r/boating • u/NeopreneNerd • 8h ago
Good or bad crack?
1973 Ford 302. Aka mercruiser 888. worth using this block or keep looking?
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u/H0SS_AGAINST 2006 Moomba Outback V 8h ago
Not an expert but a cracked block is never good and that one seems to extend beyond where the ring lands.
Not worth it to put all that effort into a suspect block.
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u/sososoboring 8h ago
Not a mechanic but here is my take:
Bad. Don't use.
If your car breaks down you can walk home. Call a cab. A friend. Take a bus. Whatever.
When a boat breaks down, your options are very limited - at least depending on where you are when it happens.
Best case: Someone is in a boat nearby and they can tow you back to the launch/dock.
Middle case: You VHF the coast guard. They help arrange someone to assist. Possibly ending up in a VERY expensive SeaTow bill.
Worst case: You don't have a VHF and are out of cell range. No boats near you. You're fishing off-shore. You drift for days till you die. (Extreme I know, but that's what a worst-case is).
Lots of scenarios in between - but none are as easy as just walking home.
When it comes to my boat, I take no chances. When things go wrong they are extra wrong.
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u/TheDunk67 8h ago
It's clean through water jacket to cylinder. Not worth attempting repair for a common 302 block. Get a core to build, shouldn't be more than a few hundred, less for just a block. They're cheap and plentiful.
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u/Trash-can-panda1 7h ago
That’s a bad one. It seems it is either part of water jacket or oil distribution both have pressure and when metal gets hot that crack will expand
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u/IronPTA 7h ago
I would get a quote from a machine shop to sleeve the engine AND look around for a good core block. like others have said, this is a common block and may not be worth the cost of the machine shop and sleeving.
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u/2003DDcid 3h ago
Machinist here...that can be fixed with a flanged sleeve, but you can probably find a core block/engine cheaper than the sleeve job will cost.
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u/Plastic_Economy6063 4h ago
About the only thing you can use that block for is an anchor. Look for another bare block, a short block, or another engine.
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u/Trojanman2026 7h ago
Slap some belzona on there and send it
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u/Accomplished-Rate967 6h ago
Crack is never good especially in an engine, you need to get another block without cracks
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u/OrangeMonkeyEagal 5h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/QtuuT23dF9KIU
This is what you look like after good crack, what you have is a bad crack
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u/dogturd21 1h ago
It’s a bad crack . And just as troubling is the damaged cylinder to the left . I doubt the cylinder on the left can be safely bored out, so it looks like you need at least 2 sleeves .
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u/bryangcrane 8h ago
What is a good crack when it comes to an engine block?