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53 crack preventative?

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If you are worried about the block having issues then it would be worth looking into. I have the 53 block and I'm not sure what I would do if it cracked. I know that one person on here has the 57 block and it has cracked.

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Well, I hear from some that with the amount of miles on my truck already, if it was going to crack, it would of happened already. Not quite sure if there is truth to that, but I think if I can improve my odds, the better.

 

I was reading up on an he351 swap and the guy used some sort of marine epoxy stuff and coated the whole side of the block. I guess it worked really well...

 

But, lock-n-stitch company sounds like they seem to know what they are talking about and maybe the brace they build really works? I have never heard of anyone using it, though. Thats why I'm curious...

From what I've read over the past few years, lots of people have tried lock-n-stitch, and it's a temporary fix, and isn't worth the cost to have it done...

I found this one on a craigslist ad, it said it came out of a freightliner thought. But you can see the engine mount on the side of the bell housing.

 

post-2118-0-83508900-1398049052_thumb.jp

 

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Did anyone read through, my first post?

 

Its not covering the act of repairing the crack with the lock and stitch method. They are discussing the reason to what causes the crack and how to possible prevent it.

 

Yes, we have beaten the idea to a pulp to figure out the reason to it, and they do mention the idea of warming it up before driving.

 

But in the first post, the link provided, they have a brace they make to keep that thermal expansion to a minimum. According to them, its not the engine mount that is the cause, its the fact the casting may be thinner there and the thermal expansion causes the crack because of the way the block heats and cools.

 

So I suppose the answer to my question is:

 

"No, no one has used it, to see if it is a viable preventative"...

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    It's certainly an interesting concept, fairly simple yet looks like it would be effective. How much are they?

    From what I've read over the past few years, lots of people have tried lock-n-stitch, and it's a temporary fix, and isn't worth the cost to have it done...

    I think most of the failed attempts at Lock N Stitch are probably the end users fault, they have a high sucess rate when done by the book and actually have a warranty when performed by an authorized dealer. They have several patents regarding this form of repair and have done countless hours of research and development with metallurgists and engineers to develop their system. This is something they have specialized in way before the 53 block came about and have been successfully performing repairs on engines much larger then the Cummins with massive amounts of torque and stress. If my block ever developed a crack I wouldn't hesitate to use their product before condemning my engine.

    http://www.locknstitch.com/cummins_5_9_block.htm

     

    I'm sure many of you here have seen this page before, I do not think I have seen much discussion on their "preventative measure" though.

     

    Would this be something worth doing?

    Definitely costs less than a block! If I had a 53 I'd give it a try.

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