Busted iron

I have a fairlly new 350 Vortec crate engine with the outer starter casting busted. Is there a fix for it or is it parts ?

I'll take the heads!

I can use them. Just not wanting to count out the vortec if idont have to

Sped13 wrote: I have a fairlly new 350 Vortec crate engine with the outer starter casting busted. Is there a fix for it or is it parts ?

if you have the part that broke off, a competent welder can put it back together for you.

A decent tig guy, an hour, and a case of his favorite beer should get you back in business.

I cant find a shop in the area that will touch it

Find a welder, not a car shop. If youre having problems finding a welder that will do it, another option may be to post up your dilemma on craigslist and see if a welder will come find you

Sped13 wrote: I cant find a shop in the area that will touch it

is the engine still installed?

I bought a car with an SBC that had the outer starter tab broken. Someone attempted to weld in a stud that takes place of the outer starter bolt. I hate to tell you, it really doesn't work very well.

I have tried and tried to shim the starter, bend the stud, etc., and it still starts fine some times and will just not engage other times. This is made worse because at this point the ring gear on the flex plate is getting worn from the times it was close enought to grind but not close enough to engage.

I am lucky enough that this is a worn out 305 and not a new crate Vortec, but I intend to pull it and just put in another engine. YMMV, maybe you will get a better welder than me, and maybe your's isn't broken off as bady as mine.

Do you have the pieces that broke off?

In reply to SEADave:

I'm not suggesting replacing the bolt with a stud, i'm suggesting that the broken part of the block can be welded back onto the block and then the starter would be installed as OE.

If you still have the part that broke off, clean the area of all paint, grease, etc, grind a good V into both sides of the joint to be welded, get yourself an el cheapo a/c cracker box off of craigslist, buy a pack of Certanium 889SP stick rods. Weld in your root passes one bead at a time and stack them accordingly instead of one big sloppy gorilla weld, but be careful to work quickly and keep the heat in it so you only have one heat cycle. Multiple heat cycles on cast iron will bite you in the ass.

http://www.ct-assocs.com/Crona/889.htm

No its on a stand In reply to AngryCorvair:

My two cents as a proffesional Weldor: grind the notch aforementioned, heat with a blowtorch (gently). Weld bits at a time, preferrably while a friend heats the metal (gently) -with cast iron rod and a stick welder, and control the cooling. I welded the "burn out " between two cylinders on a nissan this way-it drove away, and fixed the water passage on a Chinese Dragon (tractor) in the same manner. It had other problems, but my work at least initially held.

A competent welder can make this work properly......and if they are good and grind it back to clean it up, you'll never be able to tell.

Hand crank starter conversion?

shotgun