bought a 62 f85 4 door with the 215 aluminum v8, i got the car for 1900. it had no coolant or brake fluid, but i took a risk figuring it just had some coolant leaks. low and behold i add coolant and it pours out on the passenger side under the exhaust manifold. the odometer says 48,500, the body is in decent shape, it runs shifts and moves but this is now a catastrophe and im feeling the seller really got the better of me. im hoping it might only be a freeze out plug but i didnt really inspect it well and it could be a crack.what do you guys think, have any of you dealt with these aluminum engines before? do they even have freeze out plugs on these?

 

I haven't wrenched on one since the early 1980's but there's a complete core engine on ebay right now,buy-it-now at $325. Located in Las Vegas


http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLDSMOBILE-V...336e74&vxp=mtr

 

They do have the plugs. I hope that is all it is. It likely just rusted the plug out after all these years. It is aluminum so it could be fixed if it is a crack.

How about some pictures of the new ride?

 

false alarm guys, its just a heater hose above the manifold. excitement getting to my head a bit, being that its a first generation aluminum engine i had some fears but it should be a quick fix. will post pics tomorrow. the car has a few dings but is overall a super solid ride and im thinking i did alright.

 

The seller of my first 62 wagon claimed that the coolant leak was a freeze plug, when in fact it was a corroded-through hole in the block. People didn't know about aluminum engines in the early 1960s and often ran straight water in these motors (especially in the southwest where it never went below freezing). The result was a corrosion hole in the block.