Help with a Dart Big M Block
 

Hi,

Does anybody know what these tabs are for on a Dart Big M Block. The heads don't have the same shape, so I'm thinking that I should just grind them off. Can anybody help?

Thanks

[IMG]http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2680/dscf0069fe7.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2791/dscf0070et6.jpg[/IMG]

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/1485/dscf0071yi0.jpg

ih,
I probably have not paid enough attention to them, but I dont remember seeing them on a Big M block. I have two of them at the shop, if I happen to go in on SUnday I will take a peek and see. They may just be part of the casting process ?

Looks like you have spent a LOT of time on making that one look nice and losing a few pounds :)

Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

That weird looking. I have 2 Big M blocks. Neither has that same flange.

Hey Vinny could you tell me who make the nice lifter valley screen in your pic? Thanks.

That block was prepped by a local shop called Shaffirof racing. They installed the screen.


http://www.shafiroff.com/

looks like that block is aluminum in the pics..is it ? probably just the way they cast and you should be able to remove without any problems..Rob

Here is one our Dart Big M blocks. It looks like it has the same "ears".

Asked around today. The best guess is the "ears" are used for alignment for the initial set up in the mill when the block is fresh out of the casting process. Consider calling Dart.

ih,
I stopped by the shop on the way home from the grocery store to take a look. I have two Big M's there, one has the tabs, the other does not but I dont know the history on it so it may have been machined off, even though it did not look that way? The interesting thing is almost every stock Big Block block ( I looked at 5 of them) I have there has the tabs on it ? Must be a machining setup pad like Ben said.

those are positioning tabs for initial machining in a cradle fixture