I finally got a chance to take a close look at the engine block after it went through the washing machine at the machine shop.


Pulled these out of the right rear water jacket.


An anode?

 

Wth? Now you're just messing with us...
But seriously, what the heck? I have never heard or seen such a thing, strange.

 

Nope, true story. I saw these in the back 2 water jacket holes and fished them out with needle nose. Maybe someone thought they are using them as an anode to prevent rust?
I have no idea but they look as if they have been in there for some time.

 

I don't know what that is. I've seen lots of chunks, usually from the timing chain. Pieces of paper towels, seals from old oil bottles and the usual milkshake grey foamy stuff.

Bits of wire make me think of the original casting process. Which I know nothing about.

 

My guess too . Probably extra support for the cores used when casting .
Any foundry workers on here that could confirm this ?

 

Core wire for the molds. It didn't come out in the shaker process before block was machined.

 

Yep, I worked at a company that made aluminum engine blocks right out of high school. As an apprentice machinist; one of my jobs was to pull out as much of the casting wire as I could from the raw castings before machining.

 

 

Normal process just got over looked at foundry. Also over looked at the machining shop. Most likely a friday or monday problem or a new hire.

 

My first thought was it was a way of saving a marginal core to get the tolerances +/- in specification. The engine has held up well for 40 + years. I find that the soft plug closest to the oil filter boss has the most "crude" in the water jacket. Jmo.

 

More stuff?
I have still been cleaning the oil passages of crud in this 371. I had cleaned them out front to back, so to clean them back to front I set the motor on a small table on its nose. While spraying brake clean through the lifter oil holes I looked down and see this laying in one of the cylinders. I have no idea where it came from. I guess it was stuck to the inside of the block with gunk and setting the engine on its nose let it fall out. It is thick plastic with I. C. on it.
I have spent hours cleaning this engine inside and out and suddenly this appears.
Any ideas? Or are the Gremlins messing with me?

 

Kinda looks like a lock tab on an electrical connector.

 

That small widget looks similar to the tension tabs that hold rear window trim on a car.

 

2000A fuse