Reply to "If you liked the 3 deuce intake manifold, you'll love this ..."

Hi Kelly,

Good info my friend. I don't want to beat this subject to death, just add my practical observations. The alloys used in the head & block castings I've seen have been pretty good materials, they're not made from beer cans. The blocks have iron or steel liners, if the rate of thermal expansion were much different between the casting and the liner, the liners would eventually work themselves loose. This does not happen, so I must believe the manufacturers of the alloy blocks know what they're doing.

When it coms to cheap aluminum, the engine castings from Japan are some of the worst, their aluminum is very soft, easy to strip threads and easy to crack. Yet not even the Asian engines have a problem with thermal expansion in their engines.

No production engine, aluminum or otherwise runs alloy connecting rods, they are either fordged steel, or in the case of the Acura NSX, titanium. Yet the production alloy engines maintain their dimensional intergrity between parts.

Alloy rods are drag racing stuff. They use alloy rods because they're light, not because they're trying to match expansion of the rods to the block. Problem with alloy rods is they stretch and stay stretched, in other words they grow in length with use, they can only be used a short time & then they have to be removed & discarded. One of the things pro level drag racing mechanics do when they tear down the engines (which is often) is measure rod stretch.

The valve lash adjustment issue Kelly brought up is a good one too, but I don't think it is a factor that would keep anybody from purchasing an alloy block. I see it as just another reason to run a hydraulic roller cam!

Getting back to the subject of Aussie blocks for Ron & Bohdan, I want to say that the info regarding Aussie blocks is sketchy. Even the Australians appear confused about their blocks most of the time. Every time someone writes an explanation of the variations in Australian blocks, the stories change, or at least the writer will admit he is guessing at times.

The XE192540 casting number of the NASCAR block is a known thing, yet there are variations among the blocks with that casting number, probably because there was two different castings runs several years apart. I have read in print that the NASCAR blocks were high in nickle content, but that has never been confirmed by a reliable source (magazine writers & folks on the internet are not reliable sources). I have also seen a picture of an XE182540 block! What's up with that?

It makes no sense to me that Ford of Australia would have cast blocks of high nickle content that were destined to go into production autos, that's too expensive. It will be impossible for someone selling a used block to prove it's metallurgy is high in nickle content. It is also too easy for somebody with less than honest intentions to jack the price up & tell you its a high nickle block. I'm not saying that of Phil Newel however, I know Phil to be a hard working business man trying to make a living selling auto parts. I've done business with Phil & wouldn't hesitate to do so again. But I would question, does Phil really know his blocks are high in nickle content, or is he just repeating what he's been told. Australian folk lore if you see.

I would like to point out, Phil is doing right by sonic checking the blocks before offering them for sale. When it comes to thin wall cast engine blocks, that is the factor that makes or bereaks the deal.

The pillow blocks have 3 odd shaped bulges in the blocks above the core plugs on each side. This was done to increase the cooling system capacity of the blocks for certain applications, again typical of information regarding Aussie Cleveland blocks, nobody is quite sure what applications the pillow blocks were designed for, i.e. trucks only, passenger cars & trucks, etc. The increase in cooling capacity does not denote that the block is any structurally better. Some say the pillow blocks have some of the features of the NASCAR blocks, others say yes but to a much lesser degree.

There is so much confusion, which is why my advice to you is to educate yourself regarding the differences between the NASCAR block & a standard block, and then verify VISUALLY for yourself what you are buying, because they are asking a lot of money for these used parts.

I guess I should have explained this from the beginning, I apologize for my laziness. I think it is cool that Ron & Kelly have contributed, provided more info, keeps the topic interesting. I enjoy learning too, and it challenges me to be more thorough. I'm sure its boring for everyone if I'm the only person responding to engine questions. So thanks guys.

Everyone enjoy your Sundays! Drive 'em if you got 'em!

your friend on the DTBB, George