Check out this 440 block repair!

[TruckManiaMike]

Just got the motor pulled and during cleaning I found this….never leaked coolant before so I guess I’m going to roll with it! Somebody beat/tapped in 17 1/4” rods into the side of my block. Did not see a crack where it connects to freeze plug….anybody seen a repair like this before??

 

[zyzzyx]

Yes, I've seen something close to that in cast parts called "stitching". Being in a water jacket like that,
I would drill out the threaded rods and have someone TIG weld the area with a product called TigTectic 224.
It is designed for repairs in castings. I fixed a few inboard engines with the stuff when the people didn't
drain all of the water before winter. That repair might hold, but I couldn't build an engine with that known
fix! The filler rod is made by a company called Castolin-Eutectic. Works excellent!

 

[Detective D]

Yes, an old time trick.
My Grandfather's 9N Ford had a crack in the head. This is how they fixed it. It was not as good as new, but again, this was on a tractor that got serious duty on his dairy farm. Mostly it would just require a head gasket, and they would then take the time to resurface the valves while it was off.
Yes, the engine had some serious hours on it. And it was worked, hard. The repair itself held fine, but obviously not "good as new". Definately better then what came before: brazing with brass on the cracked area. That was almost sure to fail on cast in an area like this needing fluid seal.


A bit easier to pull the head off a tractor of that vintage though then deal with tear down of a V8.
I think that is probably a lost art in this day and age with the technology we have for welding now. Would be easier to decide on spending cash or not if you knew when it was done. My bet though is that has been that way for a long time!

 

[Daves69]

...................

How to fix a cracked block, easy also

Man I wish I knew about stich weld I threw a bunch of big $$$ motors out, easy also just takes a few hours. Drill the ends of the cracks first, drill and taper for the tap, special. put them the first set in and grind flush then drill in...

www.forabodiesonly.com

 

[Budnicks]

I saw a few guys (even my step father Bob Union Pipe Fitter)
back in the day grind out the crack/s with a v notch for penetration & fill
drill a hole at each end to stop the crack from spreading
then they'd preheat the blocks & stick weld/arc weld with
Ni-Rod 6011 or 7018 nickel/eni/ci 99
watched a guy Don Tourte, weld it up for Jim Davis driver/partner
weld on a 426ci Hemi block
back in 1994-1996-ish for a nostalgia T/F in Tulsa IIRC,
the car/engine from my nextdoor neighbor's, the Kaiser's car
they won the race too

 

[69Bee]

Thos pins are an older type made by a company called "Irontight", a division of Kwik-Way. I don't like them because they tend to open the crack due to the tapered pins. I do not weld any cracks, because if it is not done properly, you can create more issues than you started with. Stick welding is not the approved method of repair, but can work if an oven is used. The key is to keep the repair area and block hot, and a long cool down in the oven to prevent spider cracks from developing. High nickel rods are a plus too. The best method is a type of molten metal sprayed onto the repair. A special torch head is applied to an acetylene setup, and powdered metal is introduced into the flame, melting it, and sealing the properly dressed crack. Can "Redneck" welding fix cracks? Sure, but I have seen a lot come to me that re-cracked and were leaking. I use a "Cold Welding" system from a company called "Lock-N-Stitch" that uses pins that have a reverse rake on the threads which pull the crack together. Same method as pinning, but accomplished a different way. Here are some pictures of a GM 235 block that had a 17" crack that I repaired. I have seen the customer over time, and still does not leak. Pics not in any particular order, but ID the length of the crack, start drilling and tapping, wash/rinse/repeat. Pins/holes are staggered in order to prevent turning once installed.

 

[69Bee]

Had to make two posts... I think it took 135 pins to complete, and about 7 to 8 hrs.

 

[QuickBpBp]

Nothing to worry about. I have seen that repair on a 440 between 2 "frost" plugs (or core plugs so I don't get yelled at) many years ago and it never leaked. The last pin at each end is at the end of the crack to stop it from growing that is why you don't see a crack there it never made it there..

 

[zyzzyx]

This is a video on the stick form. I've never used it. The T.I.G. rod is nice with more control.