409 block side crack

[super sport]

My 409 block had a side crack . It was repaired and checked for leaks after wards . Everything checked out good no signs of other cracks or leaks . my concern was , will it still perform well even if its been rewelded.

 

[droptop62]

if there were no other problems it will perform the same as it did before the repair.
It was just the water jacket, it will function no differently.

 

[frank409]

Dear Super Sport,
At the 409 Convention, Lamar Waldon was asked this very same question and his reponse was that it is not a problem as long as it is repaired properly. I have personally seen many welded 409 block that run just fine. Check to make sure it is not cracked by a lifter bore or on the deck surface around the 1" diameter cooling hole just to make sure you don't have other problems.
Good luck,
Frank409

 

[ed409chevy]

Tony Schaffer and Lamar both recomend the drill and screw repair on cracked blocks. I assume there is a kit available to accomplish this. Tony fixed an 09 block for me and it never leaked a drop. I've never had any luck with welded blocks.

The convention was great fun. It's to bad all our members couldn't enjoy the magical times and great fellowship I enjoyed, not to mention the fantastic cars. WHAT A FANTASTIC SHOW!!! Thanks Phil

 

[super sport]

thanks guys for the info .

 

[wrench]

crack repair

Tony Schaffer and Lamar both recomend the drill and screw repair on cracked blocks. I assume there is a kit available to accomplish this. Tony fixed an 09 block for me and it never leaked a drop. I've never had any luck with welded blocks.

My old Uncle Bob called this 'stitching'. It was mainly used on milled surfaces if I recall right.

Cast iron welding can be done. It's best to weld it hot. There's a thread around here somewhere that details hot welding.

Cheers,

 

[Tic's60]

Any good stick welder with 10+ years can do this easily. I say 10+ because its not something that your taught in school. I was only because the welding instructor was FFA and my Dad is a master at it. Farmers you know. Speaking of which if happen to have a Farm machinery repair place around that's good I'd call them first.

Basic steps and materials

Arc Welder
Torch
Nickel Rod 1/8 - 3/16"
Brass Rod 1/8"

Clean the area and make sure the is ZERO water behind the crack. ZERO!! Or you will create steam and can crack it worse. To do this make sure not water is in it, of course, then heat the area up a few times until your sure it's dry.

Next heat up the area you are going to weld, on a test block if your learning, not cherry red just hot. There is rod that you can do this cold also but I have never used it. See the link below for that info.
Test the nickel rod on an old block or cracked off pieces and get comfortable with it and make sure your arc is going into the metal deep enough with a smooth bead. Depending on the crack you may need to bevel it about a 1/8". Next do the same but feed in the brass rod in a stitch pattern or side to side about a ¼” to each side of the weld. What this does is allow the welded are to Flex and fill in any small holes, brass/nickel so it will not re-crack on you unless it freezes or something. Once you get that down take a deep breath and go after the real thing. You will usual only need one pass with the nickel rod and brass to fix the crack. The above steps are for people just learning to weld cast.
Once welded use the sharp end of a welder’s hammer and Ping the welded area until fairly cool and the area is clean, this makes the molecules move into place. There are more technical terms but that's the jest of it.

DO NOT PUT ANY WATER ON THE WELD!! Let it cool completely to COLD. Go have a beer and leave it alone till morning.

This has been done in my family 30+ years so there is a lot of Feel that goes into doing this. Many a John Deer A/B Series and lots of beet trucks that take a hell of alot of abuse have had this fix on them for years and they still work all day hot or cold.

There are new ways to do this but I have never done them.

Here is a link to some other great cast welding
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/castironpreheat.asp

Mike

 

[Fran Preve]

Just sold a 409 truck block with the cracks. I asked about this back when I got it and many people replied "JB Weld it". Evidently JB Weld can be used, and if the crack and surrounding area is properly cleaned it will last "forever". I've never done a 409 block but I used JB weld on some marine exhaust manifolds, cast iron, on my boat and they've lasted 4 years so far, same deal, cracked cast iron. Frankly I've never read anyting bad about using JB Weld on cracked cast iron or aluminum (except where HIGH heat is involved).

I would claen the area around the crack COMPLETELY, degrease it with a switch and contact cleaner, drill the ends, grind it down or sand blast it and then apply a couple of coats of JB Weld.