Barney Navarro auction

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Well I didn't get the motor (big surprise: $15,000) but I got a
hell of a haul of Navarro turbo six parts, including Indy
workalike parts. And for Rambler prices!

I'm pasting here text I put on the web page at
http://wps.com/AMC/Navarro-parts-bought/index.html since I'm lazy.



On 14 July 2005 the remaining contents of Navarro Engineering's
shop in Los Angeles (Glendale) was auctioned off, almost all of it
reasonably ordinary machine shop equipment, plus his twin-turbo
Rambler six, a bunch of Rambler engine parts, and a few scattered
pieces of what may be the Indy car.

The indy motor went to a private collector for $15,000; pictures
of it are at http://wps.com/AMC/Navarro-Indy-motor/index.html

I haven't inventoried the lot yet, but I did get: one "R&D"
numbered head, with obviously monstrous flow with matching cast
stainless turbo/tuned-port injection manifold; three or four TE06
turbos (used, but taped up and clean); a new-sealed TE06 rotor
assembly; many FI parts; a nice-looking block (used) with matching
wet-sump pan (so it's not a spare Indy block); Navarro timing
covers, balancers, oil pumps (wet and dry sump), plus a few
hundred pounds of unsorted, dusty miscellany. All for the Rambler
six.

Nearly none of it is junk; it looks like "keeper" stuff set aside.
Most of it is boxed, bagged, oiled, labelled, sealed, marked, etc
for reuse. A bunch of forged pistons, used, but nearly new, barely
scuffed. A nice-looking crank that ran dry, journals all scored,
but probably .005" or so, like rough sandpaper, all wrapped up
oiled and stored.

There are two heads; one looks like a heavily ported stock part,
it's got a Rambler part number. The other is very special, with
monstrous ports. It's a very pretty casting, a lot of care went
into making it.  However, it is not identical to the Indy motor;
that head has little decorative cast dots in the webbing between
the ports on the top of the head; this one does not. Unfortunately
the casting numbers are under the valve cover so I'll never know
what's in the Indy motor.

Another buyer got the other lot, which had a lot of race-car
goodies in it; he gave me a box of Rambler gaskets (thanks!). He
has another "R&D"-numbered head, I forgot to photo it, but
I'll get the numbers from him when I talk to him.  Maybe he'll
part with the con rods and pistons...

Yet another buyer got the Hallibrand rear, which was presumably
from the Indy car; the motor still has the multi-plate clutch
driven side (the grooved bucket), more on this below.

I paid $500 for my lot, with tax and fee just under $600 total;
the other went for $500 also, I stopped bidding at $400, since I'm
already basically spending next month's rent money or something.
But in the lot of Rambler stuff were, it turns out, a lot of
Hallibrand gears, half-shafts, etc. I sold them all to the buyer
of the Hallibrand for $250 -- practically free.  Eh. In theory I
could eBay then or whatever but the value is really as a complete
rear (both as "parts" and Rambler history), a bunch of Rambler
Indy disk plates, gear sets, etc too obscure. I also sold him a
box of used Aeroquip fittings for $20, so my total outlay for all
my historic Rambler turbo six parts totalled $330 -- an
unbelievable bargain.

In the next few weeks I'll have it at least partially sorted out.
It looks like I'm going to be building a turbo motor in the near

future...