1947 and 1941 Cadillac 346 flathead engines

[dgwalker]

I unfortunately have a cracked engine block in my otherwise recently rebuilt powerplant for my 1947 Cadillac series 62 convertible.  The '47 has an automatic transmission.  The crack is about an inch below the valve seat and connects the coolant passage to one of the cylinders as evidenced by white smoke out of the exhaust.

I have a line on a 1941 engine with an automatic trans that supposedly ran well just before removal from a parts car.  I'm entertaining swapping my good parts from the cracked block engine to the '41 block if it checks out.  What differences, if any, exist between the 1947 and 1941 engines? 

Do any of the external surfaces of the block or heads look different between the two?

Thanks in advance,

Don Walker

[CEC #20099]

DGWalker: Are you sure that crack is not repairable by a good machine shop ?? Not a weld shop. You can help if you post some photo`s.
c chleboun  #20099

[Bill Ingler #7799]

Hi Don: The most obvious outward appearance between the 41 block and a 47 is the location of the engine serial number. On the 41 block it is stamped on the block behind the left cylinder bank. On a 47 block there is a boss just above the water pump which has the engine number stamped on the face of the boss. The 47-62 series carried a engine number between 8420001 and 8459835. I do not khow how authentic you want your 47 convert but I sure would sure try to get your block welded, if all possible, as has been suggested.

[tozerco]

Don,

I have had a very similar problem with my '37 block and have had it repaired by Metalock who use a "stitching" of metal inserts. The crack ran from an exhasut valve seat across to and about 3/4 of an inch down the wall of the nearest cylinder. Also engaged the water jacket. I have not re-assembled the engine to know for sure that the repair has worked but Metalock (an International operation with outlets pretty well everywhere) have guaranteed the "fix".

Biggest problem for you compared to my situation is that I had the block out and completely stripped at the time but you will probably have to go this far anyway for any other sort of "fix".

Wasn't all that expensive for me (about $350).

Regards,


John Tozer

[dgwalker]

Gents:

Thanks for the input.  My cracked block is not the original block to the car but it is a 1947 Cadillac block so I'm not sure if I need to jump through that many hoops to save this one but I will if I can because the machining is finished, the new components are fitted to it and it is more "correct" than some other year.

Bill, thanks for answering my question on the differences in appearance between 41 and 47. 

I just spoke with the people at Metalock and they are not interested in such a small job at this time.  Business must be good.

The engine is still assembled so I don't have pics to send at this time.

I've searched quite a bit but haven't found a cold metal casting repair shop in Michigan.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Don Walker

[Classic]

C&P Machine here in Fort Wayne does these kinds of repairs all the time.  They are very highly regarded.  Suggest you call them.  (260) 484-7723.  They also have a website:  http://www.cpmachine.com/.  And their prices are reasonable.

[dgwalker]

Thanks Gene.

Ed from C&P doesn't remember any Cadillac flathead repairs but he said that he's completed "hundreds" of cold stitching repairs on flathead engines over the years.

Thanks again.

[David King (kz78hy)]

Here is shop you could check out.  They welded some cast aluminum for my Brougham seat base and had all kinds of stuff in there.  They seem to repair anything, so your block might something they could do.

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&wrapid=tlif130074448139710&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=welding+redford,+mi&fb=1&gl=us&hq=welding&hnear=Redford,+MI&cid=11413164063960347648

David

[tozerco]

"I just spoke with the people at Metalock and they are not interested in such a small job at this time.  Business must be good."

I wonder where all these guys will be in a couple of years time when the "Cash for Clunkers" scheme and the New Age engine designers have finally clicked to the fact that there is no point in designing engines to be re-built because someone is only going to dose them up with liquid sand five years later?

They will no doubt be bleating loudest about how their businesses have collapsed due to government policy but they do nothing to protect that market sector that does want their services. I know the "big bickies" for the Metalock agency that I used is in diesel truck and marine engines (In his workshop I saw some HUGE holes torn in cast iron diesel blocks when dopey truck drivers "drop the clutch" from a stand still in fully loaded 40 tonne B-Doubles) but he still had the sense to take care of my problem for my paltry $350.

Good luck with this thing. I'd keep looking for someone to carry out the cold stitching if it can work. The only problem that my Metalock guy pointed out to me was that the crack down the cylinder wall was about as long as he could handle. Any longer and he would not have been able to get a drill bit/chuck inside the cylinder to drill for the inserts. You might get them to check this out before you do anything else (he used a Magnaflux process to trace the end of the crack).

Regards,


John Tozer
#7946

[David King (kz78hy)]

Well, a fellow member of our club informed me that the source I provided is out of business, rats.

Sorry for the bad lead.

David