Later this morning I am taking eleven (11) "A" engine blocks to my engine rebuilder to be magnafluxed. Any guesses as to how many will be good, repairable or junk? Should be interesting. I'm doing this as I am getting a quantity discount and then I will be in a position to sell a block that I know is good and scrap the ones that are not, to make more room for more "A" STUFF. Don/WI
Engine blocks to be magnafluxed
- Thread starter Don/WI
- Start date
BRENT in 10-uh-C
Well-known member
Guessing that number without even seeing or knowing the history would be much akin to guessing today's winning lottery number. Go ahead and make the rediction on the lottery number and we'll make a prediction on the blocks. 
I will venture that 9 out of the 11 will be 'repairable' blocks.
I will venture that 9 out of the 11 will be 'repairable' blocks.
hardtimes
Well-known member
'good'...two.
'repairable'...nine.
'junk' ...nine (depending on what you mean by repairable/how much money you want to spend for 'repair').
Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
Junk - 2
Good - 6
Repairable - 3
Good - 6
Repairable - 3
dumb person
Well-known member
i'd take any that would be otherwise "unrepairable" but i am too far away..
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
Even blocks that are complete junk can be useful. They can be cut and used as a cutaway display. They can be used to hammer on, as an anvil. I had a totally rusted block that had been sleeved, broken, welded, and cracked again, and I used a plasma cutter to cut the left side off to use it as a jig to make engine mounting adaptors for engine stands.
Some good ideas Tom. I'll probably use some of them for other things. It was even suggested to me to use one for a plant stand for my wife. She was not too imprested with that idea. I will follow up with a post when I get the results of the magnafluxing. Don/WI
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
Here's one more use for that junk block I had. Besides cutting the left side of the block off to use as a jig for making engine adaptors, I then used my angle grinder to remove the unmolested engine number, to use as a good example for how an original number should look.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
Here's a couple pictures of the engine side that I used a plasma cutter to remove to use as an engine adaptor building jig. You can see how desperate soemone was to save an engine, even when at the time engines must have been plentiful and cheap. You can see how number 4 cylinder was busted up, then the pieces were welded back together and #2 and #4 cylinders then got sleeved. With the sleeve removed from #2 you can see how a wristpin has gouged the cylinder wall.
I had to use a sledge to remove the pistons, and never could get any valves, lifters or the cam to move. This engine was full of dirt and solid rust when I got it, and I still don't know why I paid $10 for it. All I could save was a few bolts from the side cover.
Results! Re: Engine blocks to be magnafluxed
Here are the results of magnafluxing my 11 engine blocks. I just got a call from my engine rebuilder. He told me that 5 of the 11 were good and 6 were junk. I did not question him as to the possibility of repairing any of the "junk" ones. I will talk to him about that when I pick them up on Friday. As I understand, the 5 good ones are ready to be rebuilt with no need for repairs. One of them will be rebuilt with inserts for my son's 1930 Town Sedan which he is restoring. I may have the remaining ones bored, paired with a good crank that will be re-ground and set up with inserts and hold them for future use. Depends on what kind of deal I can make with my rebuilder. I called the local scrape yard and they are paying 16 cents a pound for cast iron. at 92 lbs per block, I'll recoupe almost half the cost of magnafluxing the scrap blocks. And I'll have some more room to buy more "A" parts. The next "A" swap meet is February 19th at the Washington County Fairgrounds just north of Milwaukee. Don/WI
Here are the results of magnafluxing my 11 engine blocks. I just got a call from my engine rebuilder. He told me that 5 of the 11 were good and 6 were junk. I did not question him as to the possibility of repairing any of the "junk" ones. I will talk to him about that when I pick them up on Friday. As I understand, the 5 good ones are ready to be rebuilt with no need for repairs. One of them will be rebuilt with inserts for my son's 1930 Town Sedan which he is restoring. I may have the remaining ones bored, paired with a good crank that will be re-ground and set up with inserts and hold them for future use. Depends on what kind of deal I can make with my rebuilder. I called the local scrape yard and they are paying 16 cents a pound for cast iron. at 92 lbs per block, I'll recoupe almost half the cost of magnafluxing the scrap blocks. And I'll have some more room to buy more "A" parts. The next "A" swap meet is February 19th at the Washington County Fairgrounds just north of Milwaukee. Don/WI
Re: Results! Re: Engine blocks to be magnafluxed
I'll report back after I pick the blocks up and talk to my rebuilder. Don/WI
azmodela
BANNED
Re: Results! Re: Engine blocks to be magnafluxed
One man's junk is another man's treasure... so the saying goes.
What kind of engine rebuilder is this guy? I'd be suspect of his junk diagnosis over the phone, lots of things are fixable. If he's an antique engine guy and knows the problem facing older engines, then maybe it's a trusting diagnosis. On the other hand, I know too many modern engine rebuilders that are used to having access to lots of blocks, chevy 350 for example, so the criteria to render one of those as junk is lower.
One man's junk is another man's treasure... so the saying goes.
What kind of engine rebuilder is this guy? I'd be suspect of his junk diagnosis over the phone, lots of things are fixable. If he's an antique engine guy and knows the problem facing older engines, then maybe it's a trusting diagnosis. On the other hand, I know too many modern engine rebuilders that are used to having access to lots of blocks, chevy 350 for example, so the criteria to render one of those as junk is lower.
hardtimes
Well-known member
RonC,
'sell them' !
Reminds me of the old guy that I bought my Russian B from. He was showing me 'things' when I noticed MOUNTAIN of model a/b blocks
Whoa...I said! You will never run out of building material,eh !
He told/showed me that that mtn of iron was just that ...scrap iron. He had taken a hammer and knocked the side out of every block in that pile, so that they wouldn't end up sold to someone who wouldn't know junk. He was first guy who ever told me that mabe couple out of ten would be 'good to rebuild'. Never questioned his criteria for junk block classification, but he had a shop full of rebuilds in progress and was well known as a machinist/builder , at that time, for rebuilding flatheads. Just sayin that there are still ethical people in this hobby
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Jerry Parr WI
Well-known member
Thing I've noticed over the years is things that are junk 10 years later become repairable.
Re: Results! Re: Engine blocks to be magnafluxed
I finally picked up the blocks that I had magnafluxed. I guess I misunderstood my engine rebuilder, because there are six (6) good blocks and five (5) junk blocks.
Of the junk blocks, three (3) had cracks from the valve faces to the cylinder (as Hardtimes stated). In all three, the cracks were from the center two cylinders to their respective exhaust and intake valves. One of the other ones was cracked in two cylinder walls and in a few places in the outer wall of the water jacket. The last one was cracked in the area between the outer front cylinder wall and the timing gear upper rear cover which is an intregal part of the casting.
I would not attempt to sell any of these five blocks to be used for anything other than some of the suggestions Tom Wesenberg stated above. They could also be used to make a cut-away to show the inner parts of an engine for demonstration purposes. I do not have time to do any of that at this time. I am up to my neck in getting prepared for our MARC National Meet in Oshkosh in June.
If anyone would be interested in one or more of these junk blocks, I would save them until the meet in June.
Of the six (6) good blocks, one is being rebuilt for my son's "A" and one belongs to a fellow club member. I have four left to be used for rebuilding in the future. I recieved a document for each of the good blocks (with their Engine No. on the document) stating that they have been degreased and magnafluxed and are good for rebuilding.
I feel fortunate to have 6 good blocks out of a total of 11. Mike V. of Florida came closest in his guess that 6 would be good. Don/WI
I finally picked up the blocks that I had magnafluxed. I guess I misunderstood my engine rebuilder, because there are six (6) good blocks and five (5) junk blocks.
Of the junk blocks, three (3) had cracks from the valve faces to the cylinder (as Hardtimes stated). In all three, the cracks were from the center two cylinders to their respective exhaust and intake valves. One of the other ones was cracked in two cylinder walls and in a few places in the outer wall of the water jacket. The last one was cracked in the area between the outer front cylinder wall and the timing gear upper rear cover which is an intregal part of the casting.
I would not attempt to sell any of these five blocks to be used for anything other than some of the suggestions Tom Wesenberg stated above. They could also be used to make a cut-away to show the inner parts of an engine for demonstration purposes. I do not have time to do any of that at this time. I am up to my neck in getting prepared for our MARC National Meet in Oshkosh in June.
If anyone would be interested in one or more of these junk blocks, I would save them until the meet in June.
Of the six (6) good blocks, one is being rebuilt for my son's "A" and one belongs to a fellow club member. I have four left to be used for rebuilding in the future. I recieved a document for each of the good blocks (with their Engine No. on the document) stating that they have been degreased and magnafluxed and are good for rebuilding.
I feel fortunate to have 6 good blocks out of a total of 11. Mike V. of Florida came closest in his guess that 6 would be good. Don/WI
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
One junk block could serve dual purpose. Make a cutaway engine and be sure to cut away a part to be used as a jig for the motor mount, like I pictured.
