Lunk head PO was running water

[Ferdy Mint]

We just picked up a 93 TIDI with an ice-damaged block. We see one crack by the oil filter.

My machine shop nearby says no way Jose. He can only repair cracked cylinders, by sleeving.

Has anyone managed to repair a cracked IDI block? My local weld shop says "cold welding" might work and told me about that process for cast iron.

 

[TNBrett]

Even if you could, I doubt that it would make financial sense. Just find another block to build and use the turbo internals.

 

[Noiseydiesel]

I second that.

 

[DrCharles]

That external crack probably could be repaired by stitching (is that what they mean by "cold welding"?) but how many more cracks are there which you haven't found yet... by the time you strip it all the way down and magnaflux it, you might as well have got another engine.

 

[Ferdy Mint]

I hate facts that I don't like. Lol. You guys are right.

Cold welding is what he described as very slowly welding a crack a 14/" at a time, letting it cool fully every time. I've welded my grandpa's cast iron vice before where I got it all real hot first, weld, then cool it down real slow. I guess if I had a huge industrial oven I could do that with an engine block. But I don't.

But it does make more sense to reuse the TIDI internals in a newly sleeved IDI block.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

But it does make more sense to reuse the TIDI internals in a newly sleeved IDI block.

At least this way, you'll know what you've got.

 

[TNBrett]

If you can’t find a block locally, I’ve got one that should work for “sleeveing”. It’s the NA block that was in my truck originally that tossed rods on 7 & 8.

 

[Ferdy Mint]

If you can’t find a block locally, I’ve got one that should work for “sleeveing”. It’s the NA block that was in my truck originally that tossed rods on 7 & 8.

It's always a pleasure to deal with Southerners. Thanks for the offer, but we're flush with blocks, just low on time. As luck would have it, we now own two IDI blocks and this TIDI one. Sleeving is only $60/cylinder in Llano TX. I rebuilt my first motor at 16 so I'm going to teach my boys how this summer.

 

[TNBrett]

$60 per cylinder sounds pretty cheap. My machine shop wanted $200 per cylinder to install sleeve and finish hone. A normal bore and hone was $80.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

. I rebuilt my first motor at 16 so I'm going to teach my boys how this summer.

That sounds like an AWESOME plan!

 

[Ferdy Mint]

$60 per cylinder sounds pretty cheap. My machine shop wanted $200 per cylinder to install sleeve and finish hone. A normal bore and hone was $80.

Yep, out in the country there are still good deals. The further you get away from big cities, folks are nicer too. Need a driveshaft for your Bricky IDI? How about $1700 from NAPA, with a wait of many weeks, if you're lucky. Or....find a rural tractor driveshaft shop, drive a few hours, and have them build you one for $500.