318 poly hairline cracks

[Guyman]

Just pulled my 318 poly out of my '59 sport fury and noticed a repair already on the center upper water passage on the head mounting surface., and looked at the other side and same thing., two small hairline cracks that have not been repaired yet...so was wondering if this was common on these motors or it just happened on this block. The repair looks good on the one side but the other side needs repaired., it's a standard bore block so was wondering if I should fix it or try and find another block to work with.

How hard is it to find another 59 poly block? Are they fairly common?

Thanks., Guyman

[rogerh]

I would say the damage is not common at all. Sorry for your troubles!
The availability of 1959 318 engine blocks is not predictable. I don't have the production numbers in front of me, but it was quite large.
I would expect you can find a 318 block with a bit of effort.
If you aren't too far from Sacramento, CA, you will find the greatest number of 318s at Big M Auto Salvage,some 30 miles north, in Williams, CA.
Another source for '59 parts is the walter p Chrysler Club. This source is less convenient, due to the delay in their monthly publishing...
I'm no expert...perhaps a bird in hand is worth two in the bush...can your engine be fixed reliably?

[Guyman]

Thanks for the info...I was just at big m a few weeks ago, will see if john has something in decent shape. Thanks, guyman