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Seasoned block?

Cranky

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What do you look for in a seasoned block? I like engines that had a fairly 'easy' life but with plenty of heat cycles. I don't mind high mileage engines so long as someone took care of them....like changing the oil at regular intervals at least. Had a guy tell be recently that he likes engines that were 'high performance' and run hard and put up wet. Not me.....I like the easy way of stress relieving. :D
 
I look for a block that will clean up at 60 over or less and pass a mag test for cracks.
 
Very difficult to tell if an engine was well taken care of or not, you have to rely on word of moth for a 40 year old engine that has been through who knows how many owners.

I don't think it makes a dimes worth of difference once it is rebuilt.
 
If a block bore and all machined surfaces will clean up and if there are no cracks, does it matter how it was previously used? Just asking.
 
I like to stay away from engines that have been way over heated. Sometimes it's hard to tell but sometimes it isn't. If you get a complete engine to tear down, you usually see a 'history' of how it was treated as you tear it down. I tear em down slowly and take a good look at all the parts instead of just ripping it apart and throwing everything into the vat.
 
I have heard many tales about race engine blocks being burried in the ground to season ? any truth ? any personal stories ?
Never heard that one but have heard of people buying a new block and leaving it outside for a year out in the sun, wind and rain. Don't know what good it would do burying one in the ground because the ground pretty much stays close to the same temps once you get down a few feet. From what I understand you want it to heat cycle and the sun would do that pretty well...
 
i look 1st right at the core shift at the cam opening on the front of the block.
 
The term "seasoned block" simply means an old block that has been run in a car for years going through many start up shut down cycles running at operating speeds. It has nothing to do with burying them or letting them sit out in the sun as this does nothing to the block except rusting it. The heating/cooling of an engine simply sets the metal of a "new" metal engine for life. If there are any problems that are going to show up from casting flaws, etc. they will typically show up soon in the engines life and a old used engine is a safer bet than a new block. This is the only difference in an old block vs. a new block.

Most all of this goes out the window as soon as you make mods such as boring or releving the bottom of the block for stoker clearance. This is why regardless of it being a new or old block you want to mag and sonic test the block before you start any cutting.
 
I have noticed the word "Seasoned Block" on some websites for engine builders. I think in this case, the term just relates to a used engine block that hopefully was checked for any problems before the company rebuilt it.

You would have to consult Metallurgy books to see if iron gets stronger or more ductile (deforming) over time. I would think that any boring might be similar to a new block. Honing might be a different situation. I agree that checking for any cracking is most important.
 
I like salt, pepper, thyme, and a pinch of Old Bay seasoning.

Sorry, just being a D!(K

A seasoned block, like stated above, is one that's been through many heat cycles and has taken a "set". Once re-machined, it should stay that way. Police/Taxi engines are said to be poor choices due to the fact that that they very rarely are shut down and allowed to cool. I don't know how much merit that has, I think any 40+ year old engine would have been cycled enough times to do the trick. As long as it mag's and sonic checks OK it should be fine.
 
Cast iron is very stable but blocks that have had plenty of heat cycles are what is recommended as a good platform to build on according to the DC bulletins. I like the big Chrysler blocks because they tend to stay maintained and running in the car and are usually a deterrent from some goof ball trying to put a tunnel ram on it. Effects of uneducated mods can lead to pinging and dieseling, which cause impact and that can't be too good for the crank, etc... Of course you never know who did what so magging an unknown entity is always a good idea.

I think the story about burying the block, or letting it sit outside and rust, was to allow it to settle before machining after it was cast, but leaving a used block outside to get rusty is asking for trouble in my opinion. How do you get the rust out of all the oil galleys? The lifter bores will have to be honed to clean up and that will make the fit sloppy. It's just bad all around.

So pull the 440 out of dad's Imperial and install a 318 in it's place and tell him it's for better gas mileage :icon_axe:
 
I'm with Superstock on that one. Sonic testing is the best way to know what you have as far as the cylinder wall thickness. Thats 30 year old tech, it must be cheap by now.
 
i look 1st right at the core shift at the cam opening on the front of the block.

Chris;I understand what you mean,but have you got any pics of "good" versus "bad" core shift(in terms of amount of shift tolerable)? And...is this the only area that could indicate too much shift-would you see any indication at the rear of the block as well? Thanks!
 
Well from the text books of my college days, I can say we were told that the "seasoning" of a block was decided upon between the engineers in Detroit and the metallurgist. The idea was to allow the newly casted components to set before the machining process began. This was to allow all the little molecules to find there final resting point. This was accomplished by placing them outside "this is where the myth comes in for setting them out to rust", and in detroit the heat cycles are pretty damn severe! From winters dropping down to sub zero temps to summers in the triple digits. This is why the casting dates are almost always a year or more earlier than the cars manufacture date.
I can't imagine any differance between an engine just removed from an old car and rebuilt being any lesser of an engine that is allowed to set in your garage "or outside" for a few more years. The deed is done before the boys in Detroit have even performed the final machining before the car was sold as new.
 
I don't know if that has any reason for the date codes on the block to be a year prior to the cars build date. I doubt the engineers, or more importantly the accountants really cared all that much. Probably had more to do with the lead times required to get a block from rough casting, through the machining process, final assembly and into a car.
 
Well from the text books of my college days, I can say we were told that the "seasoning" of a block was decided upon between the engineers in Detroit and the metallurgist. The idea was to allow the newly casted components to set before the machining process began. This was to allow all the little molecules to find there final resting point. This was accomplished by placing them outside "this is where the myth comes in for setting them out to rust", and in detroit the heat cycles are pretty damn severe! From winters dropping down to sub zero temps to summers in the triple digits. This is why the casting dates are almost always a year or more earlier than the cars manufacture date. I can't imagine any differance between an engine just removed from an old car and rebuilt being any lesser of an engine that is allowed to set in your garage "or outside" for a few more years. The deed is done before the boys in Detroit have even performed the final machining before the car was sold as new.

I don't know what casting dates you have been looking at, but the VAST majority of casting date to assembly date is generally about 3 months or less apart. There of course are exceptions but usually no more than 6 months at the out side. Hemis are another story but that is simply because the sales were slow. In fact, they did not even cast any Hemi engines in 1967 because they had so many left from 1966. It is common to find 1968 model cars with 1966 casting date blocks until about mid January because they did not cast the second run of Hemis until Jan 1, 1968. Obviously the factory did not season many blocks for much more than about 3 months.

This whole thread began about choices of blocks for rebuilding and picking blocks that may have had a harder life than others and it somehow got off on this seasoned block thing. ANY block that has been installed in a car for any length of time has run all the heat cycles that any engine needs to be stable.

You are correct about the seasoning and letting the block sit for a while to stablize when new.

The two subjects are completely different things and using a used block regardless of how it was treated in the past has no advantage or disadvantage once it is machined for rebuild. The things you want to do as stated by many previously in this thread is to mag and sonic test for core shift/wall thickness/cracks if boring is necessary, which it nearly always is.
 
I don't know what casting dates you have been looking at, but the VAST majority of casting date to assembly date is generally about 3 months or less apart. There of course are exceptions but usually no more than 6 months at the out side. Hemis are another story but that is simply because the sales were slow. In fact, they did not even cast any Hemi engines in 1967 because they had so many left from 1966. It is common to find 1968 model cars with 1966 casting date blocks until about mid January because they did not cast the second run of Hemis until Jan 1, 1968. Obviously the factory did not season many blocks for much more than about 3 months.

This whole thread began about choices of blocks for rebuilding and picking blocks that may have had a harder life than others and it somehow got off on this seasoned block thing. ANY block that has been installed in a car for any length of time has run all the heat cycles that any engine needs to be stable.

You are correct about the seasoning and letting the block sit for a while to stablize when new.

The two subjects are completely different things and using a used block regardless of how it was treated in the past has no advantage or disadvantage once it is machined for rebuild. The things you want to do as stated by many previously in this thread is to mag and sonic test for core shift/wall thickness/cracks if boring is necessary, which it nearly always is.

My own cars....
my current build 440 was cast 04/66 and the stamp pad has it shown installed into a 67 "C440". My 69 road runner 383 was cast in 68, my 67 sattelite 318 has 66 cast date as well.
I also read this in "if memory serves" Allpar.
 
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