I bought a running, driving 83 Capri RS 5.0 for a parts car. I pulled the entire drivetrain out to use in my wagon. Well, today I broke the engine down to replace the gaskets and cam. While taking things off, a chunk of the block broke off in my hand. They had to have known about it, someone had used JB Weld to hold it on!! AArrgghh!! Now the motor is junk. At the rate I'm going, I might just leave the 2.3L in the wagon for another year. At least it runs!!
That's a heartbreaker. Just plain sucks. May the fleas of a 1,000 camels infest their armpits.:banghead3:
Sorry about your block, drg. A discouraging bummer, for sure. I'm kinda dumb about these things, but if it ran with the JB Weld-ed block, can you just re-JB Weld it and get all it installed, and use it while you search for a new, better block? Or is that just stupid? David
We used to have blocks repaired if the damage wasn't in a mission critical area. Sometimes the repairs lasted for years - others it didn't matter how good the repair was, a rod coming through at 8,500 rpm wasn't going to stop for anything Wix raises a valid point though - is the block salvageable and worth the effort/cost? I don't even know if it is steel or aluminum - but the other thought is, what about just picking up a bare block if this one is beyond repair? Both measures might be temporary but allow you to salvage some of your dollars invested. It is a crappy thing when you buy something that has hidden problems. You know the seller had to of known no matter what excuses they try to come up with, but you are also stuck on the wrong end of the pooper scooper
Saw this happen before - from collision impacts. Blocks usually break at mounting points for motor mounts, bracket attachment points, etc....... Can be re-welded.....sometimes.
Well, a little bit of good luck today. I picked up an early 70's 351W from a guy. This one is in good shape, no cracks, so I may be back on schedule.
Well, glad to hear you got a new engine. A 351 is gonna be awesome, maybe more awesome than the 302. All I could think of when I read your first post was, "Dam, that sucks!" and "I hope he didn't pay much for it" Good luck with the new guts and the install.
Now I gotta get the oil pan, heads, cam/lifters, intake, carb, C4 trans and a high stall convertor. Phew!! Then I'll be ready to race.
hmm junk the crap now...scrap is up. (put two old bent steel rims behind my garage....didnt even make it till morning!)
