Why!

Theres nothing to be gained by filling anything with epoxy in your engine.If your trying to limit oil drainback over the cam to lessen windage,you could install standoff tubes in the oil returns over the camshaft.Or maybe you want to screen the oil returns,any 2 part epoxy will work as long as the surfaces Are clean...real clean, like sprayed with brake cleaner clean! As far as strenghthening the block,if youre not gonna be making 1300+HP,dont waste your time.

 

sorry but for stock pontiac blocks, if you use a roller cam or have alot of spring pressure, you might like a lifter brace of some sort, regardless of the HP you want to make. there are a couple of companies that make bolt in http://www.krepower.com/Shortb2.htm and http://www.sdperformance.com/listProducts.php?categoryID=13 or weld-in braces, and some people jerry-rig their own weld-in braces. but perhaps the epoxy might not be something you could call permanent tho, i dont know. the guy in phr only had to get thru a few dyno pulls and be done with it. i have seen many people use epoxy to fill intake ports for better alignment however, and this would seem to me that the epoxy will work for a long term. but then again, when you fill a port the epoxy doesn't have any kind of strain on it. check out the new copy of phr at the news stand. if there is any chance i can get the same sort of reinforcement from epoxy as a 2-300 dollar brace, then it would be a good move. like you allude to however, i am looking for a 5-600HP engine. jim hand runs around there with out a brace and runs 11's in a wagon. has had no issues for years, but was using close to a RA IV cam grind.

 

I've used the KRE setup. It's not the easiest one to install. It's very tricky having to drill and tap a couple of the holes and you only get one chance.

Here's a picture:

http://hotrodders.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21672/cat/500/page/1

 

hey engineczar, haven't seen you around in a while, but then i havent been around much either. anyway you make a case for using the epoxy, what kinds, any kind? as stated by Aldo, such as jb weld, since it's the easiest to find? or some other kinds? thanks
ps e.c. can you pm me some of the details of your 455 build?

 

The standard is a product I think is made by GE, it goes by the brand name "Glyptal". It is traditionally used in electric motors.

Vince

 

what kind of epoxy are these people using that are filling ports, or lifter valleys? look in the new november, yes november, PHR and the pontiac build from the engine masters challange. they have filled the whole lifter valley with epoxy to brace the bores. also the "turtle" in the bottom of the intake manifold. i would like to do the same. check out the pics pgs 82-83.

also, i just got my first issue of phr in months and i don't know what place this pontiac engine came in. anybody know? thanks. it put out 655 peak HP at 6000rpm (w/kaufman hi port heads) 434cid 400 block with 428 cast crank

They're dreaming, there is no epoxy including the stuff NASA and DOD has that will provide anything close to the support that the lifter valley or cylinder walls need.

Also, when used to change the shape of ports you need to realize that this is a lot less than permanent, for a race engine maybe a season, on the street maybe a year tops, probably less.

To get a bond to metal the surface has to be soooo clean and oil free, that you just can't get there at home. The chemistry of the necessary cleaners and accelerant primers is way beyond poisonous, you can't get this stuff at the hardware store. Then the problem that epoxy, even filled epoxy, has is an expansion/contraction rate a lot different from iron or aluminum so what bond you get is soon physically torn apart by the forces of heating and cooling cycles. Then epoxy, like all plastics, continues to cure when exposed to heat, which is found in some abundance within an engine.

If your going racing for a day that's one thing, but this doesn't hold up to day in and day out heating, cooling and stretching cycles.

Bogie

 

is it the hard block stuff?
Shane

 

You would be surprised how much JB Weld is hanging around cylinder head ports across the country, and it lasts for years.

 

I like Manley 40180 Miracle Seal Epoxy it comes in a 2 Part Kit, easy to
work with for small repairs and filling. Surfaces must be clean and dry,
for cleaning I use acetone.

 

You would be surprised how much JB Weld is hanging around cylinder head ports across the country, and it lasts for years.

I whish that they made putty ..... wouldn't a quart of jb weld be awesome
Shane

 

I use Kop-Coat or A788 Z-Spar Splash Zone in ports when I need to. Mondello sells the Kop_Coat for $80 a kit. The Z-Spar stuff you can get from most marine suppliers. All epoxies should be sealed before being exposed to any petroleum product, gas or oil.

I'd like to try this stuff, Belzona 1591 (Ceramic XHT Metal) , to encapsulate the epoxy but I can't find a dealer and I'm afraid it might be sky high $$$ if I could find it.




Larry