Hi, I’m repairing a 1948 8L engine, and when cleaning the inner passages in the Block (retiring the Freeze Plugs I found a brass bar of about 4 inches inside.

There were also some steel wires in some passages that were rusted.

Do those cars came with some kind of sacrificial Anode (like Zinc or Magnesium or Bronze) inside of the engine block?

Or maybe these are foundry-cast leftovers that O should
remove

Brass-Bronze bar inside Water Passages in 1948 Straight Eight Oldsmobile

Brass-Bronze bar inside Water Passages in 1948 Straight Eight Oldsmobile below Freeze Plugs

Brass-Bronze bar inside Water Passages in 1948 Straight Eight Oldsmobile. Sacrifical Anode or Cast leftover?
?

 

I'm guessing here...it was a support for the mold casting process. Ford blocks had something similar into the '70's. If it was an anode I'd expect to see pitting.

 

I don't have a lot of experience with water distribution tube engines but I've never seen pieces like those.

Visit the AACA Forums if you haven't already www.forums.aaca.org . There's a lot of water distribution tube engine discussion and expertise there.

 

^^^THIS^^^

I recall another thread on our site recently in which the OP found casting material in the water jacket of his Oldsmobile engine. I believe it was an earlier Oldsmobile engine (371 or 394).

 

Jesse - I think it's this thread you're referring to? I'm amazed at the condition of this piece of metal in this thread. It appears to be an alloy metal of some type. How could an alloy metal (primarily copper) withstand the enormous heat during casting - esp. since copper (Cu) melts at a lower temperature than iron (Fe)? I'm trying to think of a process after casting which would have employed such a piece of metal?

Mystery Metal Lever in Head Coolant Chamber?

 

There are two reasons your brass bar is not a sacrificial anode:

1. A sacrificial anode metal must be lower in the galvanic series than the protected metal. Brass is higher than iron.
2. A sacrificial anode must be electrically bonded to the protected metal. Your bar is loose.

 

The guy was absolutely brilliant.

 

Norm, you are correct. That was the thread I was thinking of.

Pretty weird for a piece of metal to end up in the water jacket.

 

Great answer VC455, makes total sense.

The part was not pitted, so in this 70 years or so “working” should have. The was a lot of rust (sand-cast leftovers???) in the chambers and the iron wires (that were evenly distributed in the freeze plugs) will be retired, so more flow will run.

Thanks everybody for your answers, will keep posting info about my car.