Thanks Tim for dating my motor. Since it came from a 1951 3100, a 1951 date code is good news. Now for the bad news ......
When I got to the shop today the mechanic had already poured some solvent on the side of the motor and it revealed gold paint on the pushrod covers. He and I both agreed that we believe we are looking at a rebuilt motor! The yellow, and now gold paint, along with the heavy buildup of thick hard grease and dirt on both the motor and the transmission, add up to nothing less. And it’s a rebuilt motor with lots of miles on it to boot! So, we both agree that it would be a mistake to spend the time, effort, and $$$ to install it. I’m really disappointed.
I’m going back to my original plan of finding a good 235 motor and we will install that one instead.
