to leaning toward the Aluminator long block, but the cost of a used Mach 1 motor is tempting. It's gonna be a tough sell to my better half. She's still stinging from my boat fiasco a few years ago.....but that's another story :o

Am I seeing this correctly...the new 5.0, 32v motor (complete!) is about as much as the Aluminator long block?!? Anyone jammed 1 of those suckers into a MM yet? I'm thinkin' not a drop-in situation.

[dohc324ci]

Alluminator is only a couple grand more and you get forged internals if the budget allows that's what I would do. It sounded like you were on a budget. But your looking at 6700 for the motor then budget 3k for r&r.

Coyote isn't a drop in looking at some Unknowns there.....$$$

Good luck!

[tbone]

Just wondering how long you went without changing the oil. I mean, how many miles do you have to drive before the oil gets so low that it fries the motor? How much was left? Were you leaking or burning it? Not trying to be an ahole, just really curious how it all went down.

[Mr. Man]

5.4l w/ a blower. Build it like Babcock wanted it.

[J-MAN]

03 mach 1 short block for sale on SVTP. 10 hrs run time, $1550 shipped.
Sellers screen name is NeoTokyo. email, CrainRacing@yahoo.com

Good luck!

[wickedmerc]

Just wondering how long you went without changing the oil. I mean, how many miles do you have to drive before the oil gets so low that it fries the motor? How much was left? Were you leaking or burning it? Not trying to be an ahole, just really curious how it all went down.

For as embarrassing as it is, I almost don't mind telling what happened:

I was about 4k miles after a Mobil1 full synthetic 5w-20 oil change. The car did not drip a drop of oil. I did have the blue puff at start-up but that was the only indication that oil was being used. (Stop right there...I should have been checking my oil!).

I had a "spirited" start off a line 2 weeks ago and the car seemed to slip between 1-2. Hmmm. When I got to my destination a few miles away, I heard an odd clicking sound from under hood. Shut it off and it sat for a few hours. Got back in, started up...no noise. Drive a few miles home, there's that noise again. Checked oil, nothing. Got 3 qts Mobil1 5-20. 1 in...nothing. 2 in...a spot. 3 in!...showing on stick but still low...and it was DARK. Started up, rattle at 1st, then smooth. Needed to drive about 30 miles round-trip that evening. By the end of the trip, with the rattling, I decided I better get an oil change at least. After another full synthetic change, in front of a Ford mechanic (how 'bout that luck?!), seconds after start-up, he insisted it be shut off and diagnosed a spun bearing, at least.

The few people I've spoken to already don't even consider rebuilding my motor. The all go right to a replacement, which makes sense. With the low oil, I know something broke up top, but you don't know the damage below unless you take it all apart.

I was thinking about going to Ford with this. How can you have sensors all over the engine and exhaust monitoring all this crap, but nothing to tell the driver that they're low on oil?? The oil pressure gauge was unchanged through all of this (now I'm being told not to trust those gauges?!?). My 1972 Oldsmobile gives me an idiot light when I'm about a quart low (pressure drop)! WTF!?!

There's my saga. I will add a warning in my sig....."Check your :censor: oil!!"

[Blackened300a]

I have a 99 cobra engine with 9K miles. You can come hear it run. $2500 its yours.

[musclemerc]

^^^I would do a deal like this... On the cheap and spend the saved money on BOOST

[CBT]

I have a 99 cobra engine with 9K miles. You can come hear it run. $2500 its yours.
Damn I'd be on that if I was him. Only one state away, too.

[RacerX]

03 mach 1 short block for sale on SVTP. 10 hrs run time, $1550 shipped.
Sellers screen name is NeoTokyo. email, CrainRacing@yahoo.com

Good luck!
DAMN! That's a great deal!!!

[CBT]

DAMN! That's a great deal!!!

A whopping 10 hours, wonder why?

[Blackened300a]

A whopping 10 hours, wonder why?

Yeah really. Run a engine for 10 hours and then sell it for less then what it costs to rebuild?

[RacerX]

Habla Ingles? :D Read da linky foo! It was an engine that was part of the Ford quality control where they pull a random engine off the line and actually test it, dyno it. :beer:

[Blackened300a]

Habla Ingles? :D Read da linky foo!

No linky fool, just a email!

[wickedmerc]

I have a 99 cobra engine with 9K miles. You can come hear it run. $2500 its yours.
Thanks Paul, that's a generous offer. Unfortunately, I'm not prepared to make a decision just yet (although I'm leaning toward something new). I still gotta figure out funding, logistics, who's gonna do the swap, etc...
I appreciate the offer. If I choose the "used" route, I'll check back in to see if it's still available...then :banghead: if it's not.