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I have never seen a block "Fixed" with any method you can weld cast if you know what your doing but even then you weaken the cast iron surrounding it making it brittle, you have to really know what your doing if you can find someone that can do it but even then there is no guarantee it will hold. I would find another block.
I have a 428 CJ block with a similar crack and thinking of employing some testing methods to verify how bad it is or if it's even all the way through. The most reliable way to weld cast iron is with gas and a poured cast iron welding rod AND a proper preheat and slow cool down cycle. Go find a real blacksmith! Or do the lock and stitch repair.
pinning it might be all you could do in a attempt to save it. there are a few good cast iron welders out there but they may not be looking for that kind of a project.
I had a 426 streetwedge engine with cracks; my enginebuilder told me it would always be a weak spot, even if repaired. So i didn't want to rebuild an engine with repaired cracks.
He also told me, if it was to be a race engine, and it would be filled with hard-block, then it would work, but not for a street-engine.
good luck!
I know of a guy with a hemi Roadrunner that repaired his cracked block by a guy in NJ.It's a long expensive process.Don'y know if you need to keep THIS block in the car for value reasons
Get some Magnaflux red Penetrant and developer and dye-check the cracks. Grind them first witha fine carbide burr and then put the penetrant on with a small artists brush. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then wipe it off with a clean cloth. Try to get as much off as possible. Shake the can of developer well, and then put one quick semi-wet coat on. let it sit untill the developer dries for about five minutes. If it is a crack, the penetrant will bleed out and show you a good picture of what's there. If it's gone, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Keep griding and checking until all of the indications are gone. You can't build an engine with water leaking into the lifter galley! Good Luck!
Years back I watched my now deceased neighbor weld a crack in a 409 for a guy. He drilled holes at the end of the crack (to keep it from spreading when heated), opened the crack with a grinder, heated the block, and stick welded the crack with I believe a high nickle content rod. He covered it with insulated blankets so it cooled slowly.
This was a small crack- not the amount shown in your pic. I'm sure it can be saved, not sure if it's worth it.
Wow i didnt buy this yet , nor is there a deposit on it . im greatfull for all your opinions , thanx , will talk to the owner and c where hes at on this , im more of a body guy , thats why i asked you guys thanx again .
When I bought my block I simply asked the guy if he would be willing to give me a refund if the block was deemed not use able by a machine shop, he said yes and guess what the first 440 block I went after was trashed. The second spot on and now a 493.
Point is it doesn't hurt to ask even get it in writing. If they are confident let a machine shop do some test and see. good luck.