i worked at an engine importing company and i have dealt with many others. most engine dealers recieve engines from the same importers. most importers dont sell to the public, notice i said most. i have seen many engines and transmissions accidentilly dropped from as high as 45ft and run flawlessly. its not so much how the importer presents themselves on the website cuz if they are shady they will sell you an engine they know is junk. its all about honoring their warranty.babyblueMX3 wrote:don't judge from the pic only, as they probably just use one pic for all their engine. so you might get one cleaner or dirtier than the one on th epic
engines are stacked up in warehouses sometimes 4-5 engines high. to be more specific, it is literally stored the same way anything else is stored in a warehouse except for the fact they do not stack them on pallets for a safety reason. stacking 30 engines with about 4-5 engine layers with about 6-7 engines on each layer would absolutely kill any pallet at the bottom of a 15,000 pound pile of engines and cause a huge alloy avalanche.
every engine comes dirty as a hog thats why many times there is water in the background of the pictures the sellers have. its cuz they just pressure washed it. the engine on a pallet is just for the pictures and shipping. any othere time that its soaking up warehouse room, its probably at the bottom of a 5 ton metal pile hanging out with the jdm rats that sneaked over on the container that shipped 50-100 engines all stacked up.
it also explains why sometimes your valve cover or intake manifold is cracked... or what caused the dent in the oil pan.... cuz it was holding up 2-3 tons of crap on top.
anyway, if you need help sourcing a ze from a good source, hit me up. shou38@yahoo.com i no longer work at the engine importer but i can hook u up with their info. if you in the states its about 850 shipped