buy rebuilt or have rebuilt??

this is kind of a follow up question to mine fron the other day. im looking for a 283, 289, 302, or maybe 327 to mut in my 53 merc. my question is should i find a rebuilt engine and throw it in or should i find a steal of a deal on a motor tranny and have them rebuilt? cost is a factor for me....

ALOT of Engine builders put engines on Ebay at REAL good prices I've seen Built engines sold for less than I can buy the parts for!!!

It will be cheaper to buy an already built engine, though there may be a core charge. Having an engine rebuilt is nice because you can have it done to your specifications.

does anyone have experience with a sm. block ford or chev going into a 49-54 ford or merc?. im wondering if there is a certain model of one of these engines that would be easier than another. im considering a 283, 289, 302, 305, or 327.

If it were me, I would rather buy a deal on a tranny and motor and just rebuild both myself. That way YOU KNOW what is done to it exaclty and that it was done the RIGHT way which is a problem for some people to understand or follow for some odd reason. I was going through this before I got a tranny. I had a choice between spending 950 bucks having a tranny shop build me a C4 tranny or buying a recently built C4 with about 10,000 miles on it. I thought that I might as well get a brand new one and not have to worry about it and get it built to my liking. So now I have a tranny I want, inline cooler, 2300-2500 stall (for my cam I had to have a stall anyways and we couldnt get a 1500 stall like I wanted though) and then a shift kit, etc.
If you dont have time to wait then I guess you can go the other option and you will just have to fall back on luck and if things break then you will have to replace them until it's all fixed and bugs are worked out.

Oh I just saw your post... A small block will fit in a 49-54 Merc or Ford. I bet you can even get a big block in one. I never owned a Mercury but have looked at plenty of them of that year. Basically 305, 302 and 327 are around same size. I would say go with a Ford motor though. I am more of a Chevy guy but I like to keep things Ford with Ford and Chevy with Chevy. I say look into a 302 or 351W.
Good luck!

THANKS FOR THE TIPS. I'M NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT KEEPING IT ALL FORD ACTUALLY. I'M A CUSTOM, MIX-N-MATCH KIND OF GUY, AS LONG AS THINGS WORK WELL TOGETHER. GOING W/ A 302 OR 351W IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MANY PEOPLE. I THINK I WANNA GO W/ ONE OF THE SMALLER V8'S ONLY BECAUSE THIS WILL BE MY DAILY DRIVER ONCE IT IS ROADWORTHY AND I/D LOKE TO GET REASONABLE GAS MILEAGE, AND ITS NOR A RACECAR ANYWAY....THAT'S MY NEXT PROJECT.

Well good idea. But think of it this way. If you put a pretty small motor in it and the car is kind of big and a bit heavy then that motor will be running hard to push that car and use more gas. Step up one more size and you will be good. That is why I think a 351 would be a better choice for that car. 302 would be ok too. I have a 302 in my truck and it get's ok gas milage but not as good as it should and I was told that I can put a 351 in it and probably get the same gas if not a bit more and more power when I want since the 302 is pushing such a big heavy truck. I am keeping my 302 though but still, just giving you an example. Good luck though, and I am sure someone here with more knowledge will chime in to help you out.

I like assembling a motor myself because then I know things about it. I know things like the oil galley plugs are not set to deep, blocking off some very important oil passages, I know that my ring gaps are set to .030" on top, .018-.020" on the second and oil rings. I know my bore is 4.0215" for a piston to wall clearance of .0015." I know me deck is not square and therefore is not exactly .015" but ranges from .008 to .0015." I know I have a cast steel crank 2442 that is turned .020" under. I know that main bearing clearances are .002" for 1-4 and .0025" for #5. I know my rod bearing clearances are all .0019." I know my lifter bores are not loose and neither are the distributor to oil galley seals. I know the exhaust valve seats on the stock Vortec heads were cut too wide and that the springs are not letting me see the full potential of my cam (they will be replaced shortly). I know that I have a high pressure, stock volume oil pump. I know I have a helicoil holding in my #5 main bearing. These are all reasons I like to assemble my own engines. I know everything about it now. I know what it can do and I know it's limitations. Also, since my time is cheap to me, I can afford to do things like smooth out sharp edges in the combustion chamber.