I hear you. The reason I'm willing to consider it is because at $125 bucks, I think the parts can get me that money back. In fact, I think just the 848 head may be worth the $125 on eBay. I'm most interested in seeing that the engine is not already at .060 over or greater since the largest pistons I have been able to source are .080 over. From there, I'd disassemble and be able to take it over to the machine shop to magnaflux it and go from there. I would think one could wire a starter and do a compression check on an engine on a stand.
I do agree with that the runner is less of a gamble. However, that's where I start to think that $1000 for an engine in unknown condition vs. $1300 for a rebuilt one sounds a bit expensive. Now, if that runner had good oil pressure and good compression numbers, that's the definite way to go based on my current options.
