5150DSM
Supporting VIP
- 856
- 4
- Jan 5, 2004
-
Sacramento,
California
I purchased a 6 bolt short-block from one of the local forum guys intending to build a race block while I still had a running motor in my car. My motor is pretty tired after all of my abuse but it should hold together for another couple of months.
Anyway, during disassembly I found that the water pump was nearly seized; I pulled it off and found an ass load of rust inside the impeller housing. Also, the mating surface on the block is all rusted to shit, pitted, flaking, etc... I stuck a probe into the side of the block and found that the metal is "mushy" to a depth of about 1/8". I will try to get a picture in the next day or so, to show exactly what I mean but in the meantime... How much rust is too much? Should I wire wheel as much off as I can, sand it smooth and give it a shot? Or is there a prescribed process for removing large amounts of rust?
I had really good luck with this block initially, it was inexpensive, the cylinders spec'd out for taper and out of round; hell, the factory cross-hatch was still apparent in the top of the bore. I didn't even have a measurable ridge, the pistons just slid right out with some light tapping. All of the bearing journals are round and scratch free and the crank is perfectly straight. I was really stoked, now I'm worried.
I've already started ordering parts for the build so I don't really want to trash this block if I can save it, plus I have a nicely worked head almost ready to go. I'm close but if I need to source another block things get shitty quick. There are not many 6 bolts available in Hawaii and shipping from the mainland is beyond ridiculous for something this heavy. Sorry for the book I just want to be clear about everything. Thanks in advance for any opinions, experiences, etc...
Aloha
Anyway, during disassembly I found that the water pump was nearly seized; I pulled it off and found an ass load of rust inside the impeller housing. Also, the mating surface on the block is all rusted to shit, pitted, flaking, etc... I stuck a probe into the side of the block and found that the metal is "mushy" to a depth of about 1/8". I will try to get a picture in the next day or so, to show exactly what I mean but in the meantime... How much rust is too much? Should I wire wheel as much off as I can, sand it smooth and give it a shot? Or is there a prescribed process for removing large amounts of rust?
I had really good luck with this block initially, it was inexpensive, the cylinders spec'd out for taper and out of round; hell, the factory cross-hatch was still apparent in the top of the bore. I didn't even have a measurable ridge, the pistons just slid right out with some light tapping. All of the bearing journals are round and scratch free and the crank is perfectly straight. I was really stoked, now I'm worried.
I've already started ordering parts for the build so I don't really want to trash this block if I can save it, plus I have a nicely worked head almost ready to go. I'm close but if I need to source another block things get shitty quick. There are not many 6 bolts available in Hawaii and shipping from the mainland is beyond ridiculous for something this heavy. Sorry for the book I just want to be clear about everything. Thanks in advance for any opinions, experiences, etc...
Aloha
