cracked block

[chevy 37]

One of the guys from out car club is running a 48 merc flattie with all the speed parts and more. Unfortuntely he cracked the block and now runs it that way. Sometimes there's so much water sitting on top of the pistons from working it's way pass the jackets that he has to take out his plug or plugs and the water will actually squirt out. I told him that to much water sitting on his pistons could cause the rods to break, but he says no and just keeps driving it the way with a cloud of white vapor coming out his tailpipes. Could the pistons rods break?

[mooneye777]

i dont think the rod could break as a cause from this, but it sounds like its not gonna matter much longer anyway. i doubt the crack will go away ony get bigger with time. i had a buddy of mine braze weld a 6" crack on a block, and then drove it for 3 years after that.

[pat mccarthy]

i have welded blocks did one that was open up about 10inch in the valley.that block that was worth $3000+ new so it was fixed .would be nice to fix it right before it is trash . you could try to pour some moroso 35500 or the all weather 35520 and run it till it get hot with out the spark plug in that hole that is leaking . then let cool try putting the plug back in and see if sealer plug the crack????

[canadianal]

from what i know flatties cracked between the cyl and the ex valve. i think tough to fix but if the block is sound would be possible.
Me being a cheap farmboy know that you can get away for quite a while running alternative coolant (may not be the safest) but my dad ran diesel in a old gas tractor that was eating water . worked fine smoked a little more but am shure it wouldnt cause any further mechanical wear to the motors innards .
the biggest worry to me isnt when its running but when its sitting water in a nice shiny innner cyl bore is a bad thing plus the iron rings also dont like it .
We once had a old white 2270 150 hp? tractor whos rings would not seat after a rebuild it sucked over a gallon of oil an hour.
we had already sunk enough money into this slug so dad and I rigged up a 5 gallon oil pail and restrictor onto the side of the rig and totally abused the poor thing for two seasons. filling the 5 gallon pail with 40 weigth about every 4 hours. It was not a full time use unit maybe 60-80 hours a year doing some spring pre work and harrowing. I liked that tractor cause it just wouldnt die and once it had been rebuilt felt like it had 200 hp . the oild was also always really clean
Definitly hillbilly
It got dad through a couple lean years back in the mid 80s though compared to spending big bucks on a replacement unit

[pat mccarthy]

well hard to say with out it in front of me.... BUT the moroso ceramic sealer or it can be welded with 700 rod and two new valve seats put in were you step one seat in to the other were they lock up the bad part? or just use the threaded plugs like goodson or kwik-way has called irontite or put in a oven and welded with iron rod i would not do this it will throw the block off and every bore and the deck and main bore will be off