Author Topic: Welding a 427 block  (Read 4110 times)

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BigBlueIron

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #15 on: August 04, 2020, 09:02:38 AM »

Also stitched dozen of 4-71 Detroit blocks! EPA gave a tug boat outfit a grant to repower a bunch of stuff with newer engines. They started with all the auxiliary engines and I had a friend who works for them and got hired part time and worked on the project on weekends. The grant required that the old engines be destroyed. Hole saw in the shirt between mainwebs is a destroyed block! Kept all the knocks, paid the tug company the scrape value and took home a couple dozen nice gensets. Stichted the plugs back in and a little paint and good as new.

John Deere 5020 similar deal, EPA was doing kind of a cash for clunkers but with tractors in populated areas. Basically older tractors where trucked into a specific dealer that met the location requirements within city limits of Dallas, where they "decommissioned and scrapped" and collected a big check. Starter was removed hole cut in block behind it. Then sold for about 1/2 of market value. Those tractors have a weird oil pan/filter design where as once the large cover is removed from the bottom you can reach up in the pan with your arm and fish out the slug.. Pull the starter back off weld it up and back to work.  That tractor was in amazing shape too, and still is.

RustyCrankshaft

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #16 on: August 04, 2020, 04:56:07 PM »
The 5020's were good stuff. Reliable and fairly simple to work on from the little I was around them. The dumb thing about all this EPA stuff is how much environmental impact does it have on manufacturing a new engine/tractor/car/whatever from scratch vs maintaining a decently efficient old thing? My old Freightliner gets just under 8mpg, essentially the same truck but a year old is getting 5. So burning 3mpg more fuel is cleaner? The math just doesn't add up.

Welding is definitely faster and in many cases works just fine. I like stitching those pieces back in when I can just because once it's done you can't tell there was even a repair done unless there was text that was obliterated in the process.

Henrysnephew

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #17 on: August 04, 2020, 06:07:49 PM »
The LocknStitch pinning system is time-consuming but very effective.  Here's a CJ block with similar freeze damage that I repaired several years ago.  Randy M

Stangman

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #18 on: August 04, 2020, 07:21:15 PM »
That looks like a good repair Henrysnephew. Have you used that block and if you did did the repair hold up.

Henrysnephew

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #19 on: August 05, 2020, 10:20:37 AM »
Yes, the repair was successful and passed pressure test before I applied an epoxy "topcoat" just for peace of mind.  Randy M

Gregg

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #20 on: August 05, 2020, 11:36:19 AM »
Hey Randy.  Not meaning to hijack this thread, but just wanted to let you know that the 390 I bought from you a few years ago is still running great.

hbstang

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #21 on: August 05, 2020, 11:56:12 AM »
you could try this.it seems to work good.and if you can do your own welding save some bucks.
https://www.muggyweld.com/video/how-to-weld-cast-iron-engine-block/

chilly460

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #22 on: August 05, 2020, 12:26:57 PM »
I'd be all for trying the Lock n Stitch, but my concern is the crack is right along the edge to that vertical valley in the block, marked in red.  It would be putting the locks in a position trying to straddle the edge so to speak, don't know how easy that would be to drill freehand. 


Henrysnephew

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #23 on: August 05, 2020, 03:43:46 PM »
Hey Randy.  Not meaning to hijack this thread, but just wanted to let you know that the 390 I bought from you a few years ago is still running great.
That's great Gregg - glad to hear that.  Still running the iron intake and 4100 carb?  Here's how this old guy installed your intake.  Randy M

Gregg

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Re: Welding a 427 block
« Reply #24 on: August 05, 2020, 04:40:26 PM »
Yep, still running the old iron intake and 4100....at 8.9 miles per gallon.  But I don't care.  I blame the 2.5" exhaust and magnaflows, I just can't help myself.