# Casting your own block and head....



## willburrrr2003 (Jan 3, 2012)

Hi all, I have been staring at my spare engine block in my garage. it is from a mercruiser 120 engine, that I rebuilt for my boat.  I have been giving serious thought to measuring everything on it and building it in miniature.  I would love to make it as much like the full size as possible. To do this I would break out my foundry, and sand molds and do up a pour. However, I would like to know if any of you have cast in place the block and head water jackets.  I would love to do this on my build. The only way I can see to do it right, is a sand core pattern of the water jacket that is placed into the mold cavity after I pull my block blank out of the mold sand.... Does this sound right to you guys?  Is this the way to do the oil passages too or are those milled after the casting?

Regards & Happy New Year to everyone!

    Will R.  Everett, WA.


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## Jasonb (Jan 3, 2012)

Yes sand cores are the way to go but there is a limit to how small you can practically do so may have to drill some of the water ones and almost certainly the oil ways.

Really depends how much you are going to scale it down.

Another option is to cast the block with a large cored cavity and then use liners to form the cylinder bores which creates a water space around each cyl, usual practice on a lot of hit & miss models.

J


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## ShedBoy (Jan 3, 2012)

Replicating the complicated core pattern of the original would be very hard as they are quite complex. As the engine is smaller it is not going to create as much heat so will need less water passages anyway. One plan I have shows some simple holes drilled from end of the head to the other then some going accross towards the exhaust ports and meeting up with holes drilled in the block. See pic below. These heads are made from solid and have plugs fitted in places.


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