James,
When running the engine, look for blue smoke (worn valve guides or piston
rings), and significant white smoke (head gasket) - a small amount of white
smoke just means it's a cold/damp day.
If it is true that the tappety sound is just mis-adjusted valves, then you
can easily re-adjust the valves BEFORE he runs the engine for you - it's a 5
minute job. Then, if it is still noisy after the engine is hot, you know
that it is more than just ill-adjusted valves...
Try and look for significant amounts of oil pouring out of bits of the
engine, particularly rocker cover gasket and sump gasket. Chances are that
the engine will be dirty so small leaks won't be obvious, but you'll see if
it is gushing out.
Ask the seller if he has had any work done recently on the engine. Ask for
receipts. Ask if he has the emissions print-out from the last MOT test. If
he's not including the carbs, however, there's not much point in this.
Watch the water pump for leaks - if it is leaking it is not too expensive to
replace, but that will be one more thing for you to spend money on.
See if he'll include the manifolds, at least, since that will save you
having to do a manifold gasket job again!
Try and check for free play in the crankshaft. Have someone press on the
clutch (which will push the crank forwards), then release the clutch and
push back on the crank pulley with a big lever. If it moves, the thrust
bearings have gone and you will definitely want to replace them before the
engine is fitted.
Order some new engine mounts. Yours, and the sellers, are likely to be old
and knackered, they are cheap, and it's easier to replace them now than
later.
Just a few pointers to think about - I'm sure other people will think of
more advice for you!
Richard
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