Repair a "windowed" engine block?

Any body ever welded up a hole in a cast iron block (after a rod let go)?

The rod didn't hit anything important like coolant passages or anything, I just need to fill in the hole to keep the oil in and the dirt out.

Oh yeah, I don't have all of the pieces. What would be a compatible filler piece?

If you must know what it is, its a 906 ci V-12 from a firetruck.

 

Nads has JB Weld filling the hole in his Packard.

 

I have a 368 Lincoln that was run in a altered on fuel.

Theres a window in the block that has been repaired with flat plate and a million screws... ok, maybe not a million... but a bunch.

It ran fine.

 

How big is the hole ? you may drill out a hole to fit a frostplugg

 

I've seen blocks with steel patches welded and brazed on, with no ill effects.

 

Find yourself an old school welder guy in your area, there are a few around that can weld a steel patch in a block. The ones I have seen done have been done with a monster big tip on an oxy/cetylene set. My stepdad is an old school cool welder and I've seen some amazing things welded by him. Hes a tool and die maker by trade, one of the biggest jobs I saw him weld was the main body of a 75 ton punch press. It was set up wrong and broke the main body from the table clear through the back!! This was 3 or 4" thick cast Iron and it took him a couple of days of grinding, welding and filling. This press still runs great and that repair was over 10 years ago.

BTW, if this is done cleanly and ground clean you can actually use JB weld and take a piece of silly putty, press it on a clean part of the block and it will take an impression of the cast iron texture...then coat your repair with JB weld, lightly press your silly putty into the jb everywhere, if your putty looses the texture, just press it again over the block somewhere and wala...when you paint it the repair is all but invisible.

Anyone who tells you cast iron can't be welded has no clue. Its an art for sure, but very do-able.

Scot

 

You'll also probably want to magnaflux it beforhand so you know for sure you don't have a hidden crack waiting to show up. For temporary "get me home" repairs, I use Seal All, for regular home repairs that I do, I use JB weld, if it's an expensive or rare piece, I'll weld a patch in.