[indigo66]

I bought a 460/C6 combo a few weeks back, and I've been kinda tinkering around on it. I noticed it had some of the rubber freeze plug inserts in the side on the block. I pulled one of them out, poked around in the water jacket, found 2 steel freeze plugs lying inside the hole. The steel plugs weren't rusted or damaged and obviously didn't pop out, so i don't really know why the rubber ones were put in. There are only 6 freeze plugs on a 460 block (not counting the cam plug or any internal ones), to date I have removed 8 steel plugs from the inside the block, 4 rubber plugs, and 2 of the factory steel ones are still installed. So, thats 14 freeze plugs and only 6 holes, lol. Bizzarre. Any ideas?

 

[pedal2themetal45]

I would think that would create a over heatting prob.. blocking the passage ways
Tim

 

[mustangboy]

Do they look bent?I'm wondering if someone was having a hard time trying to install them and was just pounding them right through.Then they just gave up and just put in the rubber style?You'd think they would have at least pulled the steel ones back out though!

 

[mikes82GT]

The machine shops sometimes don't remove them, pushing them into the block or they forget they didn't remove the plugs after hottanking the block. I used to work for a couple of machine shops and I found lots of freeze plugs just sitting inside the blocks. Sometimes its more convenient to pop them inside and leave them.

 

[indigo66]

I know its never been at a machine shop. I'm thinking somebody tried to replace them and couldn't get them driven in just right. I guess I'm gonna need to get the block checked for cracks, freeze plug issues always concern me. There was no thermostat either, guy was probably running straight water. On the other hand, its a 71 460, so it has 10.5:1 comp, and the car was driven up until a few years ago, I'm thinking maybe it was pinging real bad, so they tried to get it to run as cool as possible to minimize pinging. Doesn't explain the freeze plugs, unless the old ones rusted out from the straight water, but it could explain the lack of a thermostat. I haven't found any evidence of water and oil mixing, so hopefully its ok.

 

[351ciofgrunt]

Not everyone who works on engines knows what they're doing...

at least it sounds like you found them before you dropped the motor in your car

 

[mavman]

or....

something is wrong with teh block and it won't hold a freeze plug and someone just kept putting them in, thinking that they kept falling out (and ASSuming that they fell out & hit the ground). I have a friend that can't keep plugs in his 351w. Keeps pushing them out. We're going to have to pull it out & tap the holes & use screw in plugs.

 

[indigo66]

I had thought about that too. I'll see what the machine shop says.