Cracked Block- Belzona 111 Vs 3M Panel adhesive Vs Devcon F

L

Lon Jackson

Member
I have a crack in my block into the water jacket. It really isn't in a spot that I can drill/tap or weld. What is your experience with Belzona 1111 Vs 3M Panel Bond adhesive Vs Devcon F for fixing cracked blocks. Is the Belzona 1111 really worth the price?
 
Lon,
Having been through a couple of different cracked block engines the results of both have not been good. I wish you the best. The panel bond just doesnt sound like what you need from the name??? I havent helped much.
Maybe you could post some pictures??
Regards,
Chris
 
I have had some experience repairing cracked blocks on two engines and cracked heads on one 312 Y block. The cracked blocks were in the external portion of the block between the soft plugs. I used K&W block sealer, following the directions on the can, excellent results, drove the engines for years until I sold the vehicles.
The cracked 312 heads had hair-line cracks radiating away from the bolt holes a quarter to one half inch. Following the advise of an excellent mechanic friend of mine i used Chevrolet thick head bolt washers under the Ford head bolts on all of the head bolts, with cracks or without.
The engine ran for years with no problems in my '59 Ford F100. I used 50/50 coolant an a 7lb cap on the radiator. I also have a habit of adding ALUMASEAL into the radiators of my older vehicles.

Sometimes the 'snake-oil' fixes work, sometimes they don't, follow the directions on the can and hope for the best.
 
i dont know about the panel adhesive but i have used Devcon and it works. my brother used it to fix cracks in a 9N tractor.
 
marko39 said:
i dont know about the panel adhesive but i have used Devcon and it works. my brother used it to fix cracks in a 9N tractor.
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Which version of "Devcon"? There several (the same with Belzona), and I get confused trying to determine which version to use. It would be nice find out from someone with experience which version have been used successfully on specific applications.
 
tubman said:
Which version of "Devcon"? There several (the same with Belzona), and I get confused trying to determine which version to use. It would be nice find out from someone with experience which version have been used successfully on specific applications.
Click to expand...
You would use their liquid steel for repairs to a casting.
 
I had a rot hole in the water jacket of my block that was caused by moist crud sitting in there for ages.

I over-researched this topic and went with Belzona 1212 for a number of reasons.
The main reason I went with 1212 is you can buy it in a smaller quantity (1111 only comes in a large size) and it is designed to be used in spots that are not or can't get to be surgically clean. This is really important if it's in a area that you can't access to clean it 100%. The cost difference was approx. $300 between the 1111 and 1212 due to the quantity.

What also sold me on Belzona this is the only epoxy that Cat diesel will approve for use in their engines and still honor the warranty. If Cat gave it the thumbs up, it must be good stuff.

It's a bit tricky to get since you have to order it through a sales rep. That said, my sales rep was great and even offered to come out and apply it for me.

Good luck with your choice, but I don't think you'll find better than Belzona.
 
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marko39 said:
You would use their liquid steel for repairs to a casting.
Click to expand...

That's the problem; they list 3 types of "Plastic Steel" on their Website. They have :

1. Devcon® Plastic Steel® 5 Minute® Putty (SF).

2. Devcon® Plastic Steel® Liquid (B).

3. Devcon® Plastic Steel® Putty (A).

Am I correct in assuming you used (2.) above?

It seems to be expensive because of the amount ordered. I have about given up on Belzona because of the difficullty in just getting it.
 
tubman said:
That's the problem; they list 3 types of "Plastic Steel" on their Website. They have :

1. Devcon® Plastic Steel® 5 Minute® Putty (SF).

2. Devcon® Plastic Steel® Liquid (B).

3. Devcon® Plastic Steel® Putty (A).

Am I correct in assuming you used (2.) above?

It seems to be expensive because of the amount ordered. I have about given up on Belzona because of the difficullty in just getting it.
Click to expand...

Yes it was #2 and I repaired my rusted out compressor tank made in 1955 with it and tank holds 175 psi.
 
I have quite a bit of experience with epoxies. Not scientfic studies for sure but the one thing I have experienced time after time is 'the faster the cure time, the poorer the results'. In the boat yards where I started 50 some years ago, Marine Tex was the go to. I saw mechanics Vee out cracked manifolds and force it in with good results. And yes, it takes a long time to cure and a space heater is your wintertime friend. I used it in a long pan rail crack 25 years ago, I know the vehicle still and never heard of any milk shake in the oil.
 
Excellent results with Devcon plastic steel putty on hot water manifolds in a marine application, vibration and shock. Also used on a 350 ch**y cracked water jacket.
Both were cleaned, V grooved, crack ends drilled. Similar results with JB Weld!
As GB mentions, the slow cure was used. A shop halogen lamp puts out some heat
that can be helpful.
 
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