Freeze plugs

Which freeze plugs do you guys prefer,steel or brass.I need to order a set and had 2nd thoughts.I have used brass with good luck

Brass.

Brass. No rust

Just as I thought,now if Todd would answer the phone,,,,,,,,,,,,

Todd is slackin,took him 18 minutes to call me,,,,,,,LMOL!!
Thanks http://www.mopartsracing.com/tmc/ for being one of the best vendors for MOPAR addics like,,,,,,,,us!

They both work well installed correctly
If it is a race only motor or some other motor like in a boat with no antifreeze brass only

I had a steelie rot out on me!

Gimme gimme gimme, has to better than mine.

I use the brass deep cup plugs.

Brass with a little smear of Permatex form-a gasket (full cure version) wiped in the hole first. Had bad luck with ones installed dry weeping when it gets really cold outside (below freezing for weeks). On a garaged race car that shouldn't be an issue.

Only a little over 2 weeks till carlisle.....

I think the steel grabs a bit tighter tho many people have used brass with no issues and the wide steel ones are slightly harder to come by. I would use Permatex #1 cement in the toothpaste like tube & drive em in with a socket on the perimeter rim as opposed to deep down inside.

I used brass first go around and no issues. On freshen the builder recommended and installed steel with the idea they have more strength and less chance of popping out.

I run good anti-freeze so either should last a really long time.

I had a steel one blow out during a pass,it was an interesting ride

Todd had the Milodon brass set in stock and mailed yesterday.Should have the shortblock done in a few days. Paint is dry!

Dorman used to make some really slick copper ones with an acorn nut in the middle. You would tighten the nut to expand the plug.

Brass all the way...won't rust out

They still do and the really come in handy at times.



http://www.dormanproducts.com/c-353-expansion-plugs-quick-seal-copper.aspx

I want to seal the cam plug so I think I will use some high tack red,should work?

One of the members turned me on to Indian Head gasket shellac compound so I bought two bottles from Advance Auto and really like it

I take that back as it says Napa on the bottle and is made by Permatex.

Yep.. I use them a lot.. I usually have 6-
8 on hand

Through the years the core holes have either been a problem or were imagined to be a problem. People have threaded them, put in core plugs with pins holding them, used the expanding type, staked, and probably a dozen other methods to block those holes.

The cup plug is most common. Let's imagine a 1 5/8" cup plug with 19 psi behind it. 39.4 lb is trying to push it out.

What's holding it in? Friction. The plug expands into the hole. The force is the modulus of elasticity times the percentage amount the plug is compressed while in the hole. The friction coefficient between plug and block is the other factor.

The friction between brass and cast iron is quite close to friction between zinc and cast iron. I use zinc because the steel plug is galvanized, coated with zinc.
The force that the plug exerts on the hole is about half for the brass than for the steel, if both materials are the same thickness and the same percentage deformed. That's because the spring constant for steel is about twice that of brass.

So steel might win if the safety factor was around two. If safety factor is about four or five, either would provide service equally well.

The one unknown is how whatever we put between plug and block affects the friction coefficient. I have to believe that Hi-Tack or a thick coat of paint would allow slippage faster than no coating at all. There are compounds that harden completely, like one form of Permatex and Indian Head shellac. I have used The Right Stuff on cup plugs when I had a little left over. When deprived of oxygen, it sets.

In the long run we know that steel plugs will rust after 15 or so years and that brass ones don't. We know that steel plugs should be in there a little tighter than brass, but does it matter? We know that engines asked to produce vast amounts of power will deform under load, so plugs are more likely to come out.

There seems to be no definite right answer, so I guess you use what has worked for you in the past. I really hate this answer but a better one escapes me.

R.

If it says NAPA on the bottle you bought it at NAPA.

If it doesn't say NAPA then you bought it at any other parts store. Advance, OReilly, Autozone, etc. It's sold everywhere.

R.

That is exactly why I reposted that it said NAPA on the bottle. Sorry I didn't rewrite the whole post stating that I didn't buy it from Advance Auto but instead I bought it at NAPA. Sorry but I thought you would figure that out. Next time I will stop working in the shop to spell things out more better. LOL. Now back to building a transmission.