Building a S̶t̶r̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶3̶5̶0̶ 383 for Frank the Tank…

JimmyDuncan said:
They do look good value.. do you think the quality is ok?
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I think Ok.
Not 100 % positive.
Tempted to buy one myself at that price and put it on my parts shelf.

It was not that long ago I could go and find hundreds of Delco 10 MT starter used online or my local salvage yard. Pay $10-20. Buy parts to rebuild local for another $20.
Supply has dried up. Cash for Clunkers when Obama was President here wiped out millions of Vintage parts.
People threw much away for scrap metal for China.
 
I’ve seen a few starters with 10mm mounting holes in my search... some don’t mention it.. I need special bolts with 10mm shank and 3/8 thread then yeah.. which I can’t find in nz... I think the starters for more modern cars that work with 168 tooth can have 10mm holes..?
 
JimmyDuncan said:
I’ve seen a few starters with 10mm mounting holes in my search... some don’t mention it.. I need special bolts with 10mm shank and 3/8 thread then yeah.. which I can’t find in nz... I think the starters for more modern cars that work with 168 tooth can have 10mm holes..?
Click to expand...
I reused the original starter motor mounting bolts that came with my 1999 Chevy Tahoe.
 
So I figured I'd spend some time hunting down the slow coolant leak that's been troubling me for a few months, while the starter was out of the way.......

And I found......

IMG_4664.JPG
index.php

PHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!!!!!!:mad:

A horizontal hairline crack in the block on the passengers side in line with the coolant plug... The line of the crack appears to go in both directions from the plug, but only (currently) leaking from the rear side of the plug... Feeling my savings for my next project gushing out a crack in my wallet right now....:(

So guys..... Questions...

Is there a fix for this that doesn't involve pulling the engine and rebuilding with a new block....? (I not hopeful...) coolant treatment? epoxy?
Can I keep driving it with the crack...? It doesn't leak very fast at the moment.. What's the possible worst case?
Is there a temporary fix that will work while I save for the (I'm guessing) inevitable rebuild..? coolant treatment? epoxy?

What should I do?!?

So mad right now...:mad:

Phaark!!
 
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It's a stress riser crack Jimmy.
From Engine torque reaction.

Car is so heavy.
Needs a Drag Race Front Motor plate locked solid to frame.

Competition Engineering makes them nice.

When Ready Dart Little M Block only.
 
Grumpy said:
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...Vi7bACh0xNgX-EAQYAyABEgKh2vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

you could try this but eventually youll want a new block
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Maniacmechanic1 said:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-35500/

This Jimmy.
Buy 2 bottles of Moroso Ceramic block sealer.
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Thanks Grumpy and Brian.

Ok, so there’s additives that seal from the inside then? Looks like I can get the moroso one here in NZ. I’ll try that and hopefully it’ll allow time to get a new block and save more $ to rebuild....

Brian - I see that the moroso ceramic seal is not to be used with antifreeze..? But, that’s just when being applied yeah? Flush clean, add with water then after it’s sealed add antifreeze?
 
Maniacmechanic1 said:
It's a stress riser crack Jimmy.
From Engine torque reaction.

Car is so heavy.
Needs a Drag Race Front Motor plate locked solid to frame.

Competition Engineering makes them nice.

When Ready Dart Little M Block only.
Click to expand...
So, you think would it be likely to happen again with another block if I don’t use a motor plate..? :eek:

Or, is it more just bad luck..? The brass coolant plug next to the crack had to be drilled out and the hole retapped during the build when we couldn’t get the plug out.. could it be more related to that? I didn’t think a solid mount would be any good for a cruiser that races occasionally..?
 
Maniacmechanic1 said:
Right about SBC blocks.

BBC. Ponch. Olds 425
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I’d love to go to a BBC, but that’s a whole bigger stack of $$$$... then my trans and drive shaft might decide the stress is too much.. :rolleyes:

I’m hoping I can get back on the road reusing as much of the current engine as possible.. but, it’s going to add up with machining and bearings, seals, gaskets, rings? And with a flat tappet cam, I guess there’s a chance that cam and lifters will need to be replaced..? Damnit!
 
What’s likely to happen if I manage to seal it with the ceramic sealant.. fail again later..? Very likely fail if I drag race it again..?

Would it be likely to be just another leak if it fails or a catastrophic failure...?:eek:
 
the answer is related to both where the current crack is and how much stress is applied.
factory SBC blocks are designed to handle about 350-400 hp, yes we all know guys that are pushing or exceeding 500 hp,
stress is cumulative , casting thickness and quality varies, internal corrosion, over time, is slow and difficult to analyze
one reason the much thicker DART block is suggested.

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/engine-block-cylinder-wall-thickness.976/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-choice.10472/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/grinding-block-for-stroker-assembly.2855/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/which-dart-shp-4-0-or-4-125.3219/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/some-sources-for-engine-blocks.439/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/new-block-for-sbc.12646/
 
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