I know there is a ton of info of this already in faq and tons of threads on this site and other. just wondering What the max mileage I should look to stay away from. I do plan on rebuilding it before I drop it in.

 

I wouldn't worry about mileage if you're going to rebuild anyway. By rebuild, I'm thinking you'll have the crank polished and new crank and rod bearing, have the rods worked, cam & cam bearings, and new pistons. And a good valve grind/head reconditioning. It's imperitive that it hasn't been frozen or overheated, tho. And be sure to look for a complete engine--digging up an intake and exhaust manifold etc. could be spendy and time consuming. Valve covers & pan, too. The more you get, the less you have to buy.

If that's what you're thinking, any old magnum will do, as long as it's running okay. I have a 5.2 that's coming out of my 96 in the fall, got 231,000 miles on it and it's got good oil pressure, doesn't smoke, and runs fairly strong. No oil consumption at all. I wouldn't hesitate to do a rebuild on it--and it would be better than new.