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rotorwrench · 06-30-2016, 05:18 PM

Most of the folks that do one off casting projects are making a part for a very rare and highly prized collector car. Sad thing is, most of that type of stuff is simpler to do unless you are working on some big 12 or 16 cylinder car and most of those had the same engine as the base production models so a person can still source a repairable block and some of the other parts.

FoMoCo made so much of the stuff and it fit all the different body styles and even trucks so they could make it for a very low price per unit. They went from Canadian iron ore to complete block pretty quick at the Rouge foundry. I'm sure they had a fair amount of failures but they likely went right back into the smelter.

Folks find some pretty clever ways to repair & strengthen stuff on these old blocks. One guy on the HAMB machined a complete steel skirt to bolt up to the oil pan flange and mains. He made it where the skirt provided more strength to the main bearings since it acted like a girdle. The oil pan just bolted up the the lower flange of the skirt so he had to make an extension for the oil pick up. I never did see if he competed it or not but is sounded like a good idea.

Someone may even try to find a way to machine away the cylinder deck and cylinders then cast or machine a new assembly that can be installed and bolted with o-rings or something to seal it up. Rodders have been doing this kind of stuff for years. That's a reason to keep some of those old damaged blocks if they aren't too screwed up. You never know what kind of fix someone will come up with.

06-30-2016, 05:18 PM	#53
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,508	Re: New block, a further discussion Most of the folks that do one off casting projects are making a part for a very rare and highly prized collector car. Sad thing is, most of that type of stuff is simpler to do unless you are working on some big 12 or 16 cylinder car and most of those had the same engine as the base production models so a person can still source a repairable block and some of the other parts. FoMoCo made so much of the stuff and it fit all the different body styles and even trucks so they could make it for a very low price per unit. They went from Canadian iron ore to complete block pretty quick at the Rouge foundry. I'm sure they had a fair amount of failures but they likely went right back into the smelter. Folks find some pretty clever ways to repair & strengthen stuff on these old blocks. One guy on the HAMB machined a complete steel skirt to bolt up to the oil pan flange and mains. He made it where the skirt provided more strength to the main bearings since it acted like a girdle. The oil pan just bolted up the the lower flange of the skirt so he had to make an extension for the oil pick up. I never did see if he competed it or not but is sounded like a good idea. Someone may even try to find a way to machine away the cylinder deck and cylinders then cast or machine a new assembly that can be installed and bolted with o-rings or something to seal it up. Rodders have been doing this kind of stuff for years. That's a reason to keep some of those old damaged blocks if they aren't too screwed up. You never know what kind of fix someone will come up with.