new to the site... am i screwed or not

[thebatii]

Heres what happened, the tranny side freeze plug was leaking over the top of my starter on my 1965 c10 causing issues. When looking it over i put a tee shirt over the starter so it would stop leaking in my face, when i got out from under the truck I re conected the battery and went to start it and forgot all about the tee shirt......hey you guessed it the starter sucked the tee up between the bellhousing and the starter snapping off the block covering the starter bolt.

see photos .

It chipped the block up so high that the bolt not longer nas enough thread to thread up. So I took a temp/#8 all thread and put it in the block but how do I cover the open side? Jb weld?

It gets worse The piece that broke off is now missing and I can't find it. is it time to look for a new block? can you weld castiron?

[onequickchevy]

Yeah you are, but i'd try to run it. Put some locktite in that puppy after cleaning it up and give it a shot. I would hunt a block, but I think it will work for a while anyway.
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[erock805]

Agreed...either way its going to be some work. Loctite and look for an engine. Yes you can weld cast iron, Lottsa of people will say no, I have seen it done before with good results, The key is welding very hot. Then you will have to rethread that hole. Is the motor worth all of that? Path of least resistance might but putting in a used motor. Much quicker and easier. Also what you do depends how much the truck gets used...Is this an every day driver? Perhaps this is a good time for upgrades.

[TheDark1]

What type of tranny is that? If it's a manual, switch to a stock (Mid 1960's) bellhousing and use the stock style starter. They bolt to the bellhousing, not the block.--jeff

[MikeN]

Looks like an automatic transmission and flexplate...

[TheDark1]

Ah yes, I see the flex plate now.

[64fleetside]

Have it welded.

[Marv D]

The piece missing is going to be the butt-kicker. If you had it, you 'can' weld cast, but it's not cheap. Todays epoxies can be just darn near as strong. If youhad the piece, I'd epoxy it together, with w stud, and be cautious when you tighten a nut on that side.

In the end,, a new block is in your future I'm afraid.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by TheDark1

What type of tranny is that? If it's a manual, switch to a stock (Mid 1960's) bellhousing and use the stock style starter. They bolt to the bellhousing, not the block.--jeff

I was going to suggest the same thing! I see its an auto trans, but if the engine has a lot of miles left in her, you might consider swapping to a stick shift....IMHO, they are more fun to drive anywhoo crazyL

[pope]

Ewww! Either way if you want to weld it you will most likely have to pull the block, and the shop will want the piece to do it. Have seen that done before and repairs like that do work fine. Good Luck!

[thebatii]

Ive looked all over for the chunk that fell off and cant find it anywhere the trans is a turbo 400 I was thinking layers of jb weld I bought a new straight line bolt starter instead of the offset one that was on it ...so the starter lines up nice i just need to close that gap....cliff lol

[thebatii]

what good is a truck if you cant start it?
Guess I better start looking for a magic welder.....
thanks for all your kind helpful words
This is a great site ...have a blessed one

[edhtrd71]

really sorry for what happened. If that was mine I would try anything before giving up. The allthread probably isnt a good idea because it will allow the starter to twist adding pressure to the weak hole. Hopefully you have good fabrication skills or a good welding fabricator buddy. I dont know how many threads you have in there, but I would use the original shouldered bolt and support it at the head of the bolt. If you can use the transmission converter cover bolt near the starter, make a plate (bracket) that bolts to the trans and the weak starter bolt. Make sure its a tight fit and doesnt allow the bolt to move. May need a longer starter bolt. I dont know may sound stupid but thats my first idea. Good luck

[thebatii]

I think im going to make a starter shim with just two holes for the bolts to go through that way the good bolt will keep the weak bolt from flexing back and perhaps make some sort bracket off the bellhousing to keep it all from moving. and just jb weld the living snot out of it , what have I got to loose if it doesn't work I go motor hunting .......that 454 was just a little to big for that truck anyway........ yea right keep telling yourself that.

[Captainfab]

As already said, if you had the piece, it would be easier to fix. I welded that same area on a '65 vette a couple years ago, but the piece was still there. It was a PITA but it was the easier option versus pulling the engine. In your case, is there at least some threads farther up in that hole? If not try drilling all the way up thru that part of the casting, and running a tap up from the bottom thru the top to gain more threads.

However, if you have leaking freeze plugs, it may be time to pull the engine to fix those as well as the broken starter boss.

[thebatii]

Thanks again all
have a blessed one

[bama63]

try this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GM-ST...item51977ad111 grade 8 and the correct size/length and possibly weld the stud or epoxy to block

[id_unavailable]

I would try to weld the allthread to the block then use a nut instead of a bolt. It looks tight but you may be able to do it on the truck.

[Redcap]

Originally Posted by id_unavailable

I would try to weld the allthread to the block then use a nut instead of a bolt. It looks tight but you may be able to do it on the truck.

Weld steel all-thread to cast iron?

[crazy longhorn]

Yup, a little preheat ,& a nickle rod crazyL

[Captainfab]

I've welded mild steel to cast iron many times.......

Originally Posted by Redcap

Weld steel all-thread to cast iron?

[jayman68]

Originally Posted by thebatii

Ive looked all over for the chunk that fell off and cant find it anywhere the trans is a turbo 400 I was thinking layers of jb weld I bought a new straight line bolt starter instead of the offset one that was on it ...so the starter lines up nice i just need to close that gap....cliff lol

Have you already put the new starter in? The stagger bolt starter and the straight bolt starter are made for different diameter flywheels, It may not work, unless I missunderstand your description of straight line and offset. Hope it works for you.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by jayman68

Have you already put the new starter in? The stagger bolt starter and the straight bolt starter are made for different diameter flywheels, It may not work, unless I missunderstand your description of straight line and offset. Hope it works for you.

If I understand the original post the same way you do Jay, no the straight pattern starter will not work inplace of that staggered pattern starter( it takes a different flexplate). The boich of the problem, is that both pattern starters use the same OUTER bolt hole, & that is the bad one. There are 2 bolt holes inside(straight vs staggered), & the flex plate is 14" diam (staggered), or 12 3/4 diam (straight pattern). crazyL

[my67c20]

Either go to a bone yard or a local engine shop and cut off a piece of a scrap block bigger than what you need. Make sure you get around the hole. Grind it to the shape of an "L". Where the horizontal part of the "L" is about 3/8 - 1/2" thick and the vertical leg has at least the same amount of material all around the threads. Then drill a hole in the horizontal piece to accept a roll pin, make the mating hole in the block. Tap a roll pin in and epoxy the piece in place. Thread in the allthread making sure to engage both the piece and the block. Loctite the allthread in. This and the starter will provide some sort of mechanical lock and should last for another 40 years.

[storm9c1]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

If I understand the original post the same way you do Jay, no the straight pattern starter will not work inplace of that staggered pattern starter( it takes a different flexplate). The boich of the problem, is that both pattern starters use the same OUTER bolt hole, & that is the bad one. There are 2 bolt holes inside(straight vs staggered), & the flex plate is 14" diam (staggered), or 12 3/4 diam (straight pattern). crazyL

Well technically there are aftermarket starters that have a straight pattern mount but the starter motor itself can be "clocked" to work with either flexplate/flywheel type. But you are right, that doesn't help when the common bolt hole is busted.

I knew a guy who had the same problem. He took a 1/4" piece of steel plate, drilled three holes in it, two for the good bosses in the block and one at the location of the broken boss. Then he ground a notch in the block about the size of a nut. Then he literally ground 1/4" off the starter! Bolted the starter on with the plate and grade 8 bolts, put the nut on the back side where he made the notch.......and it worked until he got rid of the vehicle a few months later. It was a no-weld job. And you can grind that notch out for the nut with a rotary tool, so no need to pull the engine. I'm sure replacing the starter again later would be a pain, you'd have to grind the new starter down 1/4".