also the 4 bolt mains wil be installed during everything if it matters

 

That is BS.

We have never had or never will HAVE to grind into the water jacket, that is a poor machinist's excuse for bad workmanship. No mater what the deal is, long rod h-beam 3.800" stroke etc, there is always a way to correct the situation other than grinding into a water jacket then patching the mistake with weld. THEY OWE YOU A NEW BLOCK.

 

Right man. You want to come show me how he could have done it any different? I myself checked everything behind him and there is NO way to get enough clearance w/o doing it like he has done unless you would rather resort to griding the blot head which i would rather not do. He does not owe me a block.

 

honestly though if you feel you can clearance it w/o cutting into the jacket and having at least .006 clearance then i would gladly send you another block of mine just so you can amaze me

 

OK ya are in good shape. Some LT-1 blocks are mighty thin in that area and should be sonic checked before firing up the grinder(nobody does). Ya will run across THAT 1 that will brake through. If ya check it ya can say that it won't do and get another block.The biggest thing is rod choice and the bolts that come with them.

 

Yes, I'm aware of what you're talking about, but no material other than the base material is exactly the same at every temperature. Maybe at hand selected temperatures, yes, but over every degree of warm up and cool down, no. Weld repair of castings has been a big part of my careeer. If it's a true weld, then it needs stress relieved at a minimum. Anything that does not melt into the base material (requiring re- heat treat) is more like braze, and relies on the mechanical grip into the block's "pores". That is not a lasting repair that is worthy of the stress applied to a small block at your power level, and IMO, is gambling with street car heat cycling. You will be relying on the block filler, and the patch is cosmetic. I didn't see if you said it was a street car, but filled blocks can cause cooling issues too.

I'm not a machinist, and I don't build engines for a living, but your parts combination is not unheard of. It sounds stout. But you don't hear about others having your problem routinely. You probably got a block with a slight core shift at the foundry, luck of the draw. I'd hate to see you lose the rest of the engine investment with water in your oil. The block is not something to band aid. Maybe the shop will cut you a break on machining a 2nd block.
Good luck, and post some ET's when you're done!

 

I don't think you see this problem much b/c not many people do run what i'm running. I have about 5 grand in just my crank rods and pistons lol. When you tig the hole, you are really melting it into the block and not just brazing it. Also, i am only filling the block a minimal amount so yes the oil will run a hair hotter but the water temp should still be ok. Since you are into the casting repair type of field, i was just wondering what your suggesstion was for the best way of stress relieving it? I've been offered a few different options when it comes to this. I just got my afrs so the motor is really going to be coming together soon so i hope to have some consistant times in about a month.

 

Thats what I was saying"the right welder".
The whole block should be preheated in an oven. Kept at that temp while welding,then wrapped and cooled in a controlled time frame to be correct.

 

Yeah its all about having it done the "right way". I could see having problems if i just did it myyself and had no clue but ii'm having it done by a local guy that has beed doing this for about 30 years and does nothing else.

 

If I just fill a block to the bottom of the freeze plugs I torque the mains and put a torque plate's on both sides(do only one side at a time) then after 24 hrs do the other side.That's how critical I think it is.And I don't leave it on the engine stand. Seen some warped up blocks from doing it the wrong way and it cost money to have EVERYTHING sized and machined.
If your guy has been doing it that long he must be good.

 

Yeah those are def. some good points about filling the block the proper way

 

It sounds like you've got a guy with a system for repairing them, so I'd go with what he recommends if it's proven. But off the top of my head, I would guess it needs to see 1000ish F for 12-24 hours to propely stress relieve. And unless it's done in a vacuum, or under an inert atmosphere, then you'll probably have to re-machine some surfaces. Basically, if it's not hot enough to heat oxidize the surfaces under regular atmosphere, then it's not hot enough to "relax". The gas they use for the atmosphere can diffuse into the surfaces and do good things, or bad things. Depends on what they use. You need somebody who's done it before, and understands what they're doing metallurgically.
I have to admit, for a repair, you have a good plan. 1racerdude is totally right about pre-heat, fixturing and cooldown. Out of curiousity, what is the cost difference between the repair and a new block machined to the same condition? Sorry, it just seems like a big risk given what you've spent on the rotating assy. Hope it lives many years.
Good luck!

 

its not anything to do with getting a new block. It is not physically possible to clearance it and not go into the water jacket. The only way you could would be to grind the bolt heads which does not seem like a better idea to me. I have even talked to a few people who simply used an epoxy(sp) to cover the hole and then half filled the block and three years later they still have no problems so i don't understand why welding it the right way would not work even better.

 

I'm probably being an **** retentive engineering type here. For the record, I once knew a 300+ hp 289 live 3 years on the street with a crack between the cylinders that was filled with JB weld, filed flat for the head gasket, and put back together. It is possible to do repairs beyond imagination.
Having said that, cast iron is a unique material because of how carbon forms in the microstructure. It's a bunch of squiggles. How long, or how many carbon squiggles are in it determine huge swings in mechanical properties. It can be tough and flexible, or it can be hard and brittle. You will never replicate that carbon microstructure in the repair zone because it's determined by chemistry and cooling rate. It will affect the resonance of the entire casting, even if it's stress relieved, which is a terrible thing to do with a hard life ahead.
If it were an aluminum block, another story, different microstructure. Same if it were a piece of steel. No carbon squiggles. Both are highly repairable.
Like I said, I'm probably being a retentive engineer type. I just know that I couldn't be talked into it for my own car. You'll probably be just fine. As strange as this sounds, I've been involved in weld repair that's 10X this extent in turbine engine castings, and I'm totally comfortable whenever I fly and see our engines on the wing. Successful weld repair is all in the alloy and microstructure. If your block was an aerospace alloy, no problem.
My circle track buddies report higher oil temperatures whenever they use half filled blocks. I don't know how much though. Might be worth considering.
This much hassle just makes the finished car sweeter, doesn't it?

 

Deckstripes,
He is only going to fill the block to the bottom of the freeze plugs.
I have run them filled like this for many years with no ill effects. In fact am running one now in our shop car. The difference in oil or water is not noticeable.