Cracked Block.

[Anonymous]

I have a 67 mustang convertible with the original 200 engine and i've got
a crack that runs from the top of the block down to the water pump. Is
this common? and if so can it usually be fixed? I have to take it apart and
out of the car and take it into the machine shop. Until he sees it he won't
know if it can be repaired or not. Someone suggested J B weld to seal it up but that didn't sound like the right thing to do to me.

 

[xctasy]

Yes, it is not un heard of for the front section of a log engine to get thermal cracks. The front end gets heaps of water cooling, the back gets hot.

When the cooling system gets clogged, the water pump scales up or the radiator leaks, most of the multitudes just dump cold water into the radiator, and then split the block.

Other times, a good cold snap will cause the water to freeze and then crack the block.

The block has 14 bolts, and the front offside right bolt is normally useless after a crack. If the block can still take a torqued up bolt at the front, then there is hope. Unless you've got a guy who is gung ho enough to weld it up with an F66 rod, then its likely to be scap.

The split line can be welded by a skilled welder, but its never the weld that fails, but the margins beside it.

There may be an option of dowling the block with a bunch of screw in studs, then welding it.

PM some pictures to me, and we can post it. Thad, Seattle Smitty or some of the other welding experts could comment on the chances.

If origonality is critical to you, then perserve here. Henry Ford had a saying. Build something as well as you can, and if you don't use it, someone else will. No effort will be wasted, as cracking has been noted on a few occassions, and it seems a shame to scrap a viable block just because it looks hard to cobble up a fix for the problem.

Regards,

x