cracked engine block, need help

[81Malibu]

Hello all, on the farm my brother works on they have on old dump truck that has a 8.3L Cummins in it and one of the mechanici's recently found it had a cracked block and a crack in the bellhousing on the tranny, so not its been put out of service and its just sittin out back doin nothing. Is this block going to be able to be welded back up or is it just gone? I'm a welder by trade but I have not done much work with cast. Obviously a big part would be where the cracks are located (i havent looked at the truck yet). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[dda52]

They may be able to be welded, but without knowing exactly where they are, it is impossible to tell. If they can't be welded, there is another alternative. There is a product called Lock and Stitch that can stitch cast parts together. I recently got rid of a 5.9 Cummins with a cracked block. Neither process would have worked for me. Mine needed a new block. Whether or not it can be repaired all depends on where it is and the stresses applied to it. Google Lock and Stitch and then evaluate the block. Pics of the crack in the context of the block (location) will help us in answering the question.

[draperweld]

81 malibu,
I've welded alot of engine blocks in my time,and I would say that there are very few that can't be welded. As for the bell housing, I've found that brazing sometimes works better than nickel rod. Let us know where the block is broken, with pictures if possible. Draperweld