350 Block question

[buffblazer]

ok i got a weird question i bought a 69-79 gen 350 block and on the driver side of the block near the rear almost directly above the water jacket there is a hole going into the block. it would be the flat part of the block that the head bolts to, i have the head on and its right on the edge of the block next to the head and the edge of the block. its a threaded hole that goes deep but i cant see if it goes into the crankcase. my 86 block does not have this hole. does anyone know what it is? and if i made any sense at all? i will try and post a pic if i can find the diggy camera. but any help until then would be great.

 

[POWERMAD]

Most likely that is for a manual clutch. It's where the pivot ball threads in.

 

[pauly383]

Yup , for clutch , the 86 had hydro clutch , so it wasn't needed ....

...... although it seems weird they wouldn't have the clutch ball hole on a later block , when they still had the damn from mount holes for 55-57 motor mounts well into the 90's

 

[buffblazer]

can anyone post a pic for me just to verify thats what im seeing. and am i gonna need to plug it off or does it not go all the way to the crankcase?

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

you don't need to plug it, doesn't go into the crankcase

 

[4X4HIGH]

Sounds like you're describing the hole for the dipstick. It's possible that someone has threaded that hole and plugged it at some point and used a different source for a dipstick. This would be the only hole visible on the deck surface of the block with the head on.

 

[wasted wages]

You talking about the hole at the very bottom of the deck between the last two cylinders ?? right ?

dipstick tube.....

 

[4X4HIGH]

Just to verify, this is the hole we're talking about circled in red.

 

[wasted wages]

That's the one !!

 

[buffblazer]

ahhh yep thats exactly the hole im talking about, i forgot that the older motors had the dipstick on the driver side and my 86 has it on the passenger side. sweet that makes my headache go away. i was in the middle of painting it, and i was like "what the heck is this hole for