Does original Engine add much value

roy willson

roy willson

New Member
Hello all
One of my friends as a 3500 Huntsman in lovely condition but no longer has original engine
the original engine has resurfaced but is in a very sorry state and would need a complete rebuild and even then not sure if it would be ok
It suffered a camshaft failure and a two inch piece ended up in the sump also damaging the crank and one main bearing cap
So would the cost of rebuild outway any increase in value as on the log book it does not state if engines have been changed in the past
my car has its original engine and the only way I found out was with a copy of the original registration document for its first road Tax in 1970 which has the engine number on it and the chassis number and engine number don't match apart from the first three digits
cheers Roy
 
Unless the car has some significant historical importance I don't think it matters at all, and won't affect the value of the car in my opinion.
 
With the coming DVLA shenanigans regarding originality in order to qualify for historic status, if the original engine is available then I would keep it under the bench and keep the correct numbers on the paperwork.
That is if there is an engine number listed on the V5C
 
as far as i am aware the V5C still has the original engine number on it as when the replacement engine was fitted the V5C was not updated
 
Hi, As Harvey says (same size and type) is not a problem. Putting a 3.9 or 4.6 is a loss of one point. Changing to a LT77 would be two points or a Jag diff is risking another two. Now you would be down to nine points.

Colin
 
going to be a mini minefield soon. especially as government are well know for changing rules to suit whatever attitude is prevailing at time .
would have thought changing for same type and size would not have any detrimental effect.as to cars values.. any value is down to the buyers whom may have different ideas as what is worth what. many younger person for example would prefer bigger faster engines! ( not going to mention bodywork paint etc)
another pointer for historic cars ..is if a say replacement is no longer available ..I can understand d them saying tough luck but but you lose points /status. however tax exemption is worth keeping of many whom run cars on shoe string ..as it does help things!
shoestring ( yes I am on a pension) accepted. I would still pop my car in every year ( even with its average 300 miles) for an Mot . as i think its worth doing. far too easy to miss something or not spot a potential serious issue. here I did note at one MOT station i book d in at .the tester groaned and said he hated classic cars.. after a chat and explanation it seems newer testers are trained do simply fail pass box ticking . so if foe example a windscreen wiper fails to contact screen across full movement it get s fail! on older curved cars screens it was missing a section from NEW! . ( just a poor example) he was however delighted to find my old wreck was not only fit for road but had better front brakes than quiet a few modern cars he tests.
I have since moving found a testing station where the tester used to work at one stage for Rover dealers .. so aware of its foibles . not that he will let it go on road if its isn't fit to in anyway .shape or form. ( must admit my keeping awake at night when Mot due is always down to handbrake sigh- despite new cable .new callipers. pads . discs . grrr)
 
If I were buying a classic I would want to see the original engine but it would be far from a deal breaker were it a replacement, more like the icing on the cake were it the original.
I can't see how your original engine woes would add much cost to the restore as were the replacement engine mine I would want to strip check and replace various sundry parts as required anyway.
I get that others just want a plug and play replacement, that's something I would do on a modern not a classic.

Graeme
 
Given this a little more thought, were the car say an unrestored completly original and close to drivable with all matching serials 1920 RR silver ghost at auction being sold alongside a restored identical car with unmatching numbers for engine box and diff and chassis I feel pretty confident that the virginal unrestored model would make as good or better money.
Being a More modern and less rare P6B this might not apply to the same degree as your car is most likely and everyday drivable classic but some degree of cross similarity still exists.

Graeme
 
If the engine were a particularly early or special engine then i think it would help the value, otherwise not - just a side effect of having an RV8 engined car. A tunable swappable engine which is at least part of its appeal. I'm in a fairly similar situation in that my car as a very early V8 would be even then very difficult to justify renovating the original engine. You're talking 2000 pounds in reality i think all told.
 
Hi Graeme the car is very original and in use except for the engine which was changed by a previous owner over 10 years ago the original engine has come to light thanks to that owner but as stated in a very poor state the present owner of the car has told me to dispose of the engine but I am reluctant to do this as unsure if an expensive rebuild would make his car more valuable and saleable in the future
 
I don't think that a rebuild of the original engine will add any monetary value to the car in this case. But if after next spring the owner were to inform the powers that be that the engine has been changed and some computer somewhere ( in Wales ) decided that it did not like that, then the original engine might take on a nicer hue.

No I am not scaremongering or being pessimistic, Hell I may have one or two issues to get over myself.
 
roy willson said:
Hi Graeme the car is very original and in use except for the engine which was changed by a previous owner over 10 years ago the original engine has come to light thanks to that owner but as stated in a very poor state the present owner of the car has told me to dispose of the engine but I am reluctant to do this as unsure if an expensive rebuild would make his car more valuable and saleable in the future
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I would certainly be keeping the old engine even if only under the workshop bench as it will add value to a future purchaser, unless of course your prospective buyer is a banger racer, as I said its icing on the cake for someone else (ie me :D)
and who knows in 50 or 60 years it may well be at the RR silver Shadow rarity.

Graeme
 
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