New engine for the family truckster!

[njsteve]

And now for the bad news...these block were notorious for developing cracks in the main web area emanating from the main bearing cap bolt holes and the sharp transition where it was machined for the mating surface with the main cap. A lot of guys consider this normal and rebuild the blocks using some type of main web girdle.

So it looks like my gamble paid off of buying a new AM/GEP engine off the assembly line instead of waiting to see if my engine was rebuildable. You can't buy the AM/GEP block outright (despite the many chinese knockoffs being advertised on ebay and elsewhere as "AM/GEP updated blocks"). The only way to get it is to buy a brand new engine off the assembly line or buy a used HUMVEE takeout from a military salvager - which you would then have to take apart anyway to verify its condition..

The easy way to find the cracks is to spray the area with brake clean and then have a camera ready as you observe it evaporate. The crack will weep oil out at the last phase of evaporation and be visible for several seconds.