Re: {Chrysler 300} F Manifold

Guys,

What I have been told over the years by some pretty good Mopar enthusiasts, mechanics, and some old school max wedge racers on the subject of cast iron cracks is......

Drill out the ends of the cracks (supposedly to stop the crack from getting larger, grind a 'V' into the crack, and fill with JB weld. I am not kidding. I actually had an old drag racer tell me this. He had done it in the past when racing the early 60s mopars 'back in the day' on various cast iron and aluminum racing parts of the period.

I know because I have an old 426 Max Wedge block that has been cracked between the freeze plug holes on one side of the block, welded up successfully, and it also has another crack on the other side of the block. I was looking for someone to weld this other crack up. The guy that I was confident could do it has now passed away. I have not attempted the JB Weld fix myself, and the block is just sitting in the back of the old shop. I was told the reasoning that it has worked and will work is that there is not much 'stress' in that area between the freeze plugs. The only pressure will be the circulating water from the radiator and whatever pressure the radiator cap is (10-12 lbs?)

My real plan was to have it professionally welded and then just 'half-fill' the block just above the freeze plugs for strength. I have seen this half-block fill trick done many times. Coolant cools the cylinder heads and the top of the block with water while the oil cools the lower block to manageable levels. The engines were put in street cars and worked well with just a 'half-fill".

I hope this contributes something to the decision. I remember my dad used a lot of JB weld on many things throughout the years on the big block engines of the 60s that he had, but he passed away a couple of years ago and I don't remember any of the details of those stories anymore myself.

Good luck,

Rick Beckman

On Wed, Aug 10, 2022 at 11:10 PM Ryan Hill <ryan_hillc300@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Though I would never recommend JB Weld for this particular task either, I have to say I was impressed by the stuff back in the 1980's on a different type of exhaust manifold repair.

My Dad made the mistake of trying to get our Winnebago off the freeway one hot summer afternoon when we discovered we'd lost a fan belt on the 1976 Dodge 360. By the time he got it to rest and shut it down the engine was overheating badly. Replacing the belt took a few minutes once it cooled down but we discovered a large exhaust leak immediately. Upon removal of the manifold, we found the flange had actually warped quite dramatically on the centre ports and would no longer seal against the gasket.

With the manifold off, Dad spread out what I recall being about 3/16" to fill the void and filed the mating surface flat as a temporary fix. It lasted more than 5 years and 10k miles before it burned out...... That was probably 35 years ago and epoxy technology has improved considerably since then.....just sayin'.

Ryan Hill

From: mr396@xxxxxxx <mr396@xxxxxxx>
Sent: August 10, 2022 6:28 PM
To: dplotkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <dplotkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Ryan Hill <ryan_hillc300@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: 93saturnfan <93saturnfan@xxxxxxxxx>; chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} F Manifold

Agree also jb weld won't work I think better use crazy clue or duct tape should do the same barry

Sent from the all new AOL app for Android

On Wed, Aug 10, 2022 at 9:10 PM, dplotkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<dplotkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'll second that. You will be well advised to spend time seeking a replacement than a welder. The fellow who proposed JB Weld, an epoxy, a plastic, must have been kidding. I hope so.

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: "Ryan Hill" <ryan_hillc300@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2022 9:04pm
To: "93saturnfan" <93saturnfan@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} F Manifold

In my opinion, the task is nearly impossible. There has been discussion on this topic in the past and I don’t recollect anyone having more than short term success with a manifold. The process requires the manifold to be heated to an almost molten state before a weld can be successful.

Ryan Hill

On Aug 10, 2022, at 3:56 PM, 93saturnfan <93saturnfan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Well I received a call from the welding shop I took my broken manifold to today. They were able to weld it together but upon striking it with a hammer to make sure it held, it cracked again. Then the welder suggested I use JB weld to fix it. I don't know if it cracked along the weld or elsewhere as I haven't seen it yet but I plan on picking it up tomorrow and taking my business elsewhere.
Does anyone in the Midwest or Southeast Wisconsin area have any recommendations of a welding place that can handle a cast iron manifold?

Thank you in advance.

Ryan Stevenson
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Re: {Chrysler 300} F Manifold - JB Weld