what is this object inside my engine's water jacke

[tomcat27]

inside the water jacket of my 1970 351W I found what appears to be a tube. on one side of the engine, the tube (or whatever it is) appears to be broken off at the top and attached at the bottom. on the opposite side of the engine, it appears to be intact and runs top to bottom. what is it? part pf the casting process? some added passage way for oil? can I remove it? I posted hours ago on a Ford forum, but have not received any responses yet. yes, the inside of the water jacket is very rusty. the car sat for 18 years.....

 

[Chris142]

Casting flash

 

[Merkava_4]

It's a deburring blade.

 

[bvance554]

Your cooling system has worms. I have no idea, but it does look like a deburring blade above.

 

[Olas]

Another reason I advocate changing ALL fluids as soon as you get your new car home.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Olas
Another reason I advocate changing ALL fluids as soon as you get your new car home.


On the basis of how cars were built in the 70's? Besides, to find this tool it looks like a freeze plug had to be removed--doesn't look like it would have fallen out of the hoses on a coolant flush.

 

[daman]

Did it ever have a block heater?

 

[Kestas]

Perhaps wire reinforcement for the sand cores?

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
Perhaps wire reinforcement for the sand cores?


This is EXACTLY what it is. Its amazing what you find in the cooling jackets, down along the bottom where the "freeze plugs" sit. ("Freeze plugs" are actually plugs in the holes where casting sand was flushed out after the block was completed the fact that they might pop out and save the block from damage if the coolant freezes is questionable at best, and a bonus if true at all).

 

[Scdevon]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Perhaps wire reinforcement for the sand cores?

("Freeze plugs" are actually plugs in the holes where casting sand was flushed out after the block was completed the fact that they might pop out and save the block from damage if the coolant freezes is questionable at best, and a bonus if true at all).



100% true. "Core Plugs" are what they really are. They were never intended to save your block from freezing and cracking. They are used to flush out new castings and that's all.
Once in a blue moon, they might save your block from a "soft freeze", but only if you get lucky.

That thing in the photo is a sand core wire used to mock up the block in a sand casting. It's totally harmless. You'd be amazed what is hanging around in the cooling jackets of some blocks.

 

[tomcat27]

thank you! it's good to know that this is not some "field fix" from Ford. I did find another oddity. notice the extra hole above the lifter bore? It appears jagged - and I initially thought a piece of my block had come out. nope, although it is not a smooth hole, it is a factory process to add more oiling for the distributor:

 

[andyd]

Granted,Dollars to doughnuts, marks to strudel. My BMWs cost 2X what the Ranger did. But incidents involving leaky gaskets, and heads cracking around the valve guides, casting cracking, shifter forks breaking etc. I'm horrified with the routine engine disasters with Ford engines. I hear about on the 2 Ranger forums. The 528e had maybe 50 $ worth of low level sensors for oil and coolant. If you kept those 2 lights off,the little I6 would run forever. I have yet to have the head off of any of the BMWs I've had over 20 yrs. Kept them in timing belts. Never anything else to fix outside the regular wear things.

 

[Scdevon]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Granted,Dollars to doughnuts, marks to strudel. My BMWs cost 2X what the Ranger did. But incidents involving leaky gaskets, and heads cracking around the valve guides, casting cracking, shifter forks breaking etc. I'm horrified with the routine engine disasters with Ford engines.


Ford's cast iron castings decades ago were top notch before the bean counters and weight saving engineers at Ford took over. 289, early 302 and early 351 Windsor blocks were particularly well done castings.