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Obvious issue with this block, what is the cause from it? Look at lifter bosses.

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Quick6'n'-K.C.

wana steal it? meet mr9mm
Staff member
Joined
Nov 24, 2001
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11,267
Well, here are the pics from a higher mileage 109 turbo motor..
I was able to break a piece of the lifter boss off with my fingernail thru the rubber gloves, this is just a few pics.

I was going to build it, guess i will have to grind down the weak area?

What would cause this? The crank looks really good, no scratches and its all original 160K ???
The other motors i have here do not have this issue :confused: but lower mileage..

Seeking advice on what to do...

BW
 

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i would guess been overheated one to many times and got weak. or just a factory casting flaw
 
Whats up brian, i would guess been overheated one to many times and got weak. or just a factory casting flaw. btw my govenor spring did fly off but the convertor that i bought off of turbo limited took a dump and blew out my pump was wondering why my 60 foots were slowly decreasing so bad that i couldnt get any stall out of it. BOOSTJUNKY has it tore apart now
 
She was ridden hard and put away wet, personally ive never seen this issue with a good 109 block...
Definitely looks weak due to the fact i pulled a piece off with my fingernail, thru the rubber glove, and didnt break the glove.

Its brittle...

Why?

BW
 
Dumb question ..... Are you sure this is casting material and not carbon? Try a magnet on the broken piece ... strange :confused:
 
Jerryl said:
Dumb question ..... Are you sure this is casting material and not carbon? Try a magnet on the broken piece ... strange :confused:

Im sure carbon wont build up in the lifter valley, notice the tapper to the edge where the lifter goes into place? Its supposed to be flat...

BW
 
Edit, alllllllll the lifter bores are tappered, and those are previously broken off pieces making it look round, look at the left side of the pic where one chunck is out.

BW
 
looks like factory casting slop to me, that stuff is easier to break off than people think, and some of it just "sticks" to the block better then others. my suggestion, is to grind it all smooth w/ a stone or bit and any other cast slop you see fit to get rid of and forget you ever saw it, we wave blocks at the shop all the time w/ that stuff all other them, and no two are ever the same, and some time it comes off some times it don't, but has never cause any problems done the road(that i know of).
 
Here is a pic, definitely metal and part of the block

Blown okie, thanks for the tip.. I guess i will take the motor into work tomorrow and view it to see if the main webbing is cracked and start cleaning it up...
Looks solid, but cant believe how brittle this metal really is for how much hp these motors make.

BW
 

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This is what happens when during the casting process the molten steel is allowed to cool too much. You get weak areas in the corners of the pattern (block). I would shy away from this block because another effect of the material cooling too soon is a poor bond between the "heads" of the incoming steel. You have to picture the casting process as a mold and the moltes steel is poured in from the head area and pushed out the "vents in the lifter valley area. This process yields a casting line that runs right down the center of the block. If you have any signs of a questionable block DON'T USE IT!!!! The 3.8 block we use is of the deep skirt design which is why they hold up to such abuse but any time your gonna spend time and money on a motor I try not waste any. Just my .02 By the way I work on the 150-350 ton cranes inside steel mills.
 
jhanson1750 said:
This is what happens when during the casting process the molten steel is allowed to cool too much. You get weak areas in the corners of the pattern (block). I would shy away from this block because another effect of the material cooling too soon is a poor bond between the "heads" of the incoming steel. You have to picture the casting process as a mold and the moltes steel is poured in from the head area and pushed out the "vents in the lifter valley area. This process yields a casting line that runs right down the center of the block. If you have any signs of a questionable block DON'T USE IT!!!! The 3.8 block we use is of the deep skirt design which is why they hold up to such abuse but any time your gonna spend time and money on a motor I try not waste any. Just my .02 By the way I work on the 150-350 ton cranes inside steel mills.

good point, but I see stuff like this all the time, especially in sb chevy's, i'm not saying its "ok" but we have many blocks with the same "problems" and has worked for the customer fine.i do agree that this block is probably weaker in other areas of the cast too, but if its all you have to use, you'll use it,
 
I would retract the "dont use it" statement as long as the power expectations are reasonable. I would think a block like this could be used for a street car but i was thinking about a lower cost max effort race set-up. It is something the owner/builder should be aware of before a lot of resources are put into it only to find out that he is starting with out with a block that may be flawed. Good Luck.....Jon Hanson
 
Hey John, i forgot to post back.

Right now the block is at work and im going to degrease it and see if there are any hairline cracks in the block, it broke #3 main cap a few years ago.

I have some new std pistons that i want to stuff into it, but with alot of miles i might have to go with the other pistons i have.

When i pulled that motor from the car, it had only been 10.98 with lots of boost and it was abused.

After i view the block over, grind down all the lifter bosses, im going to run with it, ive got 3 new caps and a good .000 .000 crank that i can put into it and really wont have much money into it..

My goals arent 600 HP, but i just need to get it on the road.

BW
 
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