Unexpected LR4 project

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avslash

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C'mon, you can't just say that and not tell the story!

It's a painful memory. Was changing water pump and new bolt snapped while screwing it in. No I did not over torque it, I was using a properly set torque wrench, just damned unlucky.

Tried everything I could think of to get the stub out before I gave up and hauled it to a local race car fab shop that I have used for various things over the years. They drilled the broken bolt out, filled in the space with a welder and then re-drilled and tapped the hole.

Good as new now after a few years.
 

Nechaken

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It's a painful memory. Was changing water pump and new bolt snapped while screwing it in. No I did not over torque it, I was using a properly set torque wrench, just damned unlucky.

Tried everything I could think of to get the stub out before I gave up and hauled it to a local race car fab shop that I have used for various things over the years. They drilled the broken bolt out, filled in the space with a welder and then re-drilled and tapped the hole.

Good as new now after a few years.

But how's the toilet repair kit factor into all of that ?
 

avslash

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But how's the toilet repair kit factor into all of that ?

The toilet repair kit was used on a Porsche 968 when I was a strapping young buck. Headed home to Houston and car started overheating. I coasted into a no tell motel parking lot and hiked over to the local Wally World. I bought a toilet repair kit with a couple length or rubber hose and some hose clamps and then cut out the burst hose on the P-car and temped in a solution. It made it 200 miles to home where I ordered the correct part.
 

steevo

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It is 100% possible to weld on these blocks.

I would be looking a for a skilled welder who works on aluminum to fab something up more durable that a soup can.

But, speaking as someone who has made emergency repairs to his overheating Porsche with a Wal-Mart toilet repair kit, nice work.

Thanks for the compliment! I may look into getting it welded once I know it's worth investing more in. I have no history on it at all, other than it was in an accident and bounced through a couple auctions. If the engine lasts at least a thousand miles, I will probably do a more permanent fix. It's relatively low miles, right around 95K. For now, I've got it running and put about 50 miles on it today. No weird noises and no warning lights. Oil level held steady, good oil pressure.
 

steevo

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I figured I'd provide an update on this field repair for anyone who's interested. I've put about 3000 miles on it since the repair, including a couple six hour trips. Believe it or not, the oil level has stayed rock solid and there are no signs of leaks. Coolant system is tight, no leaks there either. I'm a little surprised at how the block damage doesn't seem to affect the operation of this engine at all. It runs and drives great.

I think its a keeper, and is pulling daily driver duty right now. I was able to get some records on it. New tires mounted and balanced about 500 mi before it was in the accident. Coolant pipes/crossover replaced at around 60k. Maybe it was actually maintained prior to the accident.
 

ktm525

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That soup can is probably more durable than the block material. Well done.
 

HarryO

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May the fleas of a 1000 camels infect the arseh*le of the scumbag that sold it to you.
 

m_lars

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May the fleas of a 1000 camels infect the arseh*le of the scumbag that sold it to you.
To be fair, he bought a vehicle that was in a wreck. That’s as “as-is” as you can get. I’ve worked on enough to know this type of damage is very common in those situations and I highly doubt the seller was aware.
 

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