I need your help on repairing my cracked 350 Chevy (260 mercury I/O engine). Obviously I didn't winterize it right, and I have an 8" crack one side, and a small crack on the top of both pipes off the back off the water manifold. No water in the oil or visa versa when I ran the engine to change the oil & filter.

Can one of you great OSO guys tell me the best way to repair these cracks the right way...and if so... Thank's A Lot!... cause I really need some good advice.

in my opinion... since you aren't talking about some particularly special or hard to come by item, you save yourself endless future grief by repairing it by throwing it away and replacing it w/ new.

How to repair........pull all the parts out of the block and have them inspected by a machine shop, buy a new block and reinstall the good parts back into it! Probably not what you wanted to hear but that is what you need to do.

What they said. The few extra bucks for a new block is worth it for the piece of mind that it's really fixed. I've only had (1) cracked block repaired but that was in a matching numbers Corvette that I build the engine for.

BADTOON

So why don't you tell me how you fixed it....obviously you did it...and it was worth fixing.... instead of replacing.

That's exactly what I want to do....FIX IT....SO HOW DID YOU Do IT?????....or is that a BIG SECRET???

With price of good cores and new blocks I wouldn't fix a standard SBC that has been fatally wounded. Not worth it.
My 02.

It's my son's boat....a 79 210XL Nova....good boat...but not worth spending a lot of $$$$ on. He screwed it up.

I just thought....someone out there...might know how to fix a cracked block. Then..again ...Maybee Not.

sir... you are getting good professional advice in my opinion. but having said that, only you know what your time is worth... so if you want to work for a dollar an hour for the next year you have a few options... first the block gets stripped and tanked complete... then it gets mag ed to id all the cracks... then you spend a chunk of cash having a VERY good welder fix the cracks.. then.. depending on how bad they were, and how much local heat went in, you have it align honed... then you put it all back together, start it up and watch it leak from the one you missed...

or you fill it full of BARS LEAK and rely on the fact that you can always get home on one motor.

We gave you sound professional advice. No one's playing with you here.

Most people in this circumstance will buy a remanufactured or new long block, if this helps you anymore. Won't cost much different than having your old parts installed in a new or machined block.

SBC stuff is cheap enough where complete motors are near the same $$$ as half or less of it's parts.

We don't know your mechanical or financial abilities, thus why we are just telling you that the block is fatally wounded and is best replaced.

I really don't want to offend anyone....I'm not a smart ass...although...sometimes I don't word things properly. I'm a jack of all trades..and master of none.

All I'm looking for is a simple...inexpensive solution. My son works in a factory..part time as a student employee...and is looking for the cheapest way to fix the problem.

Let's face it... you guys on OSO..ARE VERY SMART...and have a lot more experience than me or my son. I don't care if you critisise, make fun, or whatever. I appreciate all of your comments, opinions and advive.

The member with the Corvette fixed his...supposidly without repacing the block. I'd like to do the same thing.

Personally, I think it can be fixed, without major $$$, and without replacing the block. If I'm wrong..so be it. At least I want to try to do-it...my way.