Pan rail cracks

Automotive Stud

Automotive Stud

Well-known member
I have this 59a I want to use in my next project. It's been bored .040 over, still has cross hatching in the cylinder walls, I've looked it over good but I see these two hairline cracks, one in each pan rail. Will this be ok for a driver or is this a boat anchor? Sorry for the poor pictures.
 

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Pressure test it... IMO, you will find these leak ... Find the ends, and do the cracks extend thru the center main bearing web? I have a very pretty 21 stud block that has cracks both sides from front to back, that I would not use...
Karl
 
Desparation Time?

I didn't know that times were so tough that cracked blocks were worth throwing good money after... Cheap talk for the guys whose money isn't going into the enterprise, but surely $500 would get an unblemished block to throw another three thousand into to have a great engine. I can easily see if a block is in otherwise fresh condition with many miles potential without spending even more. Kinda like driving the value out of the engine. The 59A engine is on ragged edge of needing serious money spent on the old stuff or going to an 8BA or Merc rotating assy. Leaves you with a block of whatever condition and money to be spent. Its all about that block. I have a '47 that is running great but am keeping a crackless block as a spare just in that case. Also have a beautiful engine freshly done with cracks on the pan rail that is only good for the spare parts because the coolant leaks that started early on. Some brave soul took some cool buddy advice. Good Luck: Fred A
 
pressure test it and see if it leaks, etc.....i think there have been threads about pinning it for repair....or even using J-B weld after opening up the cracks with a Dremel or something like that....not a pressure area, i think the discussion was, so maybe repair can save that block...good luck.....Mike
 
In my experance that look like a freeeze up crack, up here in the cold country I've seen many blocks cracked the whole length of the inside about an inch up from the pan rail. If it was mine I'd pressure test it or at least magnaflux it. If you can't find any other crack I'd probably pegg those cracks and go for it. Walt
 
Walt Dupont--Me. said:
In my experance that look like a freeeze up crack, up here in the cold country I've seen many blocks cracked the whole length of the inside about an inch up from the pan rail. If it was mine I'd pressure test it or at least magnaflux it. If you can't find any other crack I'd probably pegg those cracks and go for it. Walt
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"Yup" verify the damage and stitch if possible.

R
 
do like RONNIE says. there is a simple test that schould be done on every f.h block. take a light ballpeen hammer & tap the side of the block above the rail. the casting is thin there & over the years they get thiner. if solid find the ends os each crack drill a small hole & plug now there is a system they use in drag strip engs you clean the block & poar the stuff where the water pumps go. you don,t use much just enought to cover about a 1/4 inch it,s some kind of epoxey. the guys on ham proubly know what it is. p.s if it were my eng. i would get an other block
 
Stitching doesn't work very well on long cracks in thinner material, the lack of support is such that as you go along, the crack opens up wider due to the wedging action of the tapered plugs... I would preheat and weld, or braze...
Karl
 
Karl Wolf said:
Stitching doesn't work very well on long cracks in thinner material, the lack of support is such that as you go along, the crack opens up wider due to the wedging action of the tapered plugs... I would preheat and weld, or braze...
Karl
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Stitching works very well you just have to have knowledge of the correct product and procedure. Can supply info if wanted.

R
 
Lots of conflict here. The longest one is a about an inch long, I see one on either side. They don't go into the webbing or anything. The motor looks like it had some work recently done to it and looks ready to run but I saw this and it concerned me.
 
Ken>>>I dont think you will ever have a problem with this, I would run it like I stole it.>>>

x2 if you don't hafta spend a lot of time and money to get it running again. Just do it.

Jack E/NJ
 
This pic was my pan rail's on an 8BA, this crack is the same on both side's.

The crack goes into the block then out along the rails and again in to the block. Mine is trash for sure. Got a nice crank and cam/lifters out of her:D . Scott
 

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Real stitching puts locks across the crack to keep it from opening. This a Model A compressor head done by Frank Casey in Millbury Ma.
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Walt Dupont--Me. said:
In my experance that look like a freeeze up crack, up here in the cold country I've seen many blocks cracked the whole length of the inside about an inch up from the pan rail. If it was mine I'd pressure test it or at least magnaflux it. If you can't find any other crack I'd probably pegg those cracks and go for it. Walt
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X2
Freeze cracks … almost guaranteed to leak and unfixable
 
Here is an idea if you can keep it out of the bearings.

properties, making a temporary, brittle repair.
[edit] Automotive repair

Sodium silicate can be used to fill gaps within the head gasket. Commonly used on aluminum alloy cylinder head, which are sensitive to thermally induced surface deflection, and can be caused by many things including head-bolt stretching, deficient coolant delivery, high cylinder head pressure, over-heating, vapor-lock, etc.
"Liquid glass" (sodium silicate) is added to the system through the radiator, and allowed to circulate. Sodium silicate is suspended in the coolant until it reaches the cylinder head. At 100–105 °C sodium silicate loses water molecules to form a glass seal with a re-melt temperature above 810 °C.
A sodium silicate repair will last two years, sometimes longer. The repair occurs rapidly, and symptoms disappear instantly. This repair only works when the sodium silicate reaches it's "conversion" temperature at 100–105 °C. Contamination of engine oil is a serious possibility in situations in which a coolant-to-oil leak is present. Sodium silicate (glass particulate) contamination of lubricants is detrimental to their function.
[edit] Homebrewing

Sodium silicate flocculant properties are also used to clarify wine and beer by precipitating colloidal particles. But as a clearing agent sodium silicate (water glass) is sometimes confused with isinglass (a form of gelatin prepared from collagen extracted from the dried swim bladders of sturgeon and other fishes). Eggs preserved in a bucket of waterglass gel, and their shells, are sometimes also used (baked and crushed) to clear wine.[6]
[edit] Car engine disablement

Sodium silicate solution is used to inexpensively, quickly, and permanently disable automobile engines. Running an engine with about 2 liters of a sodium silicate solution instead of motor oil causes the solution to precipitate, catastrophically damaging the engine's bearings and pistons within a few minutes.[7] In the United States, this procedure was used to comply with requirements of the Car Allowance Rebate
 
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