I can't imagine 2 guys having each others engine and not just doing a swap. Just pay for shipping and it's done. :dunno:

Charlie, was this guy trying to get money on top of getting the engine to you?

Agree, each car should get it's BORN WITH engine back.

If it we me, I would offer:

Swap engines, meet half way, R & R engines, make sure BOTH are back up and running properly. Hell I would even kick in "some" cash to reunite an born with engine back into an original ZL1. Be worth 10 of thousands MINIMUM upon resale, would it not?

Sorry the guy that refused Charlie is just being a ass!!!! Best for BOTH I would think.

This is very interesting information, thank you for posting.

His car is apart. He bought the # 3 engine back in the 70's and thought he was going to buy # 3 from the guy that had it with a small block in it. Porterfield swooped in with a boot full of cash and bought it out from under him. Porterfield tried for years to buy the engine. The guy wanted Porterfield to sell him the car. Later Porterfield found the block to # 26 and did a complete build up of the engine with a magazine covering it and even invited the guy to be part of the article. Guy still would not trade. Porterfield gave up and sold the engine to Heartbeat City. When I bought # 3 from Porterfield I then bought the engine from Heartbeat thinking I could get the deal done but just wasted my time. I offered to trade plus cash, Offered to buy him a car etc. When the guy dies the engine will probably get put into the correct cars.

this ZL1 sold for over $1M and has an interesting story on getting the original engine back


https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vid...of-one-million

Charley,did the #3 engine guy have a price stated that you couldn't agree too,or did he never state one?

I just shared a post on the Yenko FB page about a fellow who is selling a MacNeish-certified ZL-1 for $600K. No idea what it is about, but might be worth a look for anyone in the market for one.

It must pain Hagerty a great deal to actually post a somewhat positive article about a musclecar.

Would never price it. At one point I think he told me he would consider a Thunderbird Sport Roadster and I found several but he really just wanted to yank my chain. That's when I gave up.

I don't understand people like that. What do that have to gain except maybe stroking their ego if it's because he's miffed someone scooped the car on him? I group them in, almost, with the "I'm going to restore it" crowd that let nice rigs rot away in their yard or garage just because they can't or won't admit to themselves that they'll never actually be able to do it. At least they have delusions of grandeur versus being motivated by greed or whatever it is.