flathead crack-need opinion
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flathead crack-need opinion
I got a call from the machine shop that's working on my engine and they found a crack. The guy said it goes from the edge of the cylinder to the edge of the exhaust valve. He told me he's had customers who ran them like that and some that scrapped the block. He won't charge me for the work already done if I decide not to use the block so I'm not going to lose any money except for the cost of the block. Will this engine be okay to build it and run it or is there a reapair for it or should I scrap it?
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,364
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From: Utah
was it running before you took it apart?
I would not personally want to spend any $ on a block that was cracked, maybe they can sleeve it and weld the crack. I have seen and heard of that being done.
I purchased a 8BA flathead that was in a running 53 truck, I heard and saw it run, well it had two cracks from cylinder to intake and exhaust ports. now i use it for mock up purposes.
Good luck in your quest,
Josh
I would not personally want to spend any $ on a block that was cracked, maybe they can sleeve it and weld the crack. I have seen and heard of that being done.
I purchased a 8BA flathead that was in a running 53 truck, I heard and saw it run, well it had two cracks from cylinder to intake and exhaust ports. now i use it for mock up purposes.
Good luck in your quest,
Josh
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It was out of the vehicle when I bought it. The guy I bought it from said it had not been run in a couple years. He had just bought the car (from a friend) and wanted a 302 in it. I turned it over by hand and inspected it the best I could.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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From: denver
Flattie cracks are not uncommon. However the crack into the cylinder would be a concern to me.
Don't throw your block away though. If it were me (and it HAS been me before, lol) I would talk to your machinist about sleeving that cylinder and gittin another hundred grand or so out of her...slim
Don't throw your block away though. If it were me (and it HAS been me before, lol) I would talk to your machinist about sleeving that cylinder and gittin another hundred grand or so out of her...slim
Cargo Master
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Oxford, Indiana
As everybody knows, flatheads are prone to cracking. The most common cracks are between head stud holes and water holes. Those are basically a non issue and can be ignored. Any crack from a cylinder, though, is IMO a deal breaker. Yes, they can be repaired by several methods as the above posts outlined, but the costs to do this additional work often exceed the price of a replacement block. If it were me in your situation, I'd stop here and look around for another block. If you can find one, buy it and start over. If you can't, then proceed with trying to repair the one you've got. If you're anywhere near IN, I can hook you up with a fresh block. I've literally got a barn full of them. Time to thin the herd!
Fleet Owner
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From: NM
On the other hand, I have two of those and don't intend to do a thing to them.
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Elder User
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as long as both ends of the crack can be drilled and accessed the crack is repairable. If the ends cannot be seen and accessed then the block is junk.
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I'm going to look at the block this afternoon to see what it looks like. If it's bad I have a new 302 and C4 I can put in there. At least for the next few years untill I get everything else done to the truck I want to do.
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Well, I went to the shop and talked the the machinist. There are actually 2 cylinder to exhaust port cracks. He said I should probably no use it so I took the block and he didn't charge me. On the way home I stopped to parts for my jeep and told the guys I know there about the flathead. They told me to use a ceramic coating treatment and it would fix it. Has anyone used anything like this? I was told it was a perminant fix.
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I was hoping for someone to say it would work great but I guess it is what it is. I see what your saying. Thanks for the advice. I think I'll play it safe and look for another one.
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