Gents, have a 26-27 long block and noticed that one on the head bolt holes has broken off on the waterjacket.Still has plenty of threads for bolt. Could it be sealed up to prevent leaks??
If you are asking if you can seal up a bolt hole instead of removing the broken off bolt and installing a new head bolt, I would say no. I believe all of the bolts are necessary to ensure a uniform pressure on the head to prevent warpage or distortion from the heat. Jim Patrick
John,
A photo of your problem would help.
Jim
Hi Jim, I will try and snap off a few shots. Thank you both for the input.
I think what he is saying is that he can see down through a threaded head bolt hole and into the water jacket because the hole has no bottom.
Thats correct John.You explaied better than me!
If there are plenty of threads for the head bolt to grab, I would suggest coating the threads with locktite or some other waterproof, heatproof thread seal, to prevent the water from escaping from the water jacket, but I would not seal a bolt hole to prevent it from being used, as I think they are all necessary for a secure and uniform head seal against the block. Jim Patrick
There are many chevy v-8 engines where the bolt holes go into the water jacket by design. Your is not the first. Use permatex form a gasket on the bolt and put some in the hole that the bolt will push down into the hole. Problem solved!
Sounds like a job for MBT or a couple of buckets of good old muddy creek water. Both were used in the good old days. Dan
A permanent fix would be an allen head set screw. Drill through the hole and run a taper tap in but not all the way. When you feel the tap losing resistance, stop and do a dry run with the set screw. A 1/4" set screw should be long enough and if you cant find one cut and grind down a longer one. Coat it with Locktite , and reseat it. Be sure to check the depth of the hole and trim the headbolt so it does not bottom out without the gasket. Mark the head of the bolt and reference location of the hole in your manual. Try to determine how this happened. If some gorilla tried to put too long bolt in that hole, there might be a chunk of iron inside the water jacket. that should not hurt anything.
Perhaps just get ready for winter - Remember these?
Most of my bolts go into the water jacket.
John, I had one like that I used ultra black sealer on the head bolt threads and never had any issues with leaks.