I finally got the motor out of my Formula and got it mostly stripped down.
The only issue was that the ground bolt, which attaches on the passenger side above the starter, was stuck. It would rotate some and then just stop.
I sprayed it and soaked it and tried to undo it by hand. As I worked it back and forth, it started loosening up and unscrewing more every time. Until all of a sudden, I heard a little crack and it got easier. The boss that projects up from the block had cracked. The bolt came out but the threads were F'd up beyond belief. I don't know what the hell happened to it in order to end up like that. Must have been majorly cross-threaded.
My question is, Is the block still ok? The hole doesn't go into any water or oil passages and it just used to hold the ground strap from the battery to the block. I figure when I swap the motor into the GTA I can just find another place to attach the ground, such as the old AC bracket mount holes since they will not be getting used. BUT what do I do with the cracked hole? I'm thinking I should clean it and have it welded up as to prevent any spreading of the crack to anything important. Or should I just grind down the boss and be done with it and eliminate any sharp edges where a crack could start? Should I get a new block? OR an I really too concerned with something that ultimately doesn't matter?
I'll post actual pictures tomorrow.
But here is one pic I found online and pointed out the boss that's cracked and about where it is cracked..
