Opinions on this engine block is repairable

Im not too familiar with this engine, but with it only being a coolant passage I would say yes, it is repairable. Just make sure the place you take it to (or you yourself) are experienced in this kind of repair. Whether its alum, or iron, its still a cast product, so there are some changes to welding it.

how did that happen? frozen coolant?

Front end accident. The bumper/radiator/hood/etc took most of the accident.

Honestly this crack was still attached and looked like a hairline crack. The piece didn't shift at all while the motor was installed.

It is a cast iron block also. Actually come to think of it. Welding cast iron is hard to come by. I remember my buddy has a cast iron oven door he's been trying to get welded and no one wants to/can do it. Shit.

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Hope this applies - as the video shows you are going to need to tig weld it. If there is no support for other accessories on that part you 'may' get by with brazing it. Either way needs to be really, really clean before you even try to start either process.

Where are you located? We weld CI on a regular basis in my shop. Its become one of my specialties, but thats really only because my boss wont do it, and the other guy really cant weld at all.

wilke_jb said:

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Hope this applies - as the video shows you are going to need to tig weld it. If there is no support for other accessories on that part you 'may' get by with brazing it. Either way needs to be really, really clean before you even try to start either process.

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You dont really "NEED" to tig weld it. There are many very good options out there for stick welding cast iron. I use a rod called "Super Cast" a lot, and it does the job very nicely. The only problem I have with it, is it is a little on the hard side when you are done. That rod is actually what I welded my 10vt exhaust manifold with.

As for needing to be clean, you have a point, but you can only get cast iron so clean. There will always be some sort of dirt in the metal. Preheating, and VERY slow cool down is really where the importance lies.

my dad has a menonite neighbor that has done lots of cast welding for us, hes in western NY. Dont know where you are.

I've successfully repaired cast iron quite a few times. Torch welding with a high nickle rod and the appropriate
flux works very well. A torch with a Rosehead tip for heating the area and a large brazing tip for the repair.
As DE80q mentioned, slow cooling is very important for a successful repair. I'm sure that you will find an on-line video
somewhere. I use a Eutectic flux coated rod designed specifically for this type repair.

question: with a front end collision hard enough to track a block there, how do you know there are no more hairline fractures elsewhere in the block, potentially hidden?

Back in the old days, they sent people to school just to do things like that, hot welding is a art.... Stick the block in the oven for couple hours at 550 F if it's gray cast then weld it, but I think VW blocks are cast steel... otherwise seek out that old school welder that has been doing it for years, as a general rule I think if you are welding cast steel like guy said you can use a standard mig otherwise you need a special rod like high nickle etc... I've seen some people heat gray cast with a torch then weld them...

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I'd just get a new block, you already need to take it apart. For the price of welding, then you'll need to deck it for the end beads so it sits with the gasket only to run the risk it will crack again with all the heat cycling and heat stress on the welded part... Also, if coolant finds a very little crack or pinhole it will drip out.

The block is free. Plus I don't really have a use for it. But if I can salvage it that would be nice to have for something in the future.

Oh and I am located in portsmouth nh

I wouldn't bother with it, any repair is likely to fail in the future. Also if you magna-fluxed the area you will probably see spider web type cracks which over time will grow.

jb weld and throw it up for sale on vw vortex.
duh

pkw said:

jb weld and throw it up for sale on vw vortex.
duh

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I like this, except you forgot to say "jb weld and throw it up for sale AS NEW on vw vortex."

BlackBox said:

pkw said:

jb weld and throw it up for sale on vw vortex.
duh

Click to expand...

I like this, except you forgot to say "jb weld and throw it up for sale AS NEW on vw vortex, take the money, and never deliver the good"

Click to expand...

FTFY

The VR6 in my Scirocco came from a Corrado that was in a front-end accident way back in 1995 (I started the conversion shortly after that).A piece of the block got broken off in the timing/trans bellhousing area, as well as a piece of the trans . My buddy who owns a machine shop welded both and I have never had another issue from them and that was roughly 18 years ago! The motor/trans combo now has racked up close to 200k miles..The motor is tired now and I am soon going to be pulling it to put in a low-mileage one I have been sitting on. The old one will likely go to a buddy who will rebuild it and drop it into a Mk2..
That being said, unless you can get it done cheap, then I don't know if it would be worth the trouble/expense...

Weld that sucker.....