Customs Collant Leak? Where is this coming from? Picture in Thread 1952 Buick Straight 8

Trying a sealer may be the best option to start with. Certainly it is simple, not labor intensive and is inexpensive. As has been said, should that prove not effective, you can still either s***ch, braze or weld.

Ray

 

I agree with trying the sealer first. I have used the little brown beads, can't remember the name, for a rad leak. Still holding when the car went away several years later.

Ben

 

I installed some Bars-Leak copper sealant the day I found out about the leak. Have not had a chance to start it up since then but will see on Monday if it fixed the problem.

As for the welding I have a hobart 230 mig and weld with it often. But I have not used a ARC in a long time. If I decide to weld it I will get some s**** cast iron to practice with before I try the block.

Will let you guys know if the leak is still there.

 

The cooper sealant did not work. It is still leaking.

So I placed a order with muggyweld for their 77 electrode.
http://muggyweld.com/all-products/77-electrode/1-2-lb-77-electrode-3-32

It's worth the try to fix it myself. Will let you guys know what happens.

 

Remember preheat area, weld then peen it. My buddy uses a air hammer with rounded insert.

 

Has a pressure tester been used to actually determine where the leak is coming from ..... or has the leak been "viewed in action", with the engine running?

 

Hey guys going to clean up the problem area today and get some good pictures. To see the exact area I will have to be under the car looking up. I have a pressure tester also and will use that to find the exact spot. My plan is to take off the exhaust under the manifold and the drivers fender with inner finder to get better access and lighting.

 

I have repaired many cracked blocks with "Marine Tex", a two part epoxy like JB Weld. Drill about a 1/8 hole at the ends of the crack after cleaning WELL. Rough up area with a grinder. Fab a cover plate to closely match any contours of the surface ( I use 3/16 stainless ). Slather about a 1/4 thick layer of epoxy on crack and before it sets up screw on the cover plate. Put a heat lamp on it for an hour or so. Done! Worked for me every time.

 

A lot of interesting solutions posted here, I'll stay tuned to catch the "hopefully" positive outcome. Good luck!

 

drilling the ends of the cracks is very important to stop them from spreading as they will keep growing over time as the block does expand and contract with heat just a 1/8th in drill bit , Iit depended on the crack size or location often determined how we fixed it , welding is nice , but in the sidewalls often devcon or JB weld worked after a physical ( grinder) and chemical ( diluted hydrocloric acid) cleaning of the crack as the antifreeze will contaminate the crack

 

Update: Today is the first day that I have had time to work on the buick. I decided to weld the block (if I can get good enough access) where is. I took off the drivers side fender, grill and inner fender. I then took off the exhaust below the manifold and the shift linkage to give me extra room. I cleaned the crack then made my v. I also drilled the ends of the crack. Going to call it a day and weld it next week. Will do a dry(non-live) run before I do the weld to make sure I have enough room to get a good weld.

As for the weld. Trying to decided on the best way to control the heat so I do not create any extra cracks. I saw someone on youtube that did not pre-heat before he welding the cast iron. He did 1" welds at a time. Worked it backwards and did not start another weld until it was cool to the touch. Problem I see with this is you would have a lot of ends. Not one solid weld.

 

Been a while! I tried welding the block with the engine still mounted but it did not work. Going to have to take it out and do it the right way. With that said it has been sitting for a few months. Say I will not get back to it until the spring but once I do I will post up with questions I'm sure.