Well, now that the engine is out, my mechanic friend has found a crack in the rear part of the block. It follows the curve of the rear bearing.
He talked to an engine guy that said it could be welded and ground down-which could get expensive.
My other option is to find another engine. My mechanic friend knows somebody that has a couple 31 or 32 Stovebolts sitting around.
Would these be a swap out option?
Would I be cheaper to fix the crack in the 194?
Will any of the gaskets or starter and other things I've had redone for the 194 fit one of the newer engines?
This thing's going to be the death of me!
Thanks again for your help.

Tom,

If wasn't for bad luck, then no luck at all, eh?

I don't know what the cost to weld up a block would be, but an alternative might be "stitching". There is an article in the May, 2009 G&D which describes this process.
As for replacing the motor with a newer one, will the '30 transmission bolt up with the newer motor? The impression I've gotten from most of the posts on or near this subject is that it probably won't.
I guess the only good thing about this is that it keeps you from getting bored.

Dan

Things like the starter, generator, distributor, water pump and gaskets are interchangeable on the 194 engine.

Man, Dan, you hit it right on the head!
I think I need an intervention!
I just talked to my mechanic buddy.
He said he's found a '39 six that's been in a barn for a few years.
Any ideas on if that would work and how much it's worth?
Thanks again for everybody's help.

The '39 engine is a 216, your asking for trouble going that way. Stay with a 194 (29, 30, 31 & 32). Also stay away from the guy telling you that they can weld the block and ground it down. There are guy out there that can weld cast and you will not know it was ever welded. Problem is you need to take it all apart to do it.

Bruce

Just doing a quick check of the G&D and ebay, the prices range all over the place and vary on what you get. A 1930 motor for $900, a 1934 motor, transmission, front end, rear end, steering,etc.(sounds like everything under the car) for $1000, a 1938 motor and drive train for $1000, but the motor is froze, and a 1929 motor, also froze, for $400. Revtex here on the Chat Site is parting out a 1929. Don't know about the price.

The other problem with all of these, of course, is shipping.

I think 32Confederate is right. Try to stick with the 194 from '29 to '32. If I hear of anything I'll let you know.

I'm the guy working on Toms truck, I told him the block could be welded, but it would have to be sent to another shop where they put it in an oven and bake it to remove all impurities, then weld it, then to the machine shop for machining and a complete rebuild, possibly including align boring of the crank and cam journals. The engine has 75 pounds compression on all cylinders, a .030 overbore, .020 end play on the crank. Looking at possibly $3000.00 to $4000.00 for the rebuild depending on wheather or not the cylinders need bored, etc. Thats why we thought repowering with a 216 or 235 would be the way to go. I have found a 1939 216, a unknown year at this point 235, a 1955&1956 235. the unknown 235 was rebuilt when purchased by another friend, will look at it today and take lots of measurements.Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks Ken

Many engines that are advertised as being "rebuilt" have issues and may need to be rebuilt again...correctly. In which case, many dollars will be spent in not only rebuilding the engine correctly, but in modifying the later engine to fit the earlier application. If at all possible Tom is better off finding the correct engine, or just another engine block, for his vehicle. Not only will it be authentic but he won't lose any value for having the wrong engine in his truck.

Many of the prices of engines for sale are too high considering that the engine in question could be just another boat anchor.

By the way, there are no cam bearings in the 1930 engine.

Ken has been a big help through this and so has Jerry at the Filling Station and the Dawg.
I am going to contact Don in Colorado to see if he has a 194 and how much and what kind of condition.
Like Jerry said and JunkYardDog too. Once you start changing things it came lead to something else.
If I can't find a cheap enough engine, I might have to put the truck up for sale. I really doubt there's much value for something that doesn't run or have an engine for that matter!
I guess we'll see.
Thanks again everybody.

I have several 1930 engine blocks in stock but I don't ship heavy items. The block would have to be picked up but because of where you live it would not be feasible.

JunkYardDog thanks for the offer but I agree the gas would kill the deal.
I have been in touch with Don Rossi.
He says he has some 194s in Colorado.
I might be able to make a road trip out of it one Saturday. Depending on how much he wants for one.
Do you think I would be ahead if I can get a short block from him? I know my head and other components are good.

Yes, definitely get a short block if you can since it may contain some parts that you might need.

I just got an email from Don in Colorado. He has blocks for $100 and complete lowers with the pan for $300.
I think I might be taking a trip to Colorado!
When getting an engine like this, most generally are you getting something good or is a crap shoot. I'm guessing somebody like Don that deals in them might have a pretty good idea of what he's selling.

Those prices are dead on. You can't go wrong there!

Yep, buying an engine block can be a crap shoot since you never know what you are getting into until the short block is disassembled, magnafluxed and etc. However, if there are no visible cracks you are probably okay. The other thing to watch out for is the bore size. If the bores have a lot of wear they might have to be sleeved, so it is always a good idea to check the bore size first, if possible.

Don sells quality stuff so you shouldn't have any problems buying one of his short blocks. You are dealing with a great dude!

Just got another email from him. He said they are all stored indoors which sounds pretty goo to me.
I might take a trip out and pick one up in the next few weeks.
Thanks again for all your help.

My 32 Chev has the origional engine. I have the title from the first owner. The engine number on the title matches the number on the engine. Ive owned the car since 1964. One day I started the engine with out water in the radiator. Ouch!! The water jacket cracked. I had two local expert welders try to weld the block. The welds always held but the block would crack right next to their welds. My third try was to send the block to INDY WELDING (Indianapolis Indiana) They put the block in an oven, heated it, welded while the block was hot then let the block cool in the oven for 12 hours. Expensive but its held for 10 years. They also fixed cracks in my head. But thats another story.
Bye for now

Hey Tom,

If you want an Engine from the JunkYardDog I can bring it out to you. If Skip can get it to Mike before he leaves for Portland this week, I can drop it off some place on my way to Ohio on the 17 or 18 of this month. I'm going back to pick up my Phaeton body.

Another option is if you can get Don to meet me some place a long 80, maybe where I -25 and I – 80 cross I can take it some place for you.

Bruce

If I can figure out how to post a picture, I will post one of the broken part of the block from Toms engine. Maybe someone can tell me that it would not have to be welded, maybe JB Weld would work, shouldn't be any presure there if crank end play is corrected, which by the way, what is acceptable? Right now it is around .020. I'm guessing too much could have broken it? Anyone else had this problem? It is behind the oil slinger.
Can't seem to find File Manager as FAQ says to use to post pictures so hope my explanation will do.
Thanks, Ken

Take a look at this post, you will see how to post pic's.
[/url] [url=http://vcca.org/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/168891/34_Questions#Post168891]Go Here!

Thanks for the info, I was hoping for something easy for someone not so good with computers! I don't really want to put it on the web. Thought maybe I could do it like e-mail and attach it. Thanks anyway! Ken

Ken,

Since Tom is a member of the VCCA, he can post the pics to the Member's Photos forum.

Here is the link on how to do this:

http://vcca.org/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/111195/How_to_post_photos_to_the_MEMB#Post111195

Keep us updated on how things turn out.

Good Luck,

Dan

Here are the pictures of the damage of the 194.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k283/cartunman/30%20chevy%20truck/crack2.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k283/cartunman/30%20chevy%20truck/crack1.jpg
Like Ken said, there isn't any real pressure in the system so could we just use a good bonding agent like JB weld to take care of the problem? He also mentioned the clearance issue and he can't find a the way to tighten that up. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks for your help.

Whoa..!!...dem pics is tiny... . Hope you can figure out how to make em just a little bit larger so the cracks can actually be seen.

Let's try this again!
Here's a bit bigger pix. The originals were pretty tiny!
You can click on these pictures and might be able to re-size them on the Photobucket page.


Let me know if you have any other issues.

Bruce,
Thanks for the offer. I'm evaluating my options at this point.
I wanted to make sure you knew I got your offer.