Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Welcome new members, please make your first post in this section. Say hello & tell us a little bit about you and your car. We're happy to see you here!
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Welcome new members, please make your first post in this section. Say hello & tell us a little bit about you and your car. We're happy to see you here!
andrewquant
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri May 28, 2021 2:47 pm

Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by andrewquant »

Well, I thought my first post here would be more positive, but I have a sad story.
I bought a 2013 PPV "as-is" with 124,000 on it. When I went to check it out, the motor wouldent turn. I pulled off the intake and found metal and coolant inside. Then I pulled the head on the driver's side and saw the exhaust valve was broken, and the piston vaporized. But worst of all, there is a fist sized hole in the block. :( Welp. Seller has said "it just died on him one day and wouldent start" The pictures seem to state otherwise tho.

I had bought this a fixer upper project car to teach my 11yo son about engines. Now I'm afraid its a lot more of a project than I wanted to spend and I'm not sure what to do. Abort, or go big. I realize its the sexy thing to go big, but I'm wondering what is smarter.

I'm about $4,500 into the car. Should I sell it with the blown motor? Or go all in and teach my son how to build a LS3 on a virgin block? At this point I'm worried its going to be a money pit with no ROI. I don't even know if the car is worth 4,500 with no engine. Thoughts? He is neutral on it.

-Andrew
Image Image Image Image
2013 PPV Phantom black 1,077 RWHP 1,015 RWTQ 9.9@148
LS3 stroker 417ci, Callies crank w/ Malhe pistons & Darton sleeves. 11.5:1
Procharger F1a94. 22 psi boost E85
Water/Meth + 180hp N20
BTR custom cam 235/257 .638/.629 116, BTR shaft rockers Johnson 2126 lifters
BTR Trinity intake Kooks headers w/ Solo exhaust 3"
CDT Level 4 trans build w triple disc TC
Holley 120lb injectors
MT ET Street R 305/45/R18 on 10" widened OEM wheels.
User avatar
elc32955
System Manager
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Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:32 am
Location: East Central Florida
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Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by elc32955 »

To start, I think if I were you I'd seriously give the guy that sold you this car some angst. That is not a simple "Oh, it failed to start one day" issue as the seller portrayed to you. Maybe he'd do the right thing to compensate for his disingenuous conduct and give you some money back if you flat-out asked. Nothing to lose and a phone call is free. If an attorney does it for you pro bono even better :)

SO... You're into an old police car for $4.5k with a dead engine. That's a really hard place to be in - if you're looking for resale down the road. 3 permutations here as I see it, build, transplant, or scrap. You're probably looking at a $1 to 2K return at best if you try to move it as-is, and it'll probably be someone that'll put a motor in it who will buy it. Salvage yard value as scrap is around $500 where I live. You could part it yourself and make more then that, if you have somewhere you could do a teardown on it at and store the bones while it's slowly being picked apart.

It's worth more running alive then dead for sure. If you're budget-conscious, I'd find a local salvage yard that has a 6.0 PPV motor on the shelf and transplant it. It may not be a motor "build" but you'd still have fun doing it with your son, you'd get a running car out of the deal, and you might be able to recoup most of your investment if you have that in mind when you're done with it. BUT, if this is truly a family educational project it's hard to tag a value onto the kind of bonding experience that goes with a build. That in and of itself may be worth getting it running, budget or no budget.

Tough call all the way around at this point.

Good luck!
Eric
System Manager and your tour guide for the day. 2015 Caprice w/LFX, former NC DPS staff car. Partial hybrid G8/SS/Camaro SS interior mods, SS MyLink radio upgrade, 2016 Camaro V6 rims, GMPP Malibu chrome exhaust tips, otherwise bone stock for now.
s/c'd cav
Posts: 1382
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:12 am
Location: PHOENIX AZ

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by s/c'd cav »

you can use any GEN4 motor as a replacement to put it back on the road , the truck 4.8/5.3's are cheap , though you would need to find a LS2 intake due to the difference in intake ports , unless you can find the truck 6.0 motor reasonable , and swap the oil pan and all outter accessories , including the balancer

you would need to have the car retuned to run with the smaller motor
lastcall190
Posts: 604
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:17 am
Location: North Jersey

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by lastcall190 »

Maybe I'm just a sap but you can't put a price on memories of building something like that with your child. My dad spent way too much money on Legos when I was a kid to build with me, now I get it. Keep it and have fun IMO, I agree with Eric's last statement.

-J
2012 Caprice
2008 CVPI

Both gone but not forgotten...
Sanford
Posts: 356
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2016 9:38 pm
Location: Texas Gulf Coast

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by Sanford »

That damage did not “just” happen without any noise. I bought one that sounded terrible when I went to pick it up, which was stated in the auction. It decided to lock-up when I went to load it on the trailer. I asked how long it was driven make that much noise. He said it was driven across town to the dealership and then back to the service center.
I would talk to the seller, as I think he left out some details that may have made you change your mind about the purchase. I could not sleep at night if I did this to someone. I guess this is the reason I drive cars until they are only good for scrap metal.
andrewquant
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri May 28, 2021 2:47 pm

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by andrewquant »

And to complicate things, the seller is one of my friends. Beforehand he said the car would be worth $4500 even if the motor was blown. Is that a lie? He is a Holden enthusiast, so believed him. That was kinda my safety net, but if that's not true I may be in a pickle.
2013 PPV Phantom black 1,077 RWHP 1,015 RWTQ 9.9@148
LS3 stroker 417ci, Callies crank w/ Malhe pistons & Darton sleeves. 11.5:1
Procharger F1a94. 22 psi boost E85
Water/Meth + 180hp N20
BTR custom cam 235/257 .638/.629 116, BTR shaft rockers Johnson 2126 lifters
BTR Trinity intake Kooks headers w/ Solo exhaust 3"
CDT Level 4 trans build w triple disc TC
Holley 120lb injectors
MT ET Street R 305/45/R18 on 10" widened OEM wheels.
User avatar
elc32955
System Manager
Posts: 2718
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:32 am
Location: East Central Florida
Contact:

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by elc32955 »

Well, if this guy is truly your friend ask him point blank exactly what source he used to determine the valuation. If he's thinking the value is derived from the sum retail valuation of the good parts, you don't resemble a salvage yard. If you want to have some fun, call the used car department at your local Chevrolet dealership. Ask them how much a 2013 Caprice with 124,000 miles, used in police service with a police-labeled title is worth for trade-in value on their lot, and BTW it has a blown motor. See what figure they give you. Also call a salvage yard in your area, ask them what the salvage value is. Those will be real-world numbers from your area. Also I'd be curious how long the guy has been sitting on this car. Did he perhaps overpay himself and become buried in it? Were you his shovel out of a bad deal? Another way to check up is to Google search the VIN number. A lot of times nowadays public sales report final sale prices on the Internet, you might be able to see how much this guy paid for the car on sealed bid or at auction. If he tries to quote KBB or NADA book values, remind him that those do NOT cover cars with blown engines, only running & driving cars. And those books can't write checks.

I'm not trying to make light of your situation, this is not a good place to be on several different levels now it seems. But in present condition, unless there is something special about this car that you're not describing to us, in my opinion that $4,500 figure may not be in a realistic ballpark. If the car is a 9C3 configuration ("Detective" model with shifter & window switches in the middle of the center console) that does increase the value somewhat - but not by too much with a blown motor. Look at the archives of the for-sale section on here. You'll get a sense of what running, driving cars have been selling for. And, if it was a marked unit you've got paint & body costs to consider as well unless you're going to do a repaint yourself or you have a shop or friend that'll handle it for you at a discount. Or just drive it in blue & white, black & white, as long as it doesn't look like a Blues Brothers rig going down the road.

I don't know too much more what I can say here. Best of luck sums it all up.

Eric
System Manager and your tour guide for the day. 2015 Caprice w/LFX, former NC DPS staff car. Partial hybrid G8/SS/Camaro SS interior mods, SS MyLink radio upgrade, 2016 Camaro V6 rims, GMPP Malibu chrome exhaust tips, otherwise bone stock for now.
GammaFlat
Posts: 260
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:26 am
Location: NW Indiana

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by GammaFlat »

Hey Andrew,

I'm sorry to see your troubles. I hope it goes well. I'd think about trying to get a Gen IV engine from the junk yard. I wouldn't settle for anything less than a 6.0. I personally have a 5.3 (gen III) that needs the bores cleaned up and I'd sell it but it is an extra hundred pounds (iron), not as many cubes and other complexities (gen III vs IV).

I've seen brand new 6.2 bare blocks for around 2k. That does not include rotating assembly (your crank is probably fine). I believe a used block (although more of a risk) can be had for less. At this point, you probably will tend to be more risk averse. So, you'd need pistons, rods and 1 head. I would guess a set of used heads would be 3-500. Salvage as many parts as you can (cam okay or upgrade with DOD?). DOD delete parts are gonna be 800-ish. If you decide to go cathedral port, PM me, I may have some parts for you (heads, intake)

If you are willing to make more of an investment.... Just get a Gen IV block. You can get a 4 inch crank and go 408 (crank, pistons and rods).. then you'd need one head and a DOD kit. (12-1400 for a 4 inch rotating assembly)

If you should decide to bail and you're nearby, I may have a local buyer for you. I'm in NW Indiana. Expensive transportation (car carrier) likely impacts the deal negatively enough to take it off the table. If you're reasonably close, a flat tow or dolly might be cheap enough. Where are you?

6.0 blocks and corresponding VIN (8th digit) and vehicles for your salvage yard search:
L76, Y - Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Sierra, Yukon
L77, 8 - Caprice
L98, n/a - Modified L76 - Australian vehicles, no DOD
LFA, 5 - Silverado, Tahoe, Sierra, Yukon, Escalade
LS2, U - Corvette, SSR, Trailblazer, CTS, GTO, 9-7X
LZ1, J - Silverado, Tahoe, Sierra, Yukon, Escalade
Current: 2013 9C3, deeper trans pan, 12VoltSolutions Remote, Class III hitch, Android Auto capable radio
andrewquant
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri May 28, 2021 2:47 pm

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by andrewquant »

You guys are really great. Appreciate all the advice. I think I worked out a deal with the seller. Looks like we are going to rebuild it with a LS3 from a Corvette. It has really great body and interior, so it had to be done. Hopefully my son will remember it fondly.
2013 PPV Phantom black 1,077 RWHP 1,015 RWTQ 9.9@148
LS3 stroker 417ci, Callies crank w/ Malhe pistons & Darton sleeves. 11.5:1
Procharger F1a94. 22 psi boost E85
Water/Meth + 180hp N20
BTR custom cam 235/257 .638/.629 116, BTR shaft rockers Johnson 2126 lifters
BTR Trinity intake Kooks headers w/ Solo exhaust 3"
CDT Level 4 trans build w triple disc TC
Holley 120lb injectors
MT ET Street R 305/45/R18 on 10" widened OEM wheels.
BarryM
Posts: 51
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 12:29 am

Re: Intro, my new PPV has a blown motor :( w PICS

Post by BarryM »

Best wishes on the build . . . it will be worth it.

Here's my team, they love telling their buddies about 'building the police car'

But I think they like riding in it even more
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