Thread: rusty block dilemma

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I have a bit of a dilemma. Im going to build a 383 stroker. I recently found a block i think (hope) may be perfect for what i want. It is a 1975 4 bolt 350 with the 010 at the end of the casting #. Ive been told this denotes a high nickel content which makes them stronger. My issue is its fairly rusty as expected. Nothing terrible but I want to get it magnafluxed. the guy I took it to told me he cant magnaflux it without it being cleaned up first. I plan to use Evapo Rust on it. Im not sure what its going to clean up at. Im hoping no more than 40 over but its already got some rust in the cylinders. My question is, can i get it bored and keep the machined surfaces from rusting over while i get my money squared away for the rest of the build. If so how? It may be a little while, but until I know what it will clean up at I wont know if the block will work for me.

Spray it with LPS 3.

Jack.

heres is how i do this on rusty blocks i have bore enough of them to get some idea what can clean up if pits are filled with rust then it can be abit hard to see them .so then you just have to bore them. i bore them under the the bore size by. 005 so if lets say i going to .040 i stop at .035 .i look for the bore with the worst pitts . but i like to true deck the block first .so your looking at alot of money to see if its going to clean up i mag thru some rust .but if this thing has to be rusted very bad you can not mag ?if so then you better walk away from the block it can be a can of worms were bores start poping up rust pits and mains are all pitted . if the block is that rusty it can be bake and blasted. you need alot of evap arust stuff not cheap been there done it .a hot tank with a hot mix will eat most rust off the block then wire wheel is how i do them its alot of work . you want the block clean first all rust off then try to do all finsh machine work last

Originally Posted by Jack F

Spray it with LPS 3.

Jack.

WOW Jack.You read my mind.

Thanks for the tips. It doesnt look that bad to me but im a novice when it comes to this. there is still some unrusted part shining through. the outside of the block is pretty bad but the cam and crank journals look pretty good to me some surface rust and a little slight pitting. what is LPS 3 ? im in the military and we use all kinds of lubricants and chemicals but ive never needed to keep rust from forming all together. thanks for the help Pat. its always nice to get advice from an experienced hot roder im pretty new to it myself.

Copy and paste " LPS 3 " into your search engine. You will get more information then you ever really wanted.

Good call bro. That is a lot of info. That stuff isnt cheap! Its got an NSN so i may be able to get it at work. Sounds like good stuff. Thanks.

lps 3 may work to hold rust back but your going to want the block clean no oil or scaly rust and bone dry to mag it first .there is 3 ways i check for cracks . mag powder . if wet the block will not show crack s very good as it will make the fine iron dust in to mud but works good for spot checks . blocks . heads.rods .cranks . i use a wet mag with a fluro oil that glows with black light most all the time now nothing can hide from this check works better then iron powder for over all checks. but if the part has any oil on it will not check as well with the fluro oil used in inspection . penetrant with developer is another way to check for flaws . some rust a check will show thru but clean casting are allways better to see any flaws

I have a buddy at work that was in the navy and he told me they used something to check for cracks using black light. Im sure its the same stuff. that sounds like exactly what i need. Im so ready to move forward with the machining and build I can hardly stand it, but i have a 16 year old daughter that Im going to surprise with a car for christmas so I want to wait on that. It just doesnt feel right to me to spend several thousand on a toy for me before i get her a car. My truck has a 305 in it now but it just doesnt have the power i want. Im in the guard and I work for the Department Of Defence and the way the economy is right now and the way my "comander and chief" seems to feel about the military Im a little worried about my job so I have to prioritise right now. Thanks for the advise. Any and all tips are greatly appreciated.

I agree with how to clean this block, but to me, that seems like a heluva lot of time and expense for an iffy block unless you already have the tools and equipment. Why not take a look at the GM Performance Catalog - a new block or even a full crate motor might be a better way - especially if you have some constraints. Here's the block section:

https://store.gmperformanceparts.com...ategory=Blocks


....and the crate motor section:
https://store.gmperformanceparts.com...Small%20Blocks

I've seen Apple Chevrolet advertise them at less then what this catalog says