You may have noticed my recent posts - first low oil pressure, then a broken oil pump, rocker and push rod, etc. This car was recently sold to me, supposedly driving "like new."

Now the machine shop tells me the block has an old external crack that had been pinned and filled in with some liquid steel or something like that and then painted over. Not welded but just filled with liquid filler. When the machine shop put it in the tank, the filler fell out. The crack is about six inches long on the outside of the block. They think the block froze, which led to the repair job.

They are recommending finding another block, although they will try to repair it if I want. No guarantees that it will work though or how long it will last.

In addition, the block is already .60 over and has a sleeve in one cylinder. It may or may not have an internal water leak, since the oil seemed to have some whitish foam in it. They can't pressure test it without first repairing the crack.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Should I just look for another block. I hate to give up this block, since it is a May 1967 396 casting, #3902406, correctly dated for the car.

Is it hard to find another block like this? There isn't much of this stuff where I am and likely will need to bring something from the US.

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

I'm sure someone could find you a correctly dated block, and I think that it's time to retire the one you have. Take their advice; It sure sounds whipped.

By the way -- If it weren't for the fact that my engine is original to the car and 100% healthy (... knock on wood) you can bet your britches that I'd have a perfectly stock-appearing 480/496/502 Rat posing as a '396' under my hood instead.

Should I just look for another block. I hate to give up this block, since it is a May 1967 396 casting, #3902406, correctly dated for the car. But if it isn't the original block, do the dates really matter? Who is going to crawl underneath with a flashlight to see the casting dates (down by the oil pan rail)? Unless its for sale, and then you would tell buyers that its not the original engine, right? Even the casting number is difficult to see unless you really look for it...

Finding the correctly dated #406 block shouldn't be too hard, as that block was used for all 67 Chevelles, and anything within 3-4 months prior to the car build date should be fine... Did Camaros and Full-size cars also use the #406 in 1967?

I like Ed's idea... Go buy another engine and don't worry about casting dates/numbers/etc... Build it to drive it... I hate to give up this block just keep that block in the back of you garage for that day that you might decide to sell. You don't have to give it up...

That motor can be repaired (most likely), it just takes money...

In addition, the block is already .60 over and has a sleeve in one cylinder. As for the sleeve, that isn't a problem if it was properly installed... You could even sleeve all the cylinders to bring it back to standard bore (of course that could get expensive).

No guarantees that it will work though or how long it will last. I agree with finding a new block, but even so, that doesn't guarentee that the block you find will be any better, or might have other issues. No guarantee how long any other block will last...

Don't get me wrong, given the choice, I'd prefer to have the correct numbers and dates, but not to the point of frustration or extra cost solely to get those numbers.

IMO, Someone willing to spend that extra time and money is often up to something (but my glass is half empty)

What happened to that cruise night pic of your car, Tony? The one taken in a parking lot at Hot August Nights? I liked that pic a lot.

Yeah man, I'd lose the block. Get a 454 block, use your old rods, crank, heads, intake etc. But new pistons and make yourself a screaming little 427. Also, 396 blocks are cheap around here.

Sounds like somebody used JB Weld. Great stuff, except when something like this happens.

If you have plenty of money, why not pick up one of those all-aluminum ZL-1 blocks (I think that's the designation, it's GM's all-aluminum 454). $6,000 or $7,000, just for the block, if I recall correctly. Plant that in the bay while you look around for an original block with the correct codes. (And, since you are changing things around, why not pick up some "307" sidemarkers, just for the sleeper look?)

BTW, if the original seller misrepresented the condition of that engine to you, it may, or may not be the original engine. So, like everybody else said, don't worry about it.

Pinning is an acceptable means of repairing CI blocks. Some cam also be welded - with a high nickel rod. You can take it to a welding shop - they can make sure if it will weld.

I wouldn't mind the welding route, if it would work. One concern I have about welding is that the block might warp during the process. I've heard that it is necessary to heat the entire block red hot to weld it. Wouldn't that cause it to warp, necessitating reboring. It already is .060 over.

Is there a welding process that does not require pre-heating the entire block?

Preheating parts is done by torch, hotplate, or oven. Most shops use ovens for blocks as the easiest way to pre heat. Warp on the block would not be my concern. Look for a new block get your engine built and when all has settled repair this block.

The shops that do the CI welding use a special nickel welding rod and a suitable procedure. From my own personal experience (I had a 454 block that was cracked and needed repair). If the block has freeze cracked, it was probably ran with little to no antifreeze and most likely has a lot of corrosion on the water jackets. Antifreeze also has corrosion inhibitors in it. The block that I had was very corroded all across the bottum of the block in the water jackets. I sold it to a guy that had intended to fill it and run a lot of N20.