!HELP! cracked block

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Jun 30, 2005 | 06:33 PM

chris75stingray

Thread Starter

Burning Brakes

Joined: Feb 2005

Posts: 1,235

Likes: 0

From: Mesa AZ

!HELP! cracked block

after removing the drain plugs from the block to drain the coolant, i noticed that the passengers side was dripping from the plug and around it. after cleaning all of the dirt i could see water dripping from the side of the block. the crack is running parallel to the oil pan flange starting at the drain plug going towards the front of the car a few inches. i did not force the bolt with a hammer or anything like that. i know it can be welded but that means pulling out the engine. is there anything that can be done to stop it. i cleaned off the area and put some JB weld to see if that will work. i'm still waiting for it to fully cure. i'll try anything to stop it before pulling the engine.

the car is a 75 with an l48 350 with 84,000 miles.

Jun 30, 2005 | 07:20 PM

fl_rider

Drifting

Joined: Mar 2005

Posts: 1,806

Likes: 3

From: Burlington WI

My uncle used to use this

at his truck shop.

He used it on diesel engines and said all the other stuff was junk.
He wasn't the opinionated type at all.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...77721?v=glance

Chris B

Last edited by fl_rider; Jun 30, 2005 at 08:39 PM. Reason: More info

Jun 30, 2005 | 07:28 PM

turtlevette

Melting Slicks

Joined: Feb 2003

Posts: 3,053

Likes: 4

St. Jude Donor '03,'11

you're on the right track. If the repair leaks you can put a can of aluminum seal in it.

Jun 30, 2005 | 11:25 PM

evalu8r

Racer

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 470

Likes: 1

From: Amelia Ohio

The boat people have a cure for this, it is called Marine Tech. It is made for repairing block, head and manifold cracks as you can imagine boat motors freeze a lot from improper winterizing. It works great and last, comes in white or grey.

Chris
Cincinnati

Jun 30, 2005 | 11:31 PM

bobs77vet

Race Director

Joined: Sep 2004

Posts: 11,874

Likes: 263

From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod

you need to pull the intake manifold before you make any decesions....check this out....both sides of the intake manifold valley had these "ruptures"....they were 3 times longer then the outside crack..sorry

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Last edited by bobs77vet; Jun 30, 2005 at 11:37 PM.

Jul 1, 2005 | 01:19 AM

hermit

Burning Brakes

Joined: Aug 2000

Posts: 1,020

Likes: 0

From: Oregon City , Oregon USA

My 72 has a small crack like the you describe. I didn't even notice it untill the engine was removed for a rebuild. The machine shop drilled small holes at the ends of the crack to prevent it from spreading (a common technique to stop cracks in aircraft aluminum parts) and smeared some epoxy on the outside. Never gave me any problems after that.

Jul 1, 2005 | 01:38 AM

Twin_Turbo

Race Director

Joined: Dec 1999

Posts: 16,945

Likes: 9

If that's the only crack, hardblock the block till the bottom of the front freeze plugs

Jul 1, 2005 | 12:27 PM

427Hotrod

Race Director

Joined: Jan 2000

Posts: 13,018

Likes: 2,262

From: Corsicana, Tx

2020 C2 of the Year - Modified Winner

2020 Corvette of the Year (performance mods)

C2 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019

2017 C2 of Year Finalist

There are some killer epoxies out there that are 10 times better than JB weld..which is good stuff!

But Vette engines are pretty easy to get to on the bottom side. Jack it up high and go to it!

There are some amazing cast iron welding rods out there these days. If you or someone you know can even halfway weld with an arc welder..they work great. They are actually easier to mess with than regular ones. Go to a welding shop or a good hardware store and read the boxes. There are several versions, but the high nickel ones work well on blocks. I'm telling you..they are good stuff! About $20 for a small box of them...but you won't need but one or two sticks probably. They can be ground down so you won't even notice.

Worth a try before you pull the engine.

JIM