$6500 is my guess for replacing the engine with a used one. Not for everything that may be also required for getting the truck back to 100% operation. Is $6500 for a used engine way off the mark? It seems like it is more or less consistent with other posts about installing used engines here.
Kristina, to answer your question:
Seized Engine Meaning
Usually when an engine seizes, the internal components freeze or lock up to such an extent that, the crankshaft is unable to turn in the bearings. This happens because the internal parts such as pistons, rod bearings, piston rings, etc., overheat and weld together."
https://wheelzine.com › signs-of-seized-engine
So if it really is seized, it’s welded in place. You can’t fix that, you can only replace. I’ve seen prices here 7K to 11K for rebuilt engines for it. If your 2nd cousin Jon Moss engineered the truck, he’s a white collar office worker, an engineer who designs trucks/cars/automobiles using CAD software. You need a mechanic, not an engineer, to look at it.
Don’t get ripped off. Find a different truck. There are a lot out there. There is nothing wrong with buying vehicles on Craigslist, if the seller is honest.
Buyer beware.
Speaking as someone who has acquired several vehicles with problems and worked to repair them and sell them for a profit it often doesn’t turn out too good. I must say that being a successful shop owner with every tool needed to repair vehicles and knowledge of most things concerned with late model automobiles I had a better chance at success than the average person but even so on several occasions I spent a lot of time and money and in the end lost.
If a local community college has an automobile mechanics class with a good instructor and you have 3 to 6 months to wait and $2,500 +/- there might be some hope that the truck could be put back on the road but then when running it would likely be that bad tires, brakes, AC, etc would show up as needing $erious attention.
Anyone so unfamiliar with the situation that they would drop in at an internet chat forum and ask such a question seems destined to fail in such a project and if they pay $4,000 for the project they have lost before the game gets started.
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As posted above to get that truck back to working order is probably going to be a bit of a job. Definitely not something for somebody who needs a fully functional truck now. But – who wudda thunk it ??-- I have another story … lol … years ago a co-worker had several big, unexpected financial hits to his family’s budget and was nearly broke. Then his car he needed to get to work stopped working, and getting it running quickly wasn’t in the cards. So he took a gamble and bought a car for $100 with a seized engine from a friend of a friend. The seller said the engine worked when the car was parked, but was found to be seized after a couple of years of being parked outside, unused. My co-worker poured some kerosene into the cylinders and let it sit there a couple of days. The engine broke free a little and could then be turned by hand, but just barely. So he poured more kerosene, more hand turning, a week later with this daily treatment the engine was running well enough to get to work, albeit from the looks of the tail-pipe consuming some oil.
do you mean it was blowing plumes of blue smoke out the tailpipe?
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No. Brow stains on the bumper near the tailpipe opening.
I have freed up frozen lawn mower engines before. Usually you find them at the curb on trash day and the engine is locked up hard. The owner looks to have never changed or checked the oil as they ran low and what is left is just a black paste.
Basically, you fill the mower with motor oil to the required level. Remove the spark plug and pour some oil down the hole. Then turn the mower over on the side and start hitting the blade with a hammer until it starts to move. Once it get free enough to pull the starter rope, you can pull that slowly until it gets free enough to where it feels like it would start. Replace the plug and start pulling. Expect lots of smoke, especially at first.
One of these mowers ended up being pretty decent but that isn’t the norm. The rest smoked so much that they were miserable to use and fouled plugs very quickly. A few decided enough was enough and tossed a rod through the block.
I have the other problem with my mower.
Bought one in Walmart 12+ years ago, store brand with Honda engine.
By now, the body rusted so much that wheels literally fell off, but engine still goes strong, zero oil burn when using SuperTech 5W30 synthetics, hehe 
I ended up removing the engine and trashing the body.
Now, it’s a pity to trash the perfectly running engine, but I lacked body, so bought another one with non-Honda engine, so if it dies - I have a spare
Look around on trash day, especially those bulky trash days. You ALWAYS see old mowers out at the curb. Some are rusted like your model while others are locked up from neglect but have a good engine.
I would have to agree with the boys n girls on here as well… Sadly that truck’s ship has sailed amigo… even if you are a mechanic and do everything yourself…there are no inexpensive or affordable components to this rig, so… Money Pit it is indeed.
Now if you dont need major towing capacity an older 90’s era Ford F150 with a 5spd manual and Ford’s wonderful 300 cubic inch (4.9l) inline 6 can be a really affordable and reliable little truck. Not sure if you need 4wd but they came with the 6, just harder to find. There are many reasons I recommend this truck, new parts are plentiful and affordable, same goes for salvage parts etc and its just a good solid vehicle…
I have owned several of them and they continue to hold a special place in my heart.
Neither a professional mechanic nor an experienced “hobbist” necessarily ever torn down a “siezed” engine. Have you ever heard of a garage repairing a “siezed” engine?
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Yes, I have heard of one. I have actually done it. Seized just means the engine won’t turn. If you whack the bearings from lubrication loss into the crank, you just pull the main and rod caps and remove the crank. Replace bearings, turn the crank undersize and maybe resize the rods and maybe line hone the crank. Replace cam and cam bearings, lifters. If the bores are OK, the pistons can be reused with new rings on a honed bore. Check everything that needs ool for damage, replace and reassemble. Done.
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I did that too, but you would probably agree that the work is not for the guy/gal who holds a wrench for the first time
Ohhh gosh no! Not for the casual wrench turner! 
Wasn’t there a thread a few months back about a man who successfully freed up and repaired the engine in a 1970s Buick which had seized? I believe he removed the oil pan and cylinder heads, and used a wood block and hammer to beat the pistons free.
Yes, but he had stuck piston rings, not destroyed bearings.
I remember that. I was one of the folks that told him to send it to a junkyard. I’d b curious how much oil that engine burns now.
Speaking for myself only, I’ve repaired a number of seized engines. That’s what a crank kit is for; to begin with.
The only ones not worth repairing are those with rods through the block or cylinder bores absolutely wiped out from damaged pistons or wrist pin damage.
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I have seen engines in cars at a junkyard where the cylinder walls are scratched to hell, I always assume those were overheated or run out of oil and seized up. Interestingly, the last time I saw an engine like that, I put my breaker bar on the crankshaft, and it turned without resistance.
Yeah, who would do such a thing? Like I’m going to toss out $15 grand in engine parts just because it seized up flogging it racing. Or how many junkyard roached engines bought just for the block, crank and heads. Completely shot when junked, now rusted beyond belief. As long as there isn’t a hole, I’ve even had them sleeved. Much cheaper to me than a new block…
Now if I had a daily driver with a thrashed engine, I may not feel it is worthwhile to repair it when I can get a good used motor for much less time and money. That doesn’t mean it can’t be, or is never, done. Lot’s of people like challenges regardless of economic feasibility. The guy with the seized Buick motor that was mentioned comes to mind…
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