I'm helping out a friend who did not winterize the engine in his boat. It is a Ford 351W
I see that it has 6 core plugs on each side. On the left side, two popped, and on the right side, one popped. I told him I would need to install new core plugs and then take on the water to see if the oil...
Put the heads and intake back on with new gaskets and created block off plates. Pressurized to 15 psi. No leaks holds steady pressure. I got lucky.
Also checked the pistons and they are .40 over so it is a rebuilt engine.
This is what I will do
Buy a cheap set of head and intake gaskets
Put the heads and intake back on
Create a block of plates for the water pump
Create a plate for the thermostat hole so that I can hookup air
Crossing my fingers.
I know. Everyone calls them freeze plugs, and like @alldodge I have seen engines where the "freeze plugs" kept the block from cracking. They poped, and the block was fine
I bought a boat, knowing that the engine was not winterized. It is the 4.3 Chevrolet V6. I have swapped and rebuilt a few of these engines, so I'm very familiar with them. While the engine was still in, I had it running with water connected. I noticed that the freeze plugs popped, and both the...
I'm not doing this project to sell. That is not even on my mind. I don't know what I will do when the day comes for me to get rid of the boat. I have not given that any thought.
This is my last comment on anything related to what I want to do with this project as far as the engine goes.
My...
Thank you for all of the input. This post started with a question about gel coat cracks, and I added a side note about what I'm doing with the boat. And here we are.
I'm not planning on making that kind of mistake. The fuel lines will be just as well done on the Touareg I'm using for the engine. If the Touareg is safe, then the boat will also be. I get where you are coming from. You don't know me, and neither do you know my skill level. I'm not a backyard...
@briangcc Thank you for the VW reference. That will come in handy.
I bought a complete 2006 Toureg with the VR6 engine for $500, so I have everything I need to start. Call me crazy; I was born to do this kind of stuff, no matter how many naysayers I face.
@briangcc Thank you for your input. It is a 2004 boat, so colour matching is the least of my concerns. For now, I may fix the gel coat cracks and vinyl wrap the boat. It is a long-term project doing something unique.