External cracks on blocks can be repaired by grinding the visible crack a
bit - not too much--along its route from end to end...drill a tiny hole on
each end...(this will prevent further travel)..then mix a batch of "Devcon
Plastic Steel"..press it into the crack with a stout putty knife..you can
even heat the block a bit with a hand torch or hair dryer first..this helps
the Devcon to "flow" into the crack.. Leave about an eigth inch layer over
the crack...let it cure and paint it... I have done this on several blocks
that were cracked at the "freeze out plugs" and they lived happily ever
after...except in combustion chambers..you can do this anywhere on the
block.. Also..as another contributor was mentioning - kerosene was used
during WW2 by the Army and civilians as well as an anti freeze.. A man my
family knew used moonshine as an ant-freeze !!! One Sunday morning, my
father was helping to start this 1929 Whippet...there must have been a
leaking head gasket.. There was a small explosion and an "invisible"
fire..My dad was slightly burned and the engine was a total loss...must have
been around 1943 or 44.. Many things were not available for civilians at
that time..we had the Ration Books for necessities only..if not for the
"black market"..there would have been no gasoline and other daily
essentials...!! Gene
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:18:33 PDT