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N’yet. Im still figuring out vacuum lines, distributor & carb. heater hoses, waiting for a fuel pressure gauge coming in this week. I’m stripping paint & sanding detached body parts, spent time in the engine bay, removing the old overflow tank that has a hole in it, ordering parts, planting garlic…
I’m screwed…cracks in the engine block…$400 for another one from the auto wreckers…
What’s green,
runs everywhere,
but has no legs…?
Anti-freeze!
Yep…a blown head gasket has reset objective reality at Hillbilly Garage… Oh well…time to meet my valves & heads…
Upon further inspection, it looks like the block is cracked. Dang.
I thought these were casting seams on the block until they started leaking coolant☹️ The good news is, the head gasket was fine! 😖 Both sides of the block are cracked, just below where the heads meet the block. Is this a common thing?
Last edited by 78Corvetter; Nov 16, 2022 at 04:23 PM.
Tearing into the cracked block, the cylinders & pistons look okay. Sooo… I think the block got cracked on both sides at the same time when somebody bottomed-out the oil pan onto something solid. That’s the only way I can think of for both sides of the block to be cracked without the pistons coming through from the inside.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
May have been upside down in storage with water in it and it froze or it was roight side up and it froxe but didnt pop the freeze plugs until it was too late....good thing these blocks are cheap And plentiful.
Good luck
The Lesson When you’re shopping for a Corvette to restore, fill the cooling system before you agree on a price. #Live&Learn
The giant round impression in the bottom of that pan tells me that someone attempted to put a floor jack there to lift the car. I sincerely doubt that something else would’ve did that (i.e some road impact) that caused your block to crack. Frozen water would be my guess.
The engine is an affordable replacement if you go the JY route, way more of an acceptable loss than discovering that the frame is toast.
I priced a junk yard block at Both sides of the block are cracked…
$400…Watching videos on line about welding cast iron…I’m thinking about trying to repair the block first. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll see about tearing it apart.
I priced a junk yard block at Both sides of the block are cracked…
$400…Watching videos on line about welding cast iron…I’m thinking about trying to repair the block first. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll see about tearing it apart.
W/o sufficient welding skills, a really good machine, and in a lot of cases, a way to preheat the cast iron to very freakin hot, i’d think more than twice about trying that.
All good advice…What to do about the block is still in the contemplation phase. Unless I sell something for $400 I won’t be buying a junkyard block anytime soon. Nothing is likely to happen with the engine until Spring.
Winter is turning out to be a time for sanding the chunks that I’ve removed from the body, doors, headlight valences, t-tops, & side-view mirrors.
My situation has changed, so I can’t afford to continue the restoration. If someone is in the market for a ‘78, you can find the details for this one on Craigslist…
Glad to hear you’re able to restart your project. It’s hard to imagine you’ll hit another obstacle as big as the cracked block. Best of luck moving forward.
After months of weighing options & waiting for good weather, yesterday was the first day back in the saddle on this project. Out with the old (cracked block)… Father’s Day sale at Harbor Freight yielded an engine stand for a hundred clams. The first time I’ve separated a transmission separated from a block, it went nicely, thanks to the guys at The Sundae Drive on YouTube!👉🏽
Today I’ll be tearing down into little bitty pieces… Decided against the 383 Stroker, for several reasons. Too much money for too much uncertainty. And too much engine for most people. Since I’m planning on selling the car, I didn’t want it to be too far from stock. Will secure a used block at the auto wreckers & take it to the local machine shop to be cleaned up, honed & surfaced. Thinking about powder coating the block rather than painting it silver & clear coating. Thoughts, insights & experience regarding that would be much appreciated! This was how I left it last night. Looking forward to disassembly & labeling on a gorgeous quiet Sunday morning in Oregon, after coffee, contemplation & anticipation.
