The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop waterjacket cracks

What is the best way to repair freezecracks in the waterjacket? Oatmeal or JB weld? I've checked out several trucks with this problem, and it's a shame they can't run..

It's a temporary fix, but whole Black Peppercorns will work. They swell up. Just dump in the radiator while the engine is running......you may have to add a lot of water until the pepper gets to the cracks, then it will swell and seal it up.

Otherwise, pull the engine, strip the block, grind, pre-heat and weld! The trick is in the cool down.........it has to cool as long as possible.
Use a puddle/spray torch to apply a powdered nickle alloy or just weld with S/S.

I think the answer is in this month's Car Craft. They had an article on spray welding cast iron. Basically, you grind a "V" into the entire length of the crack. Put part into a gas grill or large BBQ grill. Preheat to 600 or 700 degrees F. Then use a special torch/welder combo that sprays powdered cast iron into the "V" notch. Fill the "V" with the special weld bead, then allow the part to cool in the BBQ grill no faster than 100 degrees an hour. Grind smooth and paint.

The powdered iron actually bonds to the casting the way that Brazing or Arc welding won't, so the weld will actually last through heat/cooling cycles without "popping". The article goes into much greater detail.

hope this helps

chip

if you can get to the crack it can be stiched using square drive cast iron pipe plugs, center punch at the end of the crack and drill and tap it with pipe thread and install a solid cast iron pipe plug take your small grinder with a cutoff wheel cut off the square drive head and grind flush with the block. then center punch the edge of the plug you last installed where it meets the crack drill, tap, install, cutoff, and grind, repete untill you have covered the lenght of the crack. each plug overlaps the last,that you can do without tearing down your engine and i used the perminate type of permatex. you can do

Chiphead, you and I are talking about the same thing.

I said: "Use a puddle/spray torch to apply a powdered nickle alloy"

Yes, I have actually done this kind of work. We cooled the engine block ( F O R D 8N tractor) I welded in a large bin of vermiculite. Didn't take it out for 2 days. It was still warm when we did.

This process is absolutely the best I've seen. Great for hard-facing too (I did some shovels for the local USFS "Hotshots" crew).

This was about 9 years ago................and it was not a new thing then, either.

Torch set at the time was about $500, but I don't know what they go for now.