I was able to call the shop, it has the same phone number just different name and owner. The last owner died and the widow sold the business. This seems plausable to me. I initially called to see if the owner either had records or remembered the build.

Good points on all of this, it is a huge gamble unless I can get it for the price of a core engine which I doubt, so I will pass unless I can get it cheap.
As always, I appreciate the advice.