Ok so i find this old 8BA engine looks like its been sittin outside for a while. get it home, take intake off super clean inside oil valley valve train clips are still shiny silver, take oil pan off also clean as a whistle. looks like it had a rebuild sometime and the cylinders had been sleeved. It rotates etc. only problem ive found is this nasty looking crack on the oil pan block face. looks to me as a freeze crack from being outside, and the question im asking is how much stress does that area take and could/should i use jb weld on it. another concern would be if the crack goes through to water jacket. any ideas or opinions are welcome.
i think its a boat anchor now. i deffently wouldnt want use jb weld on the inside of the block like that.
I was under the impression that a good welder can make this kind of a repair - it's a bit complicated, but given the apparently decent condition of the rest of the power egg, you might want to check with some "old timer" in the area - guys used to fix this kind of stuff before 'planned obsolescence' became all the rage. dj
My record on getting a block "repaired" by a professional equaled an exercise in futility. Not saying it cant be done. I know places that do special work on cast iron heads and such, but I have to agree with the gang here so far. Find another.
Don't they plug cracks anymore??? I know it takes forever to get done depending on how long the crack is....
That pan rail crack is common on flatheads, it's a water jacket crack. That one looks pretty severe, you might find someone to repair it, but as cheap/common as 8ba blocks are, I'd just keep looking.
Ive repaired several race blocks over the years with what are called IRON TITES. They are cast iron tapered threaded plugs. You "lace" them together by installing the first one and then drilling and tapping the next, PARTIALLY with the previous one. Done properly, it works, and it stays. They have a special tap just for the plugs. I would not say that your block can be sucessfully done without seeing it in person of course. If you know a good desiel shop, one of those guys might know what Irontites are and can do the job. If you are into the water jacket, after the irontites, use the product by Moroso- Ceramic Engine Sealer, it works. Like previously mentioned it might be cheaper to R&R, race and replace. Best of Luck.
Since that crack goes by the center main, forget it. This is a highly stressed area. As stated, 8BA blocks are not that hard to find.
Just looking at the picture shown, I would say that those cracks were caused by someone using a oil pan bolt that was to long for the blind hole in the pan rail. A good machine shop could angle pin this rail so it doesn't move and a block sealer could be added AFTER the block has been acid cleaned and pressure tested. Keep a 8 # rad cap on it and it should be okay. Message to flatjack: How many of those blocks have you got sitting in your shed?
oh well looks like im looking for my third flathead for this car........anyone have a runnin 8ba in or around austin,san antonio and houston......
Don't be too despondant sponge, you now have an excellent boat mooring. I have enough for a Flotilla.
Pan rail cracks = terminal on a FH. Water left in the block ahs freeze cracked it by the looks of it. Dont waste it - use it for a cool coffee table in your shop lol. Rat
Just depends If It was going in to something that wasnt gonna be used hard and not driven too far from home. I would try to patch it and run it. What have you got to lose you already have the engine? Maby make a steel or aluminum plate that you could attach to the inside by drilling and tapping. Then sandwich JB Weld between the plate and block. Might work might not you never know until you try. Wouldnt cost much. I once fixed a cracked power shift bulldozer transmission with a plate as far as i know its still working. OldWolf
I don't have a runner but I might be able to help you with a block if you exhaust your search in the Austin area. I'm on the NW side of San Antone.
I wouldn't consider it terminal if it were mine. The block has already been sleeved, right? I would gouge it out and weld it, if it were mine. They make an alloy rod now that even an amature can weld cast iron with. Even in the older days welding cast had a stigma but it isn't rocket science. If you want to do it old school then you can use NiRod but there is no reason to do it that way when you can by the new stuff. its pricey about 8 dollars a stick and judging from what I see its going to be about 3 or 4 sticks but it beats the hell out of the cost of sleeving one. Anyway it can be welded and JB weld shouldn't be our first choice.
The whole bugaboo is the inclusion of the water jacket. You'd need a real pro to do the job. I'd tackle it myself just as a learning experience, but that's a gamble since it has to be put back together to see if it works. Bob
The water jacket is the most common place for one to crack. Folks with a lot less talent than you have been welding them for decades. I guess if you wanted to send it here I'd weld it for you. I'll have to round up a stick welder but that really wouldn't be a problem. All I'm sayin' is no need to scrap the block when it can be repaired and its already built. if you get another flatty block chances are that it will be cracked and need to be sleeved along with any other crack repair. You do have another option. You can pin the ends of the crack, and dump water glass in it to seal it up. But the pan rail is a structural part of the lower end so you should probably either get or make a stud girdle to give it a little help.
that crack looks like it runs the length of the picture and then some more to the left. From the oil pan mounting surface on the front of the block, to the inside and back to the oil pan surface. Sorry to say but I agree, end of life for this block.
Could you elaborate? My welder buddy uses this stuff to make split manifolds and crack repairs look real easy however procedure is important: http://www.alruqee.net/ind_mkt/RIM-CD&WEB/welding_consumable-files/utp/265-85fn.pdf
well im not gonna try and run it. from the response's the majority favour it as deceased................RIP
I've told this story on here before, but it looks like it's time for it again. About 15 years ago, I hit the concrete wall HARD when running my dirt track vintage modified with an early Chrysler hemi. When we got it back to the shop, we saw (among other horrors) that the mounting ears for the motor mounts were broken off the block on the drivers side. There are 3 ears, and we found 2 of them. An old friend of mine who's been a welder forever was able to fix it for me. I brought the engine to his place, and we spend several hours slowly pre-heating the part of the block where the broken parts fit. He then used nickel rod in a stick welder to weld he broken parts back on (after he had "vee'd" them out with a grinder). The third ear? Before started, he went out into a field behind his farm, found something on an old implement of some kind that had a similar looking ear and broke it off with a sledge. After a bit of grinding, it also fit good enough to be welded with the other two. After he was done, he went to drink some beer with the rest of our friends, while I sat there with a torch, cooling everything down slowly for the next couple of hours. After all this time, I've had no problems with it and everything looks great. (This is the engine in my avatar by the way.) The reason I went this way is that the engine had a fresh $6500 (20 years ago prices) rebuild, and I wanted to salvage what I had. Bottom line? Don't scrap anything out of hand. Find the right guy, and he may be able to fix it. Don't throw anything like this block away; you may not want to fool with it, but there's probably somebody who might try and make a success of it. (It also probably helps if you have a friend who will do it for the fun of it and you don't have to take it to a pay for it shop.)
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