Projects IM SO F@#KN SICK TO MY STOMACH just ruined a flathead

i would use Arctec Alloys #3 cast iron rod, no preheating required and machineable, but i dont think they sell in the US, but i'm sure lots of companies make this type of rod, i would try sticking it in an oven just to burn the oil and **** out of it, it ****s but it can be fixed, 5 rods maybe at $7 a rod.

 

man this has made my night a little better.....yea its a 8ba block....I checked the center bolt and it has a small amount of threads left but im not sure of tapping it any further.....I have the pieces still so I may ask around to see if I can find someone who can weld it back....I would try it but I dont have a stick welder
I would just say screw it but It is a great block bore and no cracks as far as I could tell

 

A buddy sold a 52 model std. bore flathead motor for $150.
Find another block unless you're an accomplished welder.

 

I need a good 8ba...

 

by the time you paid a welder to fix the damage and a shop to pressure test it, you could have bought another block. its a big gamble.

hows the pan rails and main webs? a visual inspection just isnt enough... if it was mag'd and sonic checked before the damage was done then ya, try and salvage it. too risky in my opinion.

 

Sorry guys I just meant stress area as a place like the cylinders, with valves, pistons, etc. The pump area has bolts going through the block that should help the strength of the weld, even if it is a motor mount. I bet somebody on here could fix that block for you, and be on the cheap if you bought the beer.

 

here is the back of the water pump....it did not have the top bolts in

and the peices I could find will look better tomorrow still missing a quarter size chunk

 

I agree with this advise, done it and went on with my business.

 

I think it can be saved. Even if not welded, there looks like enough around the outer edge of the pump surface to be sealed up to the block...considering you can get all the bolt holes working.

 

This exactly what I was refering to a a low stress area. The broken area other than the one bolt boss does not carry any loading. The suggestion of using a thin plate to ***ure sealing was also in my mind. Arc welder with nickel rod used by someone who knows what they are doing will fix it fine.

 

that is fixable believe it or not. A guy on the East Coast Frank Casey can make that BETTER than new

 

Sure it would be obvious to those who already know.
But people tend to ASK questions because they want to know as well.
A simple, non sarcastic, answer is all that's required.

 

Great reply.

 

I did not drop my block, but I did run into the same problem.

I think the previous owner dropped the block and had someone stick weld it with nickle rod,

when I went to change the water pump gasket, this is what I found



My heart just about sank, so I know how you're feeling.

The piece had broken right at the weld, it probably was not cooled slow enough, and when the weld cooled it shrank.

Anyhow this was a sweet running motor, and I figured in order to re weld it the block would need to be heated, and cooled properly.

Which meant tearing apart a sweet running motor.

So I figured I would try something else. I consulted my welding teacher with my idea of brazing it. He is an old hot rodder himself and he figured it should work.

You don't need nearly as much heat to braze it and it is only the middle bolt that is effected by the break. So low stress area as others have said.

So I cleaned up the parts and ground a v groove in the joint.

Then I made a little jig to hold the broken off piece in the right location so the bolt holes would line up and it would be flush with the rest of the block.

And here is how it came out



At this point I still needed to add a little more br*** to the low spots, but it was not going any where. I don't have a picture of when it was done but it was all flush.

A good trick was to put grease on the water pump and bolt it up, that way you could see the contact, and any low spots.

I just dressed it with a file to make it flat with the block, br*** is soft.

Now I know that I am a novice at this stuff, and it may not look pretty, but I have been driving this motor with no problems after this repair.

And I figured I had nothing to loose.

I am sure someone will be able to criticize my work, and I know a professional would have done it better. But I made do with what I had, some say that is the root of hot rodding and some say that is the way of a hack.

Either way, I am driving that motor instead of calling it a loss. Here is that motor in my 33.





So I would say that unless you damaged something else, you can fix that block.

Good luck.

Redbeard

 

Hey Red beard -- Killer fix. When you have a good flatmotor ya work hard to keep it. Your solution might not p*** aircraft standards but your rod is down the road. Way ta go !
Real Hot Rods don't have valve covers.

 

The initial "Oh ****" turns into "How do we fix it". Certainly not a boat anchor as someone suggested...........

 

Everyone is a professional on the internet.
We used to have sound advice here but some have decided to just add their opinion without realizing the consequences.
Yes good Lord don't heat that block to cherry red.
Yes you can fix that. Ni-rod and the proper procedure. It will hold.

 

[
Cast iron can be easily repaired by a good welder. I could repair that better than new in a couple of hours using Ni-Rod 55 which is a high nickel stick welding electrode.

A mild preheat and keeping the area hot followed by a slow cool wrapped in insulation would do it.

And yes, I do know a little about welding. [/QUOTE]
This is what I was taught. How I do my repairs and never had any complaints..

 

I've seen these repairs in person, they are amazing! I don't agree with the company's opinion on welding cast, I've done it with no issues numerous times but this is an option perhaps. BEST OF LUCK!!

http://www.lockns***ch.com/

 

Thank you I was down and out and I just glad I didnt grab the BFH and take out my frustrations on the engine....Im going out to the garage and finding the rest of the block

 

Redbeard's experience confirmed my gut feeling. That bolt in the water pump inlet is not that critical for support. Concentrate on getting a surface to seal up the water pump and whatever you can do to get the bolt in the pump to attach to something is a plus.

The other post, by Dale Fairfax, regarding welding some thin steel over the hole as a shim plate would be something to consider. You could weld a nut to the back side for the bolt in the pump. May not even need to weld it to the block. I would probably use 1/8 inch thick to make the plate. Make the plate, silicone or make a gasket, and use the two water pump bolts for holding it in place. Just be gentle with it next time it is up on a piece of wood.

Neal

 

My Grandpa brazed up a crack in a block of a Case crawler 40 years ago, my uncle still uses it. It can be done, it can work. The pre-heat/nickel rod technique is also the way I was taught, but I've never done it. I'd get quotes for repair and if they exceed the cost of a new block, the new block is the way to go. I'm sure you can sell the damaged block, it sounds like there's interested people here on the HAMB...

How about one of those "new" French army blocks I read about? I read a thread about them on here not long ago.

 

Sorry for stickin' my nose in, saints...guys...don't wanna be Mr. Misinformation.

I probably shouldn't have even posted, considering I'm no welder myself. Plenty of you are though, and I respect that. I don't mind being proven wrong. I was going on what I have seen and heard from the shop owner. The fact remains that these people do awesome work every time. But obviously, there are alternatives, as a few of you have shown.

Good luck with that motor, saints. Looks like all is not lost. Good.

 

The last thing he needed was a "rah rah Chebbie" engine choice opinion from a member of "the great brainwashed"
That post had about as much value to the heartbroken OP as a busted prophylactic

 

It's miller time.

 

It comes down to cost and risk. If you're looking to build a fairly stock motor and not willing to invest a lot in it, then see if you can get it fixed by a competent welder (plenty of guys can fix this). BUT - if the cost of fixing it starts to get much over about $200, then you have to ask yourself . . . 'Self - is it worth it?'. Think about how much you're going to spend of time/money on the rest of the motor - use this as your criteria for making a decision.

In my case the answer would be a solid "No" - as I"m not about to do the extensive port/polish/relief work I do on a suspect block . . . but I build hot/race flatheads. I'd rather find another $200 block and know that I have a solid foundation to build from. By the time I invest 40 hours in port/relief work and $1200 to 1500 of machine/valve work - I need to be damn sure I have a good foundation for my "full-house" flatty.

It is really the cost of EVERYTHING else you're going to do to the motor that determines how much to invest in it. If you're trying to build a runner at a cheap price - might be just fine. On the other hand, if you're building a complete from-scratch motor with all the go-fast goodies and planning on spending thousands on it - why take a chance on a block . . . I wouldn't.

Everybody has their opinions - especially when it comes to flatheads. Best of luck with your project!

B&S

 

ok after finishing the tear down of the engine I may try and use a plate to block off the hole look at redbeard and my pick there are 2 screw holes that are not used that will help seal the plate and then bolt on the water pump....should work
ill show picks when I install it
B&S im just cleaning up the block and runing it Im not spending a ton on it so Im doing the cheapest thing I can so I can get it up and runing

 

This may work, as long as you're willing to live with a bit of fan-belt misalignment. You'll be putting the one water pump 1/8" further forward (which is probably not a big deal). Making an 1/8" plate is probably how I'd do it -- as you'll still have 3 of the four bolts going into the block, so I think you'll still have enough strength. This method is probably cheaper and easier than going the welding route . . . maybe a bit more of a "hack", but what the hell

 

looks to be 49-53 . billy

 

There is a place in Turlock California called Loc-N-Stich they can fix anything cast and it is guaranteed to boot. They have fixed some things I would have never thought possible.