matuva, here's some info you might find interesting. This is part of a post on a DTR BB. He repaired a 5.9 Cummins. You can find locknstitch on the web.
This is when I decided to research the cold method of repair. After many phone discussions and searches on the Internet, I felt that Locknstitch was the way to go. Locating a repair craftsman near Kansas City was the next adventure. I contacted the Locknstitch Company in California for help in finding a repair craftsman near Kansas City. I call them craftsman, because this is an art. They were able to locate a craftsman in our area. They referred me to Steve at KC Machine.
Steve at KC Machine was contacted. I phoned Steve and described the problem. He is mostly into industrial type repairs. I also sent him pictures of the problem. Pictures were off the forums. Steve said he was sure it could be done, . but since he is mostly into industrial type repairs, He referred me to a machinist 2 two hours from me. I made an appointment with John Bethel at the Carquest Machine Shop in Chillicothe, Missouri and arranged to have my wife follow me. We headed for Chillicothe, Missouri. Located Car Quest machine shop. John Bethel, expecting us, invited us in his office.
John Bethel has been doing LocknStitch repairs for 2 years. He explained most of what I had already read on the website. and confirmed that welding cast iron is not a good idea. He was excited and very enthusiastic about this product. You could tell that his confidence was abounding. He uses this for cracked blocks, and heads. Aluminum can also be done. He says Locknstitch also makes a great thread replacement product. John had never experienced the 53 problem, but after seeing it, had no reservations about doing the job. I left my truck knowing it was going to get the care it needed.
The key to the job was doing it in the frame. A task for the nimble to overcome this challenge, John rented a lift for a day from a garage down the street. Since we were working with roughly a ¼ inch of wall thickness he used Locknstitch’s smallest C-series stitching pin. . This pin contains the patented Spiralhook threads. Most pins spread the crack. This pin actually pulls the cast together when inserted. It also has a intricate sealing system. This is how he was able to do this without some sort of locking mechanism. The location created problems with using locks.
John’s only approach was from the bottom. The only item that needed removal was the heat exchanger from the automatic transmission. John needed to extract the coolant so it was below his working level. He still had very tight quarters to work in. He cleaned and magnaflux the area to determine exactly where the crack was. John then drilled holes about a pins width beyond the crack. This was to relieve any stress left on the block, and hopefully keep it from cracking further. Using a harden steel jig provided for this particular pin John then drilled every other hole. After that he tapped the holes with a special tap provided for these pins. John then countersunk the holes with another special tool so when the break-off torque was reached the pin would be flush with the block. He then repeated what he did to the existing crack to achieve an overlapping effect. This was done throughout the length of the crack. John then pressure checked the system to be sure he got it tight. He then grinded down, and painted the area. With a little road grime, a guy couldn’t even tell it happen.
Everybody wants to know the cost. John spent the greater part of a 10 hour day doing this. I ask him to take pictures, some of which did not focus correctly. I did not even ask John what his labor rate was. He just said it would be between $500 and $1000. That was good enough for me! He charged me $692.00. It all amounted to the lift, parts, and labor. As long as it worked I was happy with that.