rebuilt engine with cracked block

[midgetracer]

I purchased a "rebuilt engine" from someone who took it in trade. After tearing it down I realized that it had indeed been rebuilt. New pistons and rings, Valves, guides and adjustable lifters, reground crankshaft and rebabbited mains and rods. The problem is that he engine had cracks everywhere. cracks between #2 and #3 cylinder which was pinned. cylinder 2 and 3 were sleeved and the block was cracked from 4 inches behind the water inlet all the way around tthe left side of the engine ,under the water pump to the right side of the engine. This crack was filled with JB weld. Why would someone put all this work into an engine that was obviously a piece of junk iron. The engine had never been started. I plan to salvage the new parts, but what can I salvage from the block babbitt job or the sleeve job.

[1931 flamingo]

IF the repairs were done correctly and the babbit was also done correctly, why not run it??


Paul in CT

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Pressure test it

[midgetracer]

I would not feel comfortable using an engine that is so severely cracked. The outside is slathered in JB weld. I will save the new parts, and put them in another block. What I was hoping is that a rebabitting shop could use the caps and the reground crankshaft and pour another block and use the caps and line bore it to use the crankshaft. This could potentially save me enough cash to get a non cracked engine rebuilt. I hope this makes sense.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Do as you wish, but those exterior cracks won't hurt a thing. As for reusing the babbitted caps on another block, that really won't work..

[Kurt in NJ]

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the only way to reuse the caps is to larger size---if now for .020 crankshaft can be cut for .010---and that depends on how well the line bore was originally centered

but I would say that the shop doing babbitting wouldn't want the liability of another shops cap babbitting job

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

IF the repairs were done correctly and the babbit was also done correctly, why not run it??


Paul in CT

I also agree. We had a guy in the club that after many years of hard and faithful service he decided to freshen up his coupe. When cleaning up the engine for a repaint he found out that the JB Weld was used in the front of the block to fill in a bullet hole. Many years and no leaks.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I'd run it and take your time to look for another spare block, which you may never need.

[Bob Bidonde]

My guess is that the cracks are from frozen coolant. If this engine were mine, I would run it. Put Barr's Stop Leak in the coolant.

[DHZIEMAN]

Properly reassemble the engine, put it in the car and run it! If repairs were done right, it will be OK! And if it is not, nothing lost but time! And reusing the babbit on another block just will not be a good idea!

[midgetracer]

I could not feel right about using an engine this cracked up. I transfered all the good components to a block I had rebabbited. I used everything but the crankshaft and pistons and rings. I have the new engine running well on a test stand. I will keep the crankshaft for a future build and will keep the main caps in case someone has a babbit breakdown on a .020 cap. The block is going to recycle. I can't restore something to the level usually talked about on this forum and put a busted up ...hope it's good... engine in the car. Just too bad someone would put so much time and money in a busted up block.

[Cape Codder]

I sure wish I lived closer to you. I would have taken care of the recycle for you!

[redmodelt]

Me too! There are lot's of A's that have the cracks pinned/sleeved and use JB weld on outside cracks and are on the road running.

It's your choice and you made it because that what works for you.

Maybe the extra work was put in because the numbers matched but never made it back into the car it came out of.

[Railcarmover]

Hope the grey iron gods don't cast (pun) a spell on your new block..Ford mechanics back then used to use filings and work them into a crack,the filings would rust up and seal.When Ford developed the V8 they went through thousands of blocks before the got the casting good enough for production,and even then the failure rate was high.