1969 442 Convertible with a trashed 400 cu.in. motor. I bought this car from my son in law who hadn't done anything with it after parking it 25 years ago. He thought that all it needed was a fuel pump. WELL....after exhausting all of the normal tricks to get a seized motor to roll over (Marvel Mystery Oil, Diesel fuel, JB Blaster, etc.) I tore the engine down and had to drive out each piston using a large hammer and block of wood. Both heads have a heat crack throught the exhaust valve seat area and are beyond repair.After givin the block a bath we found more cracks. Two 3" long cracks above the lifter bores (one on each side of the block) and a 6" long 'L' shaped crack that ran through the middle of the center freeze plug. I'm sure glad the freeze plugs did their job. I appears to all be repairable. Since it is the original block I'm considering my options. The big question...Is it worth the added expense to save the block since it's the numbers matching block???? What do you guys think???

 

I would save it in the corner or maybe make a coffee table out of that 400 4 now. As it is the date VIN # block 4 your OLDS. Find a 455shortblock and put your 400 stuff , intake and a set of c heads on top. let the good times roll.

 

Anything can be fixed provided you throw enough money at it. I'd say the block in question is worth at least keeping to prove the car's authenticity. If it were a low production model or a "rare" W-30 then depending on how nice the car is would be the determining factor in repairing or choosing not to repair. Sometimes, these cars (at some point we are all guilty) get to the point where good money is chasing bad trying to fix something. If it is to be a driver, build (or buy) yourself a nice 455 and "let 'er eat"---if it is to be a show car then you have some decisions to make.

 

Amazing things can be done to "stich" a block back together. There are companies which specialize in this process. It’s up to you. I like the 455 idea. Save the block if you or the next owner wants to stitch it?

 

Good suggestions. I'm waiting for the local cast iron welding guru to come back from vacation then I'll see what he says. The '455' idea my be the best option since this is destined to be a driver and not a trailer queen on the show car circuit.

 

My opinion, not worth it. Machining a good block and buying the parts for a rebuild are expensive enough. A correct 68-69 G block would be appropriate and I would say not take away from value on a standard 442. PS the "freeze plugs" are just core plugs that fill the casting process and were never meant for block protection. On occasion they will pop out during a freeze situation and by coincidence perhaps save the block but this occurance would be rare.

 

I wonder what other damage the block might have that you can't see.
Almost anything can be repaired at a cost, in your case I suspect it may be more than the extra value of having the original matching #s block.

I have talked with someone who did this kind of repair, most of the work he did were to cast ironhardware that was irreplaceable, he told me of repairing an engine from a pre WW1 Renault, there was no alternative as nobody could find another one.
This was 20 odd years ago and his bill was in the region of £7500.

In your case there are plenty of 400 blocks around (an abundance compared to Edwardian engines!), unless the car is of unlimited value to you I'd say put another one in and enjoy driving the car.

Roger.

 

Welding Gurus opinion...after magnafluxing the block thers are 4 large cracks. fortunatly they are all repairable. $350 will make it like new. All of the cracks total about 20" long. He stands behind his work and says if the motor is properly cared for (keep proper antifreeze in it) then it will last as long as any virgin block. This guy is of a dying breed. Not many guys know how to properly work cast iron. He gets jobs shipped to him from around the globe. I'm going to proceed with the repair.

 

i would at least keep it. i would love to have the original block to my W-30. even if it was beyond repair i would like to have it.

 

That is too good to be true, I paid more than that to have a 66 S exhaust manifold done by the fusion welding process that is reported to be the best for cast iron. Powdered iron is blown into the flame with a special torch and it builds up the crack or missing iron. For that price I would do it for sure on that 400 block!

 

Your block will still need machining after the work has been done, some distortion is inevitable.

But getting the cracks properly fixed for $350 sounds like a great deal, and you end up with an "as new" block.

Roger.

 

This is one of those rare instances where dumb luck just lands you in the right place. He has stacks of heads, manifolds and blocks in his shop that come from machine shops all across the state. He is not the only one that does this type of work but he is the only one that doesn't take you to the cleaners to get it done. His work is impecable. You really can't tell that the part was repaired once you see it completed. He is an older gentleman who has an apprentice working in the shop. This is old school stuff and he has mastered this craft.

The lifter bores will need to be burnished, the block will need to be decked, the crank and cam bores need to be checked and possible align bored.

I'm only going as far as getting the cracks repaired then the block is going to get preserved and put in the back corner and saved until????

I've found a 455 long block that needs very little attention. I'll put it in and drive it. If it gets damaged then there is no real loss.

 

That's the smartest thing I've heard you say.

I don't care how good the guy is, I wouldn't dump thousands into a new engine that has four fixed cracks in the block

 

I brought the 455 home today. It's as good as advertised. The engine is spotless, ready for paint. Clean cylinders, great looking heads. I'll pull the bearing caps and probaly replace the bearings and polish the crank shaft.

 

Back in 1968-9 it took less than a minute for many people to junk their 400s and put in 455s. The difference was bore size and you can't overbore the 400 that much. Even the Olds engineers were unhappy; they were forced into the late 400 by cost considerations. They had to use the 455 crank, and GM forced them to keep engine size to 400 in A bodies. Olds engineers slid the Hurst Olds out the back door.

So, today, if you need a correct restoration for some reason, get a good 400 block and use it. Only the partial VIN on the driver's side pad under the front corner of the head will be incorrect. A repaired block is asking for trouble and major expense. I'd just take photos of the original block, focusing on casting numbers and letters, and on the VIN pad.