I am trying to flush the rust out of my 1954 235 but when I opened the petcock on the side of the block nothing comes out. So could someone tell me if the water jacket turns left and right just inside the block? I tried sticking a piece of wire inside it but it only goes inside about 3/4 to 1 inch in before hitting something hard. I tried a small needle file also but didn’t get any water out.
Joe - The picture below is taken from a 1953 Chevy Engineering Features document, but it gives you kind of an idea on how the cooling passages look in the cross section of the block.
They are shallow once you get inside the drain hole and you'll need something that can flex/bend to clear rust build up beyond where the hole opening is. Some folks have used a flexible cable like a thin plumbers snake to make those bends and follow the path of the passages.
Hope this helps.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
I've used a short piece of steel cable with the ends of the strands melted into a ball shape with a torch, clamped into a cordless drill motor to chase passageways like that. Go slow and be patient! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Yes it is shallow, thanks for the picture, got it soaking in Evapo-Rust right now. I’m thinking it may be from someone using some type of radiator sealer they say that stuff can harden like cement over time. I bought off a guy that had it in a 210 series car I believe
Like I told Hotrod I have some Evapo-Rust in it now. I read somewhere that a guy used a speedometer cable cut off and flare one end and put one end in a drill but leave it in the jacket I guess to give the cable a little support.I have one that’s bad so I will try it. Thanks for the replies.👍
You can get all kind of junk on the lower back side of the number 6 cylinder and that will definitely keep it from draining. The last time I had this happen, I had to remove the water pump, pour the opening as full of CLR as I could, let it sit overnight and then bend an L shape into a coat hanger and work it from the front to the back to dislodge the stuff. Took a couple of hours. Finally I got the petcock opening to drip a bit and then I poked a coat hanger up there to help dislodge things. Then I drained that CLR, replaced it with new and repeated. After doing this three times, I got it fairly well cleaned out. I remember wondering if one of those spring type pipe cleaners would help but the one I had was too large. Some are smaller (for smaller pipes). That might be ok, but I haven't tried it. Jerry's idea sounds good. Good luck.
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
Just a suggestion, and you may have already done this. Remove the entire fitting for the petcock. It will give you a little bit more room to wiggle around a screwdriver or wires or whatever you want in that orifice.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
