On 10/7/20 10:41 am, AMuzi wrote:
> On 7/9/2020 10:31 AM, The Real Bev wrote:
>> On 07/09/2020 05:38 AM, wrote:
>>> I won't remember the details clearly by my '70 chevy lost
>>> a "freeze
>>> plug" in the winter 'cuz my antifreeze measure was faulty.
>>> I do
>>> remember desperately pouring water in, that had ice in it.
>>> The
>>> miracle was somebody telling of a shop that would fix it.
>>> I drove,
>>> stopping every mile or so when it overheated and poured
>>> more water
>>> in. they fixed it just fine and I got to use it for some
>>> years
>>> after.
>>>
>>> Now, "freeze plug" is not what it was designed as, it was
>>> a lucky
>>> accident from the block casting process.
>>
>> Takes me back...
>>
>> Four months pregnant and one of mine blew.Â* Yeah, like we
>> need those in SoCal.Â* For a while I could use the car by
>> filling it up at home, driving to work, filling it up at
>> work and driving home.Â* Ultimately I crawled under the 1950
>> Chevy and replaced the STEEL freeze plug with a brass one.
>> Fortunately only one went bad.
>>
>> It would have killed GM to use brass in the first place?Â* Do
>> they still use them at all?
>>
>
> Yep, pointless in SoCal but significant up nort'.
>
> They're a necessary foible of the sandcasting process (my GM aluminum
> engine doesn't have them) and do indeed prevent total block loss if the
> operator neglects coolant mixture in severe cold. I'm not at all sure
> that brass or steel plugs would function or fail differently.
>
I have worked on very large engines that have screwed in brass casting
plugs. They generally don't fail in terms of leakage or corrosion but
cost a lot more in the manufacturing process. They also won't
conveniently pop out in the case of the coolant freezing.

In general however, the standard variety welch plugs come in two forms,
dished and domed. They are made of plated steel but can be had in brass
at a higher cost. Use an appropriate coolant and the factory OEM units
should last out the engine at least until rebuild time where it would be
prudent to replace them.

--

Xeno


Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.
(with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)