Originally Posted by pat mccarthy
well i would not use the gear drive any way . are you saying the block as cracks in the main web . not good i have used some blocks like this but they are not to hot .i would walk on a block like this they can be more trouble in the long run this tells me it did get very hot and the main caps have been shrunk by heat and they would need to be welded or you can work the iron on the block by moving it with a big brass blunt chisels if the caps are welded they need to be side cut to fit the block . i have done this many times before i get the block line bored i like it fit my caps before they get bored out.if this the register is loose then the block is not in good shape .the registers help the caps from moving side to side . have seen them welded in the main here from cracks and have run a liner in the main oil feed hole to so there would not be any oil drop to the mains. all work i listed should be done by a pro. this may not mean that any of it was done by the machine shop when the block was done.this is why i do the caps myself . you can get timing chain set for line bored blocks