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I'd rather get a used engine of known mileage and swap it. A reputable junkyard which deals with SAABs and the like has little incentive to lie to you. IMO, swapping an engine is easy. Put a rebuilt head on the block is hard. Rebuilding the head is very, very hard. Mainly because I am not confident I can do a good job on the latter two.
I still say if you can get an engine from a junkyard to swap. Do it. Put the new engine on a stand. Take aprat the timing cover and oil pan. Do a thorough inspection and make sure every part is good. Replace any suspect parts if required. And seal the covers. When the timing chain slipped on my 94cs 40k miles ago. I had the option of paying $300 to have the head rebuilt and put it back together. I chose to swapped the engine. (the engine cost me $1,100) I still think I made the right decision. I was not ready to face any mishap installing the head (by me or others) which compromises performance of the engine and the car. $1,500 for an Aero engine of your car's vintage is cheap IMO.
One other thing. I paid $1,100 for the engine. $100 was for the core. I didn't return the old engine because I wasn't going to drive 3 hours to Connecticut just for the $100. But the more compelling reason was I eventually took it apart and recovered close to $600 for the wrecked engine. I still have the head and some misc engine parts in my garage.
You need to worry about the intermediate shaft only if you remove the drive train and separate the transmission. Zeke recommended bolting up the transmission to the engine without the intermediate shaft. I made similar statements in a post a long long time ago also. But if you are 6-5 and 250. You may be able to handle the transmission like a toy and align both the transmission input shaft and the differential output shaft simultaneously. In that case you don't have to install the intermediate shaft after the transmission is bolted up.
One other thing about the intermediate shaft is that if the engine you bought has a different type of transmission, make sure you use the rear engine mount bracket on your wrecked engine. The rear engine mount bracket for AT is different from a 5spd. But they are indiscernable to the eye, except that for an AT has marking "A" and "M" for a 5 spd.
If you mis-match it, the car will go anywhere between 500 to 1,000 miles before the shaft breaks and leave you stranded.
Again, ask me how I know this.
posted by 68.38.1...
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