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Helping a friend do a top end rebuild on his 72 LT-1 that had later style GM iron heads and hydraulic lifters installed at some point. Anyway, pulled the intake and found this in the intake valley - looks like the walls were "smoothed out" in a section - either during production, or later when someone "fixed" something in there. Tapping on it, it sounds as solid as the cast iron around it and it is the same color. Anyone see this before in an original engine? I haven't worked on enough of these to have ever run across this before. Any ideas? Should we worry about this?
Last edited by gguillot; Apr 29, 2022 at 04:37 PM.
Reason: Posted a better picture
grind into it. it is something like JB Weld. block is cracked. freeze-cracked lifter valley. if it is over welding, brazing or lock n stitch, it is ok. if it is glue on a crack, not so ok. tried once on a 4.3 v6. tried to get boat thru last month of use. didn't work.
Last edited by derekderek; Apr 24, 2022 at 08:37 PM.
It is interesting that the inside of the block on the upper portion of the picture looks like it has had some kind of repair work and there is a fair amount of some kind of material smeared there for whatever reason. The lower portion looks like all raw casting with whatever that is just prayed on it. I don't know that I would be worried, but I would try to find out what is going on. That is not normal.
He's been driving around in this car for over five years, and never knew anything about this. Wanting to go back to original heads and solid lifters is what prompted the tear down. He's yet to do a thorough cleaning on the cylinders and the block to head mating surfaces, so I guess we'll see if there's any other issues. I'm gonna warn him about stressing this engine too much - who knows what else was done to save this block.
Nothing but pure antifreeze when the coolant was drained. According to receipts he has, this engine was rebuilt back in 1992, and he has no idea or evidence its been touched since. Never any signs of coolant in the oil or anything else. I told him to just keep an eye on his oil and check it often to make sure there's no coolant getting in there. I think it is an old repair that has held up well over the years.
Not trying to make light of this but the worst part about finding some thing like this is every time your friend takes the car out for a cruise he will be thinking about the possible repair and will it hold? It would bug the snot out of me.
I wish him nothing but the best of luck.
If it is not broke do not play with it! Sell the beast to another person who can have heart burn discovering it! Or just keep[ cruising or just go to a Corvette shop in your area and get some real opinions based on there knowledge
Try a magnet on it to see if it's filler or not.
Picture isn't showing for me so I don't know what you're looking at. Someone might have started to smooth it out and realized how much work is involved and quit.
M
Try a magnet on it to see if it's filler or not.
Picture isn't showing for me so I don't know what you're looking at. Someone might have started to smooth it out and realized how much work is involved and quit.
M
Originally Posted by derekderek
i think OP removed the pic from the first post.
The pic showed something similar to what JB Weld would look like if you covered a 10" by 4" cast iron section with a putty knife. I think it would not be thick enough to limit a magnet's attraction to the cast iron beneath.
In my easy-chair opinion, if it's gone 5 years of regular driving without problems, no coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant, then it's likely doing a fine job at whatever the intent for applying it was.
Last edited by barkingrats; Apr 28, 2022 at 10:33 PM.
I wondered the same? Maybe the owner just doesnt want others to know whats under their intake or make a big deal of it in case they sell the car? Cant think of any other reason.
I wondered the same? Maybe the owner just doesnt want others to know whats under their intake or make a big deal of it in case they sell the car? Cant think of any other reason.
That's what I was kinda thinking! If that's the case, not cool at all!!!
i have a freeze-cracked 502. bought it for less than the value of the heads and steel crank. one of these days i am gonna do the lock n stitch thing to see if it works.
Found this in the lifter valley - normal??
