You guys all helped me out a few months back ... ( https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/58-corvette-motor-advice-please.1331751/#post-15518556 ) ... regards a pal over here in the U.K & a '58 Corvette he has inherited. Things have moved on now a little - The block passed pressure tests but when flex honing the bores they discovered a crack in the bottom of one of the cylinder walls which backs on to the water jacket.. He has been offered 2 options- "1. That cylinder can be stich welded on the outside of the cylinder and a new liner fitted. 2. I have another 283 block here with exactly the same casting numbers. Option 2, engine state is unknow & may need rebore etc" Can I ask you guys your views on option 1 please? Thanks.
If the other block does indeed have the right numbers, it might make sense to use it. Might depend on how much machine work it needs. They didn't put the car serial number on the blocks until a couple years later.
OP - is the 2nd block date coded correctly? I'm just pointing out that the car is worth more with the engine it was born with powering it. If you're going racing and want to preserve the original, what Mr. Jim says could help.
Me? I would build whatever engine needs the least amount of machine work but I don’t care about fancy numbers matching stuff.
I would get the 2nd block checked out and if it needs less work/money to get it running use it. About the value issue, save the original block so if you ever sell the car it can go with it.
I’d go with the liner. I’m unlucky and everytime I go for what seems the cheaper option (like using the second block) it turns out more expensive!!!
i said sleeve BECAUSE i thought it might be cheaper (to boot) than some amt of machine work on the unknown...
Sleeving is a fairly common repair, and so long as it's done properly a good one. Watch out for adjoining cylinders to be a bit out of round after the process. As with any decision, try to gather as much info as possible about the time, money and outcome of the choices. If you end up with more investment in the second block inspecting, it should increase it's value should you decide on selling it, since it's condition is known more than the typical 'core'.
sleeve it - drive it my decision would purely be based on cost and limited downtime. If money isn't an issue then use it as an excuse to Hot Rod it, its why we're here right?
If one hole gets sleeved it needs to be bored, there will be distortion. My question is why is it cracked?
Hello, It is your project and you want things to go right. If you are not building a numbers matching, restoration for later sales and it’s plan is a daily driver, then forget the problem of a cracked block. Something made it crack and that in itself should tell you that there are troubles ahead. With crate motors like your SBC v8, at a reasonable price, it is not worth the time, worry and effort to do what you want done. A new SBC motor will fit right in place and then it is the other things to make it a running, driving sporty car. It is not worth the effort to check out why the block cracked or whether it will crack continually. It cracked due to over work and there is no guarantee it won’t do it again. So, send the money and get a complete ready to install and run, crate motor. No need to worry about why it did, what it did. Now, spend time getting the car running and on the road. Jnaki Corvettes are always a classic sporty car. Get a new crate motor and get the car on the road. Enjoyment of driving it will far surpass the worry points of crack blocks and whether it will do that again. YRMV Note: I can remember the teenage days that my friend and I drove a 50 corvette around for a day or so. The owner wanted to exchange the dual quad carbs for a single 4 barrel. He got tired of constantly running a dual quad system. So, a simple 4 barrel was sitting on top of a 283 motor of my friend’s 57 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop. A simple swap of both carb systems worked out well for both owners. The 57 Bel Air was fast before, but now, it was so much faster with the dual quads. Although we liked riding/driving the Corvette, it was not for us. We liked our 57 Bel Air Hardtop Sedan and my 58 Impala with the 348/C&O Stick Hydro set up for our daily cruising… The Corvette was now a smooth running and driving, sporty car that was easier to drive and have fun.
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