Engine block problems. HELP!!!
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,669
Likes: 13
From: San Jose, CA
Engine block problems. HELP!!!
Many great thanks to hamz52 for turning me onto this engine.
I went to L.A. on Friday to pick it up. Drove back same day. Left at 4 a.m. and came back at 7 p.m. That's twelve hours on the road. The crazy things we do for our trucks.
Got it unloaded and cleaned yesterday. Surprised to see some of the original paint still present. The engine has been rebuilt once (tag still in place) and bored out to .010". The engine looks ok, except for the broken bellhousing. I knew this from the beginning. Didn't think that it was going to be a problem as I should have a few bellhousings laying around.
However, when I took the bellhousing off, I found that two bolt mounting connections on the block are cracked.
Is this going to be a huge problem now? Did I waste my time and money on this? Do I need the upper bolt connection? I think that the lower bolt connection area could be drilled all the way through in order to use a longer bolt. Can these areas be repaired? Pros/cons??
I am in need of help, desperately, as the 215 OHV engines are very hard to find (because they get scrapped), and it took me some time to find this one.
What can/should I do?????
Thanks, Ilya
I went to L.A. on Friday to pick it up. Drove back same day. Left at 4 a.m. and came back at 7 p.m. That's twelve hours on the road. The crazy things we do for our trucks.
Got it unloaded and cleaned yesterday. Surprised to see some of the original paint still present. The engine has been rebuilt once (tag still in place) and bored out to .010". The engine looks ok, except for the broken bellhousing. I knew this from the beginning. Didn't think that it was going to be a problem as I should have a few bellhousings laying around.
However, when I took the bellhousing off, I found that two bolt mounting connections on the block are cracked.
Is this going to be a huge problem now? Did I waste my time and money on this? Do I need the upper bolt connection? I think that the lower bolt connection area could be drilled all the way through in order to use a longer bolt. Can these areas be repaired? Pros/cons??
I am in need of help, desperately, as the 215 OHV engines are very hard to find (because they get scrapped), and it took me some time to find this one.
What can/should I do?????
Thanks, Ilya
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Victorville CA USA
Ilya
Sorry about the cracked bolt holes. I'm sure that if they can weld other areas in a block then that could be too and then re-tapped. Hope it works out for you and doesn't cost and arm and a leg.
Ham
Sorry about the cracked bolt holes. I'm sure that if they can weld other areas in a block then that could be too and then re-tapped. Hope it works out for you and doesn't cost and arm and a leg.
Ham
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Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,669
Likes: 13
From: San Jose, CA
Originally Posted by hamz52
Ilya
Sorry about the cracked bolt holes. I'm sure that if they can weld other areas in a block then that could be too and then re-tapped. Hope it works out for you and doesn't cost and arm and a leg.
Ham
Sorry about the cracked bolt holes. I'm sure that if they can weld other areas in a block then that could be too and then re-tapped. Hope it works out for you and doesn't cost and arm and a leg.
Ham
It's not your fault. I am just glad to get a decent engine that's pretty much complete.
There must be ways of fixing those cracks.
Ilya
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,669
Likes: 13
From: San Jose, CA
Originally Posted by 312
you can run a bolt right through the bottom hole as you thought.
Ilya
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,730
Likes: 13
From: Waynesville, OH
Ilya,
Before trying anything else, it wouldn't hurt to take the earlier suggestion and have a pro welder who's familiar with welding cast iron tell you what it will cost to have some new cast iron welded back on. You might find that they can do it for less than $100. That may seem like a lot, but it would be the best way in the end and give you some peace of mind.
You can probably reduce the estimate for the welding a lot by doing the prep work yourself. I'm sure you can find some scrap cast iron and grind it to the right shapes and then V-notch the pieces. Tell the welder what you'll be willing to do to prepare the parts and see what they will charge you to just do the welding. With a little care to get the surface flat, you can clean up afterwards with an angle grinder and then drill and tap the holes. You can use the bell housing and a transfer punch to get the holes in the correct place.
Hope you get it sorted out OK.
Before trying anything else, it wouldn't hurt to take the earlier suggestion and have a pro welder who's familiar with welding cast iron tell you what it will cost to have some new cast iron welded back on. You might find that they can do it for less than $100. That may seem like a lot, but it would be the best way in the end and give you some peace of mind.
You can probably reduce the estimate for the welding a lot by doing the prep work yourself. I'm sure you can find some scrap cast iron and grind it to the right shapes and then V-notch the pieces. Tell the welder what you'll be willing to do to prepare the parts and see what they will charge you to just do the welding. With a little care to get the surface flat, you can clean up afterwards with an angle grinder and then drill and tap the holes. You can use the bell housing and a transfer punch to get the holes in the correct place.
Hope you get it sorted out OK.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,283
Likes: 1,046
From: NM
If I'm not mistaken the lower hole had a dowel "tube" in it, didn't it, with a bolt thru it? Getting that repaired and in the correct location is very important.
I'm not at all familiar with these engines and the bellhousing, but can you "create" new bolt locations along the mating surface? It looks like there is enough meat just above the lower hole to put a somewhat smaller diameter bolt hole. I'm not a huge fan of cast iron welding, I'd want some "insurance" in case the weld turns out to be brittle and weak.
Worse come to worse, you could always bolt a steel plate across the mating surface (using some new bolt holes, with countersunk bolts), and face the bellhousing a like amount.
I'm not at all familiar with these engines and the bellhousing, but can you "create" new bolt locations along the mating surface? It looks like there is enough meat just above the lower hole to put a somewhat smaller diameter bolt hole. I'm not a huge fan of cast iron welding, I'd want some "insurance" in case the weld turns out to be brittle and weak.
Worse come to worse, you could always bolt a steel plate across the mating surface (using some new bolt holes, with countersunk bolts), and face the bellhousing a like amount.
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Junior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver Isl
I had a starter bolt flange break off on a small block I had years ago and I had a old time welder do what he called cold welding on the cast iron. It worked great and was around $100. Saved me getting a whole new motor.
Hagen
Hagen