block cracked
 

Having the engine (350) rebuilt by a professional and in the tear down he said he found a crack in the casting where the starter bolts on. He said in his experience with these this is a common problem with the older 350 truck motorsI wanted to check here to see if that information is correct and if anyone else has had similar problems motor is out of a 71 c10 with auto tranny Thanks for any and all feedback Dave

Could be worse....you could have typed. . . . "Blocked Crack". :bansex:

Other than that, I can't really offer anything in the advise department.

Sorry....that just hit me funny....

Cracks at the starter mounting locations happen to all small blocks from what I have seen, not just trucks. Someone with a manual transmission can still use a block like that since the starter mounting is different.

That is a bummer.

Jim

did the starter have a cast iron head on it? - it may have at one point.

i had a 427 BBC that broke the entire starter ear off the block...someone welded it back on ....

i was told that it usually happens when you have a cast iron starter head and no bracket on the front side of the starter up to the block.

i guess if the starter ever backs up or the motor backfires or something it puts alot of pressure on the starter and cracks/breaks the block.

the newer starters with the aluminum heads tend to break the starter and not the block.

that was what i was told anyway

The first time a starter needs replacing,most people take the brace off and chuck it in the trash.It had a purpouse.That is a lot of wieght and leverage on the block,especialy if a bolt loosens.