sinatra vette

well i guess there was a weak point in the aluminum on my 64 . the water jacket behind cylinder number 8 next to the distributor has a hole in it. it is blocked off in the intake manifold it looks like it just corroded (sp?) from underneath. has this happended to anyone? any suggestions and or comments are welcomed. i think im going to have to find an aluminum welder to fix this.

uncle427

Hi,
Yes, seen plenty of them rotted, compare it to a tooth cavity now.
In order to repair it with welding you may need to grind it out to remove all the impurities and get back to clean alloy.
A good welder can do it and you can refinish so no one will ever know.

With aluminum anything is possible, just depends on what you want to invest
Bill

Mr D.

Call Jerry

http://www.z28camaro.com/restosvcs.html

sinatra vette

again thanks you guys.

1954corvair

If you need help, I have alot of expertise in welding aluminum.

DZAUTO

ABSOLUTELY to all of Bill's above comments.
I have several engines with alum intakes (including FI on the 56) and have seen the same problem a few times.
A GOOD alum welder can do a very good repair for you and you (or someone else) can grind and refinish the weld so that it is nearly undetectable.
Lately, at the REAR water jacket ports that are blocked by the manifold, I have FULLY coated the the repaired area with a thick layer of JB Weld (I just did this on my own as an experiment). The JB Weld seems to be totally impervious to any type of attack from the coolant or galvanic corrosion. So far, so good.

Tom Parsons

clarkakirby

It is somewhat common for the aluminum in an engine to corrode enough to have pinhole leaks if the antifreeze is not changed regularly. The guys in another marque club (with all-aluminum engines) have seen their expensive aluminum twin cam heads perforated due to a lack of proper antifreeze maintenance. They recommend changing the antifreeze with 50/50 DISTILLED water and antifreeze annually.
-Clark

midyear1

Bi-metal engines are subject to EME (electrolytic metal erosion). There's an interesting article about the subject at this link:

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Arti...nting_eme.aspx


I've used the Rad Caps for several years on my bi-metal engines with good results. The aluminum cylinder heads, intakes, and water pumps show very little erosion in and around the coolant passages. I replace the caps every couple of years when I flush and refill the cooling system.


Here's a link to NPD showing the caps:

http://npd.dirxion.com/Main.asp


If the link doesn't show in it's zoom view, just click on the cap illustrations to enlarge the page (page 180, middle of left column illustrations ).


Here's another cooling system accessory that I haven't any first-hand knowledge of, but may also try out in the future:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Ve-Labs/945/CIFS1/10002/-1

Any opinions?

61 Silver

I Agree! Had a 63 340-HP intake manifold repaired in the same area and then had it re-skinned. Great Work!

Ray

gmbob

If the problem is on the back side (not visible). You can use an aluminum repair called DevCon. It is a 2 part epoxy. It can be purchased through Grainger. It is available for steel, Aluminum, and stainless. After curing it can even be drilled and tapped. I've repaired an 8 1/2 inch crack in the water jacket of a cast iron block. Ive made an ear for a transmission (aluminum). I've made repairs to intakes at the thermostat housings. After mixing an applying, you use wax paper to mold (it does not stick to wax paper when cured. For the thermostat housing I put it on and put wax paper over the top and bolteted a thermostat housing using the one good bolt hole. I put a candle in the other hole (wax, doesn't stick). When cured, just inlarged the hole and tapped it. the surface was so smooth between the housing and manifold I did not have to do anything.

sinatra vette

will this stand up to the temp an intake manifold gets? is it waterproof??