Do I fix it or not?

[winner3405]

I bought a 94 Cav real cheap ($50.). The engine is partially disassembled with the roller cam and oil pan missing. Was told it ran okay before. Been sitting up about 1 1/2 years. The head checked out fine and there is no ridge in the cylinder walls. Cav has about 147,000 miles on it. My question is Should I put the money in it to fix it or am I just throwing my money away. Also, anybody have a roller cam or oil pan for sale inexpensively? Thanks
winner3405

[cdru]

Being exposed to the elements (presumably unprotected) for 18 months probably didn't help it any. Plan on the worse and assume that it needs a complete overhaul. I would say you are looking at at $500-1000 ( I may be way off though) to do everything right if that was the case. You may be better off just getting a engine from a junk yard that you can drop in place.

The cam will run around $135 for an aftermarket replacement. The oil pan around 90. Both may be available from a junkyard for less.

Even if you get the engine all back together (and find out about all the other missing pieces), you still aren't guaranteed a working vehicle. How much do you trust the person you bought it from?

You may be able to make a decent amount of money parting it out then just having it hauled to a junk yard. For example, I was recently looking at power window switched for my Cavalier and saw this eBay auction. Much to my dismay I watched it go for over $58. If you did something similar you could easily recoup your $50 initial investment.