here's to gettin lucky!!
Made a mistake
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: Alberta, Canada
Made a mistake
Ok, i have this 79 f250 i use for mud bog racing with a 400 in it.
I messed up and the anti freeze froze solid as it was miunus 40 degrees celcius last night.(canadian winters)
i looked and the freeze plugs this morning and they haven't popped yet.
Do the freeze plugs pop when it thaws out or can i save this motor?
I want to say it was a 25% antifreeze 75% water but for it to freeze i must be wrong. I meant to change the coolant at the end of fall but forgot.
Anybody else have any experience with this.
If the motors screwed im ok as ive been looking at a 390 with 4speed for it.
Only thing is i was proud of that engine which is rare as everyone of the guys i race with tore out there 400's a long time ago
I messed up and the anti freeze froze solid as it was miunus 40 degrees celcius last night.(canadian winters)
i looked and the freeze plugs this morning and they haven't popped yet.Do the freeze plugs pop when it thaws out or can i save this motor?
I want to say it was a 25% antifreeze 75% water but for it to freeze i must be wrong. I meant to change the coolant at the end of fall but forgot.
Anybody else have any experience with this.
If the motors screwed im ok as ive been looking at a 390 with 4speed for it.
Only thing is i was proud of that engine which is rare as everyone of the guys i race with tore out there 400's a long time ago
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8,261
Likes: 15
From: Big Sky Country
You may have lucked out, you may not have, you'll find out when it thaws, the freeze plugs don't always pop out though when an engine freezes over and sometimes they do, it's very possible you still cracked your block with the freeze plugs intact, in a 20qt. system 25% antifreeze and 75% water only protects you to about 10 degrees fahrenheit.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 281
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From: Alberta, Canada
But good does come from the bad and I wanted to take and rebuild the motor. and this motor( 400's in general) are good mud bogging motors ive found. just have to fix retarded timing and get into high rpm and the cleveland heads go to work.
im going to try to get it in the shop to work on it but that means taking the 65 massey.
Ill let you guys know how she goes and mabey can help educate with my stupidity.
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,940
Likes: 8
From: Southern Oregon Coast
Heh, I froze up a 318 on a Dodge Charger once... We pulled it into the garage and set up a gas "salamander" heater in front of it for a couple of days to thaw it out... What we didn't count on was having the grill melt onto the floor in a puddle of grey plastic...
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,779
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From: Waterloo IL
Just thaw it out and try it like others have said. A lot of times the freeze plugs wont actually pop out. They are actually made to help with manufacturing the block and aren't actually meant to pop out when freezing to save the block. At least it was only a 400 and not a good engine. lol. Had to throw that in there.
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Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
Likes: 3
From: Marengo, Iowa
I have seen the side broken out, but that was straight water. I had an inline 6 motor once that the antifreeze was weak, and it just slushed up, didn't freeze solid. You need to run a minimum 50% at any time, winter for freezing, summer for boiling and corrosion protection. I'm thinking that further north you run 60% antifreeze, but may be wrong on that number. 50% gets you -36 F.
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Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 18,423
Likes: 9
From: iowa
I would like to point out something here. They are NOT freeze plugs. they are NOT intended to pop out to save your block if you freeze it. Those are actually called core plugs. those holes are put in the block to get the sand out from casting and the plugs are only in there to fill that hole not as a safety valve. IF you happen to get lucky and have it pop one out instead of crack the block that is exactly what it is LUCK not design.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
Likes: 3
From: Marengo, Iowa
I thought about stating that, but it had already been mentioned... I hate that I have to look them up at work as freeze plugs, since they are actually core plugs, for the reason Rob stated, to get the sand out from the casting process. There actually is no listing for core plugs in our system...
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 281
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From: Alberta, Canada
well you learn something new every day. i had always thought the plugs were for stress relief. i had never really thought of the way ford made the blocks. im going to put it in the shop tonight so ill let you guys know how she goes.
It will be a heck of a job just to get it into the shop to. theres a bit of an incline to get into the shop which requires pushing the truck in with the tractor. With every oil in the truck cold it requires dragging around the truck to line it up. just a pain.
and to warm up the shop is another story. Good old wood fireplace.
It will be a heck of a job just to get it into the shop to. theres a bit of an incline to get into the shop which requires pushing the truck in with the tractor. With every oil in the truck cold it requires dragging around the truck to line it up. just a pain.
and to warm up the shop is another story. Good old wood fireplace.
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,924
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I wouldn't worry about it. Chances are it will be fine. I've froze one or 2 solid through the years and have never had a problem. Just remove the fan belt, start it and let it run for maby 5 minutes. Then it will thaw on it's own from there.