Cracked engine block!!!

[Soundguy]

Wengers of PA is another good place to try to find a salvage block.

Soundguy

 

[AlanB]

Ok, I am on the phone with Bobby Fields now, and that is the product that he was showing me. Mention his name if you go that route, it is Competition Machine and Welding and he is looking to set up to do demo's for this product. He has a demo block that he had shown me and it is really cool the way it pulls the pieces together.

Anyway, it is somewhat tedious to do the drilling and tapping, grinding etc. but he said that you end up with an excellent permanent repair.

I doubt it is "cheap" but.... then again I doubt a new block and changing it over is very cheap either.

Hope you get it fixed, however you decide to go.

LOCK-N-STITCH Inc. homepage: Cast iron crack repair, cast iron welding, thread repair inserts

 

[normde2001]

Unless money is no object, if you are not an expert welder, and oil leakage is the only problem, I would try JB Weld, or other, better fillers in a heartbeat. What do you have to lose, and you might save $1,000's of dollars.

 

[kmdigital]

In case you didn't see it, there is a very cool video on the Lock-N-Stitch web site regarding welding cast iron. It really explains why you can't just weld cast iron and expect it to work without cracking.
Expansion/contraction

 

[gbick]

kmdigital, There was a wad of learning in that video. That is exactly the kind of tutorial I delight in finding here. Thanks for sharing. Greg.

 

[bamatoolmaker]

I weld cast iron a couple of times every month.We modify and repair iron molds and dies all the time.I would rather replace them with new tooling but that is not a economical solution for my customers.If you can weld steel you can weld cast iron.The biggest problem when welding cast iron is opening up internal gas pockets.When this happens the crack or hole gets bigger.A Lincoln or Miller welder will do the job nothing fancy.Use the highest nickel content welding rods you can find.Set the machine 50-70 amp. neg.DC and practice.I learned how one weekend and had not used a welder in 20+ years.Most of the other posters had good points and I am going to watch the video some day.Speaking from my own experience and I have welded engine blocks.The quality of the iron,the cleanliness and removing the stress points are critical. I say stitch weld it and it should outlast the rest of the engine.I am not trying to be disrepectful in any way to anybody.Oh yeah I also recall the Brits refer to your rear as a bum.

 

[sandman2234]

Six months late and 5 pages later, I decide to enter a small bit of info...
I used a Duetz 30-06 to spread some dirtpiles that had been sitting for a long time. The owner of the tractor had recently had a shop replace the clutch, and the bolts from the bell housing to the engine worked loose. The tractor decided to come apart while I was on it, and the bolt holes in the block cracked as the tractor split itself. They took the tractor to a Head and Block repair shop, and they welded the bolt holes back together, and it is running to this day, and that was 15 years ago.
Hopefully you will have as good of luck with the repair.
David from jax

 

[Soundguy]

Funny.. back on post# 14 I mention stitching.. nobody says 'boo' about it. Jump ahead to post # 32.. and it's a 'new' idea...

Soundguy

Ok, I am on the phone with Bobby Fields now, and that is the product that he was showing me. Mention his name if you go that route, it is Competition Machine and Welding and he is looking to set up to do demo's for this product. He has a demo block that he had shown me and it is really cool the way it pulls the pieces together.

Anyway, it is somewhat tedious to do the drilling and tapping, grinding etc. but he said that you end up with an excellent permanent repair.

I doubt it is "cheap" but.... then again I doubt a new block and changing it over is very cheap either.

Hope you get it fixed, however you decide to go.

LOCK-N-STITCH Inc. homepage: Cast iron crack repair, cast iron welding, thread repair inserts

 

[billbill1]

Being the tightwad that I am, I would try and fix it and keep using it. I would drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop the crack from spreading and have a good welder (that would not be me!!) take a shot at welding it up. Have him fix the frame at the same time. If that didn't work, then I would look into spending the money to find a block. You won't know until you try-if it will work or not. Oil isn't that expensive, as long as it's not flowing out, add some more and keep on tractoring. That's my one cents worth (like I said, I'm a tightwad!!)

 

[Egon]

Funny.. back on post# 14

Sometimes thems the breaks, er Stiches!