MTFCA Forum

I found this little guy here and am wondering if it’s a cast imperfection or a crack? Just my observation Iam thinking on the casting side of things. But Iam sure folks on here have seen some things over the years so I brought it here for discussion. What do you think? Leave it be or try to fix?

The way it starts wide on the left and tapers to a point, it looks like a crack. Imperfections are not deep and that looks pretty deep. Just to be safe, I think you should drill a small hole just to the right of the point to halt it in its’ tracks and keep it from growing. Jim Patrick

I thought about drilling a small hole. It’s right behind the timing gear and it stops at the thick part of the block going vertical.

Casting flaw. I wouldn't worry about it.

Don’t think it’s a crack but a flaw in the casting. If we all closely inspected the engines that have been rebuilt or cleaned up we might be in for a surprise. I found a really nice engine at Chickasha several years ago. After cleaning it up I found the Ford logo script looked like it was ‘smeared on’. That’s not a block integrity flaw but whoever pulled the block of of the mold surely must have seen it. They had to have noticed it but let it go.
Same goes for transmission drums. When they are closely looked at even after they have been magnifluxed you can see the casting flaws. It’s more common on old engines and parts than you think.

Almost looks like a mark from a felt-tip marker., edges are very straight on a very irregular surface. Have you tried to remove it with some different solvents?

It’s all the way thru. It’s on a thin kinda crude lip on the block. I was thinking it was a casting that didn't “fuse” during its creation. Iam not 100% worried but wondered if anyone had anything like it or even in the same spot.

Cast or Crack - how about both.
In the 70s I saw a casting, and then photographed in ultraviolet light. The second revealed a crack. If you already have one of those UV pen flashlights and a pair of protective goggles that you get at the auto parts store for checking A/C leaks, then you might try inspecting the casting that way. No guarantees.

Crack or casting imperfection, it certainly does not look new, and because of this I would think it is already stress relieved. I certainly would not worry about it.
As others have mentioned there are lots of imperfections in these castings, most of which are not even a concern due the operating conditions that surround a T motor.

I was suspecting it has been there a long time. The engine builder didn’t seemed concerned and the rest of the block was checked out and passed the test so I assume all is good. Otherwise it made a nice topic and I thank all who played!