340 block value?

yes blocks are sand castings. to my knowledge they do not use a permanent mold where it is reused. sand mixed with oil is rammed up over a pattern or a match plate in this case as it is a high production item in a 2 flasks. the flasks are separated, the match plate is removed and in its place is a core for the water jacket. both flasks are put back together and filled with molten iron. after cooling, the sand is broken away. so the first one out of the mold is bs.