Is my block dead?

I fixed one like that with JB WELD use a mirror and bevel the crack and then use clear tape to hold the weld in place. You have nothing to lose and engine stays where it is
 
Let this be a lesson about using antifreeze. If engine is good runner, JB weld. If rebuilding, have it soldered or welded. It's very common up here in the north country. I rode behind a model A engine in a pietenpol airplane that was cracked nearly the full length. Fix it, keep an eye on it, don't worry about it.
 
eagle said:
Let this be a lesson about using antifreeze. If engine is good runner, JB weld. If rebuilding, have it soldered or welded. It's very common up here in the north country. I rode behind a model A engine in a pietenpol airplane that was cracked nearly the full length. Fix it, keep an eye on it, don't worry about it.
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Well I didn’t do it. I’ve owned it for over 26 years and it’s never run in that time. I was too young and did t have a place, time, or money to work on it. Now I am starting. It hasn’t had any water or coolant in it for 26-35 years. Hoses removed, etc. I now think because this crack was already there before then. I’ll expand in some more posts.
 
So I got in and cleaned out what I can. It’s impossible with the position to get it 100% clean. Looks like it happened a long time ago and this was a JB Weld fix that has now failed. Looks like it’s got a drill hole in one end of the crack. Big hole in the middle that is full of “something” that is soft under a sanding wheel. Guessing JB Weld.

Can only upload 1 picture at a time on my phone.
bbf04b876fe3f6542d7bf7da478b027f.jpg
 
I'm just learning Model As but know a thing or two about welding and metalwork.

Welding cast iron is a PITA and half the people who claim they can, can't. Its preheat, post cool, the right filler/electrodes, and its always risky. An old saying in the welding trade is "The correct way to weld cast iron is to get someone else to do it..."

If you can braze it, that's considerably easier.
Use a scribe to alternate-mark your faint end-cracks and groove them with a cutting wheel (they tend to vanish when you grind groove them and are hard to keep track of). A 3" wheel on a die grinder is super handy for this.

JB Weld in applications like this is basically like 'hard caulk'. There's little surface adhesion and its not going to really get into the light cracks, which is where the risk is that they get worse.
 
psimet said:
Been going through a long series of steps to get my 28 Tudor up and running after sitting for at least 25-35 years.

I decided to flush the water jacket running water through it from a hose. After 40 or so gallons I noticed a couple of small drops on the ground from the rear of the engine.

Found a crack in the block that was weeping. Cylinder 4. Under the edge of the lip on the drivers side. Picture is looking up at it.

Ran the borescope into each cylinder and not water in them. Also no water in the oil.

Options?

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No your block isn't dead we can repair it permanently without welding and without JB weld. We've repaired blocks in worse condition than yours.
http://www.jandm-machine.com/metalStitching.html
 

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Model_A said:
I'm just learning Model As but know a thing or two about welding and metalwork.

Welding cast iron is a PITA and half the people who claim they can, can't. Its preheat, post cool, the right filler/electrodes, and its always risky. An old saying in the welding trade is "The correct way to weld cast iron is to get someone else to do it..."

If you can braze it, that's considerably easier.
Use a scribe to alternate-mark your faint end-cracks and groove them with a cutting wheel (they tend to vanish when you grind groove them and are hard to keep track of). A 3" wheel on a die grinder is super handy for this.

JB Weld in applications like this is basically like 'hard caulk'. There's little surface adhesion and its not going to really get into the light cracks, which is where the risk is that they get worse.
Click to expand...

I have always heard that you reverse the leads on the welder....
 
I had a block that I repaired with JB Weld and drove the car another 10 years that way. I wouldn't push your luck by drilling at the ends of the crack. Just wire wheel it, maybe put some metal prep on it to etch the metal like you were going to paint it and then press in the JB with a putty knife. You haven't got anything to loose making this repair.
 
Ed in Maine said:
I had a block that I repaired with JB Weld and drove the car another 10 years that way. I wouldn't push your luck by drilling at the ends of the crack. Just wire wheel it, maybe put some metal prep on it to etch the metal like you were going to paint it and then press in the JB with a putty knife. You haven't got anything to loose making this repair.
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I am leaning this way. The last pictures I posted are after wire wheel, sanding, anything I could get in there to clean. I figure I will use acetone to clean it up and throw the JB weld on. I would MUCH prefer to get it stitched but this thing hasn't run in 25-35 years. I have no idea how well it runs and definitely don't have the engine hoist, etc to get it pulled and sent out to get fixed.

I figure if I use JB Weld and find it all runs well and I am saving it then find a year in the coming years to pull the engine and re-do it and get the block fixed.

Honestly wish I could find someone that would swing by my house and be able to stitch it in the car, working upside down. I'd pay more than I should to have that done. :D
 
Okay now that you have decided to go with using the J.B. Weld here is something that I do in a situation like yours where the J.B. will be clinging to vertical / underside of a surface.
J.B. Weld has a tendency to sag and droop until it starts to set up. I mix up a small test batch and then 10 minutes after that I mix up the actual batch that I will be using to do the repair. Keep testing the first bit you mixed up and when it starts to set you know that you have 10 minutes of working time to get the second batch of J.B. into place. That way you won't have to fuss around too long keeping it where it needs to be.
 
1crosscut said:
Okay now that you have decided to go with using the J.B. Weld here is something that I do in a situation like yours where the J.B. will be clinging to vertical / underside of a surface.
J.B. Weld has a tendency to sag and droop until it starts to set up. I mix up a small test batch and then 10 minutes after that I mix up the actual batch that I will be using to do the repair. Keep testing the first bit you mixed up and when it starts to set you know that you have 10 minutes of working time to get the second batch of J.B. into place. That way you won't have to fuss around too long keeping it where it needs to be.
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Sweet. That’s a golden idea.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
So a bit of an update on this and another call for advice. I did JB weld it. It seemed good but found that there was water on the ground the day after running the engine. It was slow. Was good enough to run the engine when I wanted last year but I wouldn't feel good driving it. It is still weeping slightly but will weep until the water eventually comes down to that point.

So I need to clean it all out again and go back at it. Problem I have is getting everything fully cleaned out around the end of the block (Red Circled area in photo). I physically have a hard time getting my hand in there let alone tools at the right angle to get it all cleaned up. Any advice for helping to do that?

Also there's enough need that I don't think I can adequately fill and over-fill the cracks in one go with JB Weld. Does anyone know if it's possibly to do 2 coats and still have good adhesion assuming I scuff then clean the first coat well with a light solvent before applying the second?
InkedWeep_LI.jpg
 
Okay here is another option for you. Some might scoff at it but it really works and is long lasting.

Clean the area up and then cut a patch to fit over the area out of cotton cloth.
Think T-shirt type of material.
Rub silicone caulk into the patch saturating it completely.
Place the patch over the problem area and smooth it flat. Resist the urge to plaster a layer of silicone over the top of the patch. It doesn't need to be thick.

I've used this method to patch many, many things over the years and it works really well. The radiator on my AA truck has one of these patches and it's still going strong 12 years later.
 
Big hammer said:
Do what you did last year, then add Bar’s stop leak to the radiator for the weeping !
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I actually added Bar's Stop Leak right before I stored it for the winter. Maybe I'll just check the fill level and run it long enough to make sure it's up to temp and filled and see if that fixes it.
 
psimet said:
Problem I have is getting everything fully cleaned out around the end of the block (Red Circled area in photo). I physically have a hard time getting my hand in there let alone tools at the right angle to get it all cleaned up. Any advice for helping to do that?
Click to expand...

Removing the throttle linkage and the floor boards may help.
 
JB Weld as an epoxy adheres initially as a chemical as well as mechanical bond to the metal. If you wait until it is completely dry (24 hours) and sand it with rough sandpaper you’ll get a mechanical bond on your second coat. However, if you apply your first coat and then let the epoxy get tacky enough so your finger doesn’t pull up material when pressed into the epoxy, you can apply a second coat on top of the first and it will chemically bond to the first coat. Let it all dry for 24 hours and see what you get for results. This has worked for me in my boat restoration business for years in making fillets, repair of holes, or laying up fiberglass inside a hull.
 
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