cracked head

w.michael

w.michael

Senior Member
Can I use this head? It is cracked between the stud hole and the water jacket, but it does not appear to be into the combustion chamber. This is the stud on the driver's side between cylinders #2 and #3.

I know you wouldn't use this on a customer's car, or on a total rebuild, but I am using this on my own car. This is a down and dirty quick head gasket change on an old engine. This crack is not where the head gasket was leaking. Should I put this on and give it a try, or am I wasting my time?

Should I chance it?

W. Michael
 

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heads are cheap and plentiful, I would try and find another one before wasting time and money on that one, but seeing where the cracks are it probably can be used, altho its going to leak around the stud and head nut, use some stop leak if you decied to use it, my advice find another head
 
Should run for another year or 3 yet. Personally, on my car? Would not bother me much, i would use it on my own car for the time being.
 
w.michael said:
Can I use this head? It is cracked between the stud hole and the water jacket, but it does not appear to be into the combustion chamber. This is the stud on the driver's side between cylinders #2 and #3.

I know you wouldn't use this on a customer's car, or on a total rebuild, but I am using this on my own car. This is a down and dirty quick head gasket change on an old engine. This crack is not where the head gasket was leaking. Should I put this on and give it a try, or am I wasting my time?

Should I chance it?

W. Michael
Click to expand...
Where are you in NC? I am in Asheville and have a few heads.
 
DON'T USE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Would you use an OLD, cracked KONDOM, thet you've sat on in yo' billfold fur 4 YEARS?? I WON'T tell you whut Chief wuld have sed! He could have gottened "BANNED" on here, in 3 1/2 MINUTES--LOL
Bill W.
 
I wouldn't use it when good used heads are easy to find, or better yet, just invest in a new 5.5 Snyder's head.

I've never seen a crack there before, and wonder if it was caused by someone prying up on the other side of the head too hard, rather than prying up evenly on both sides.
 
Quote=Tom Wesenberg; I've never seen a crack there before, and wonder if it was caused by someone prying up on the other side of the head too hard, rather than prying up evenly on both sides.

I pulled the head using a Stipe puller tool from Snyders, so I'm pretty sure I didn't cause the crack. I certainly don't know what happened in the past, and I don't know if the crack was there the last time the head was installed, or if it happened after the install. Somebody in the past may have thought, as I did, "that crack won't hurt anything, so I'll use the head anyway."

I think Tom's theory makes sense. Why else would it have cracked in that location?

W. Michael
 
When I bought my PU, it came with a cracked head because the jerk I bought it from did not protect it with antifreeze or even simply draining the radiator before shipping it and it froze on the way up here. It was a nice "B" police head. Long story short -- I had several offers of used heads, but opted for a new Snyder's 5.5 head. Haven't been sorry I made that choice.
 
stick that head under your workbench,I picked up a nice head last year at zephyrhills car show for $10.00
 
Unless it's a rare head, I'd also put it under the bench and find a good head or
buy a new head.
The photo below is a rare head, a very early one and expensive, so we fixed it.
It was pinned, pressure tested and surfaced...
 

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