What the heck are these? There are two little hair line cracks that are U shaped. Can I just JB weld them? HELP. Please

Take care,
Jon

Been down that road.

Twice.

Engines were like that when I got them both times. Notice they're under the head bolts. Best speculation I've heard is a frozen block coupled with the stress from the head bolts.

JB Weld won't cut it. Need to be ground, stop-drilled, welded. Tricky stuff, welding cast iron.

305? Think hard before you decide it's worth it. Best excuse for a 350 you'll ever have.

How much does all this cost? Couldn't alll I do is JB weld it just to keep the coolant out of the oil? This really sucks. Is thier even a possiblity that it isn't even through the block?

Take care,
Jon

Also, what will happen if I build it an drive it like this? The combo I have will easily put out 400 HP without a doubt. I know, it doesn't make sense it run with a little cracked block but.. . . man.

If nothing else, go to the boneyard and grab a used 305 block. It should only be around $75.

Don't take a chance on that one. That blasted Murphy is sure to show up ...

Who's for lynching Murphy once we catch him?

It's not a 305, it's a 455. I mean, the cracks aren't big, they're just hair line cracks about an inch big. How much will that cost to get that fixed?

That's a picture of a 455?

The eventual effect is water in the oil.

A competent shop will probably charge you between $100-200. JB Weld may hold if you grind the cracks first, but you're taking a huge risk there.

No, the picture is a 305. But the one with cracks is a 455. Notice they're are no cracks in the picture. Do you recommend I get another 455 block? This really suciks.

305 - get another block.

455 - get it fixed.

boriss, i think you are mistaking casting lines for cracks. i just got done building a 455 for a friend of mine and it had the same u shaped lines on it. If i get some spare time I'd come check it out for you. btw. when did you get the 455? what happened to the 326?

I'm no 455 'spert, so that could be.

I spent about a week trying to convince myself that my latest case was indeed casting lines. Since I had only seen anything like it one other time, in all the SBC lifter valleys I've seen, and I knew that one leaked water into the oil, I finally admitted to myself what they really were. Lay awake in bed about 4 hours that night...

Hope you're right. Probably are. Good luck.

Thanks for coming over Brad. Five7Kid, We both comfirmed, There are cracks in my block. It's on the truck waiting to be taken to the maching shop to be magnafluxed on monday. Honestly, little depressed though. Doesn't make sense that a power house engine be built with cracks in it. Even if it gets fixed I'll still have that in the back of my mind. Brad, maybe you can describe this better.

Bummer.

If you trust the shop, ask them how confident they are in the possibility of repair. They should give you an honest answer (and it might be, "No guarentee."). It's not all that uncommon of a job, though, so I'd think you've got a reasonable chance of success.

It took four months for my oil to get frothy. Actually, one head split on an exterior casting line after about a month, so I had the heads off and saw little white lines on the lifter valley walls. I'd had so much trouble with the engine up to that point, I just wiped it out and didn't think anything more about it - until the oil turned white on the dipstick.

If you're worried, give it some running time, then spend the price of a set of gaskets and a few hours to pull the intake for some peace of mind.

well i sure don't know much but if it were me doing it i'd grind the crack compleatly out, or till i hit water then either mig weld it with steel or tig weld it with nickle, most likely mig since i don't have nickle tig rod at home. you might want to sit the block in frong of a kerosene space heater to warm up the block a little before you weld too. peening might help to relieve stress as you weld it also.

Well, took her to the machine shop today to be magnafluxed. Yep, a total of four cracks. Including the two. Looks like new block for me. It's not that bad as the 455 blocks here are only $300.

Take care,
Boriss