Reply to "Reinforcing with "Hard Block""

Moroso makes a specific block filler that comes with instructions.
Others I know have used furnace cement. You're supposed to do
the fill before any machine work is done on a block with clean
water jackets. There can be a lot of casting flash left in the
water jackets and scale can build up so you need to flush the water
jackets. One shop I know uses a place called American Metal Cleaning
to clean the block and they come back spotless. Others recommend
muriatic acid. You're referring to
what is called a half fill. On a V8, you do one deck at a time with
the deck level. Mix up the fill per the instructions and have a
torque plate or head ready to torque into place after the fill.
You do one side and let set for several days, then level the other
deck and repeat. Have a helper on hand to vibrate (air hammer dialed
down) the block to aid with the pour settling. Wait a month before
sending the block out for machining (filler cures like concrete).
Contact your piston manufacturer to see what clearances they recommend
with a filled block. Water temperatures with a half fill are usually
not a problem as the combustion heat is mainly at the top of the block.
However, oil temperature can increase so monitor it and add a
thermostatically controlled oil cooler if necessary.

Dan Jones