I picked up this 66' 327 for the heads for free. But, other than this freeze crack , the block is in good shape. I would like to use it if I could. I'm wondering if this crack could be ground out and welded without worrying about affecting the water circulation and overheating problems? I have a line on another small journal block , but it will need to be bored. Thanks , Bill
i think it can be done !! but i would grind it not to far but make a weld over it and not grind that ! make sure you heat it up properly before welding ! sorry for my shitty english !
You know, these blocks are not that hard to come by, and for cheap too. I would ditch it, and have I have done so on other sbc's...but thats what I would do...you can do whatever you want to do.
If it won't get in the way grind it clean & build the weld up!! drill holes at each end of the crack & use a cast iron welding rod.Should be OK, not too critical of a spot.BUT Make sure the cylinder wall isn't cracked also!! That happens alot of times when a "freeze" occurs. Don''t worry about how "smooth" it looks after its welded. Jimv
i agree.if it was a super rare block i think it would be able to be welded.if you just want to get a car on the road fast and cheep then weld it.the worst that happens it leaks.
i have used jb weld on a cracked aluminum block before{oil would poor out}it worked for severel years.i sold it and the guy that got it off me as far as i know is still driveing it.
I think the jb weld is a much better idea , peen the block mostly back and grind and fill with JB The welding keeps pulling and you start chasing cracks all over the place
I've seen 'em fixed many times just like that then deck the surface. Speaking of old,,, I had some stuff in a can my Great Aunt gave me,,called "Smooth On". It was in a small yellow can and it was really heavy as it had a (water based) hardener and it was mostly fine cast iron. I imagine some old timers here remember it. Anyway the instructions simply was to mix it with water and bump it into the crack several times in a row with a hammer. I've always seen where it was considered proper to heat the block really hot like in a small oven several hours.First, grind the crack out into a slight "V" down to pretty metal,,then weld.Then back in the oven to cool very slowly. Oh,,I almost forgot,,when I used Smooth On as directions said too,,it worked every time on different blocks.Same crack as in the thread's picture.
It can be repaired but if the block needs machining (bored) I'd find a different one before spending money on machine work
As was said earlier, you can weld it yourself. I had a 396 block that was cracked from the freeze plug hole out about a couple inches. I ground out the crack..vee'd it out, drilled a small hole at the end of it, got some high nickle arc welding rod and welded about an inch then stopped and let it cool a little, then finished welded it. Peened it with a slag hammer, and ran it!! The nickle rod takes a bit more heat than regular steel rod to weld but it is strong. I also have welded a lot of cast iron old gas engine water hoppers back together with it. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, as was said, I'd deck it after your done. Happy welding. Lippy
I just had the Morton & Brett head welded on. It surprised me that welding Cast Iron seems to no longer be the big deal it once was. Like these guys are saying, High Nickle rod made for iron and short welds. Bang it moderitly to see if it's stuck before going on to the next short weld. Seems to work well.
Rich, remember when the only way to do it was preheat it good, and braze it with a torch and the old flux in a can deal? Depending on how good the cast material was, it could be a nice job, or a disaster!
Drill out the ends, and start drilling and taping and plugging the whole length of the crack. Someones got to have a link of this, I tried google.
that method is standard navy fix and works great! the guys at the lemay museum use that method on big$$ vehicles.
As a couple of the guys said, stop drill the ends of the crack, Vee it out a bit and use high nickle rod. The guys I know who do it on a regular basis preheat the block as they feel that gives a better weld. I'd take a real close at the cylinder walls in that area especially right at the wear ridge though as I have seen similar blocks crack right in that area under similar circumstances.
It looks like an easy weld to me. Out where it is easy to get to. Back in the 60s a buddy had a 57 block that was welded on the side like that. It held up well to street racing. He had one of the first glass tilt front ends on his 55. He'd tilt it up and show the potential competition (sucker) the weld and no side motor mounts. Of course you could not see the stroker crank inside.
Any of the weld methods talked about,brass with a torch or preheated and welded with Nickel Rod should work fine. Stop drilling is a must. I like to put cast Iron parts in an oven at 400 degrees for a few hours once prepared for welding before I start the actuall welding operation. This is a two fold deal as it not only preheats the object but it also burns out any oil impurities that contaminate the weld. Do NoT try this in your Wife's oven !! As mentioned check the ALL cylinder bores carefully but should there be any cracks, all is not lost. Any cylinders that are cracked can be sleeved and the block decked. YES, Expensive and Time consuming but looking at your location I would say you may have to repair what you have.
As several have stated, this is a textbook crack for stitching. THis is where you drill a hole, tap it, thread in a plug, get it flush to the block, drill another hole that overlaps the first plug, and repeat until done. You can do it with regular hardware but for best results you can get a kit with tapered taps and tapered plugs. This is a very common repair, it has stood the test of time. It does not require skilled labor (like properly welding cast iron) and only common hand tools. If you stitch that block it will last 1000 more years.
Of course it can be done...it all depends on if you want to save the block. If you need a little guidance go here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=1187
I now have had a few successful cast Iron repairs! I stop drilled, vee'd and used nickel rod. I pre-heated two propane weed burners on opposing sides of the part, and ran them until the whole thing was over 400. After welding, I post-heated, turning the burners down a little at a time, over one hour, and then let the parts cool the rest of the way in still air. Not hard, but it does take some time.
A long time ago, on this site, someone posted about using a TIG, but on A/C (as with Aluminium). I have not tried this, but it does make some sense as the penetration might just be better. Preheating and drilling a hole to stop further cracking are two good pretexts to the actual welding. Cosmo
drill an 1/8 th inch hole at each end of the crack to stop it where it is , then grind a vee on the crack heat it with a torch and weld it with some 55 hi nickel rod 1" at a time lightly peen it with your welding hammer for roughly to minutes to take the stress out should be good to go , its in a decent spot the one on my straight 8 is tougher to get ,
The Jalopy Journal
