Hole in casting... Fill or not?

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Ben A...

Ben A...

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Hey there,
I have an LA360 block -- first time build.

I have a hole in the casting for the lifter that actually pops through to the bore--It's smooth inside.

Should I fill this hole with JB Weld, i'll tape in the bore to protect that... or just leave it?
Thank you,
Ben
IMG_8768.JPG
 
Rednecks swear by it. Ole Jeb glued his tractor block together with it. Should be a good enough endorsement lol
 
I wouldn't use JB Weld. It's not impervious to gas and oil.
 
Don't know if it would hold and if it came off it would be a long way to the bottom of the oil pan.

It might cast some but having a pro braze the area then honing the bore seems like cheap insurance.
 
Does the block need any machining (bore, line hone, deck, etc)? If so, Id just have the shop braze it. It will only take them a few mins and they likely won't charge much since you'll be paying for more work. Just a thought.
 
Like Steve said Belzona and no worries clean it really well then grind the area clean and clean again. It will be there for as long as the block is. The key here is getting clean of all oil we use it on high pressure boiler pipes in a steam plant.
 
mopowers said:
Does the block need any machining (bore, line hone, deck, etc)? If so, Id just have the shop braze it. It will only take them a few mins and they likely won't charge much since you'll be paying for more work. Just a thought.
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Unfortunately I just got it back from a 'machinist' who I now realize isn't very thorough. But I guess I didn't pay very much. Pretty disappointing. So I think I gotta sort this one my self...
 
pittsburghracer said:
Are you any good with a mig welder or have any nickel stick welding rod. I always keep some handy.
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So I see now that JB weld is a nono, Belzona is a yes yes (if I can find it) and also wondering if I should just do a few practice brazes and then try on the block... I don't weld unfortunately. I only used to ever used braze bicycle frames.
 
Does anyone know an alternative to Belzona?
Can't seem to source it from Canadian Tire or Home Depot.
 
I did some testing with “splashzone epoxy” in coated and uncoated with clear coat lacquer and dipped it in gas and in alcohol. Both did surprisingly well.
 
Ben Ainsworth said:
So I see now that JB weld is a nono, Belzona is a yes yes (if I can find it) and also wondering if I should just do a few practice brazes and then try on the block... I don't weld unfortunately. I only used to ever used braze bicycle frames.
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Brazing is pretty easy to do.You need 5000 degrees more or less and cherry red metal you can get that with MAP .Make sure the metal is clean and use flux on the rod . A braze will not fail
 
I used Tech Steel epoxy putty to fix a riding mower block. Ran for years.
Clean. Must be clean.
 
Prep is everything whatever you are doing. Make sure to have a sacrificial lifter to go in the bore before you do anything.
 
Yeah, I'd run the priming shaft without the intake and see how it is. I suspect it is a non-issue where it is.
 
According to the manufacturer, JB Weld is "completely resistant to water, gasoline, and just about every other petroleum or automotive chemical."

The lifter waist band will move up to that hole area and probably lose some oil. It may well be a leak to the oil system (kinda like the hydraulic roller problem in a 340 block with the 340 lifter bore chamfers). Any leak will be much more serious if on the passenger side. So I'd plug it.
 
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