Core or freeze plugs??

SNobsessed wrote: I like Alan's Hurricane much better!

So do especially the 331!!!

Chris,
This isn't the boat. Just a picture of the 18' Sportsman I got off the net.



And a Chris/Hercules K:

I just got back from getting my neighbors 49 Chris Craft running. The start up earlier this year didn't go as planned after finding the two aft core plugs were missing! . I'd say that the block drain was blocked with sediment so there was still some water at the aft end. The engine is a flat head Hercules/Chris K and very common but can be problematic to drain. The aft drain plug in the block is tucked behind the RWP/distributor drive and not the easiest to get to. To make matters worse, someone installed one of the cheap radiator drain cocks that have the non removable stems in the engine block drain. So, in order to probe for sediment for a complete drain, the cock needs to be completely removed. Then go at the drain hole with a bent piece of wire.

Evidently the freeze up popping the plugs has happened before because I found one of the core plugs was the typical more modern cup type. This block has a shoulder in the core hole so a disk type (welsh) plug is used. I did find them at Napa along with all the tune up parts. I figured I might as well do a tune up while I was in there and Ken, no,I did not drop an EI module into the distributor!

Back to the core plugs, I can easily understand why they are referred to as "freeze" plugs. In this case, they did prevent the neighbors block from freeze damage. However, do understand that these old Hercules blocks were a big chunk of heavy cast iron typical of early engines plus the block had been partially drained.