Second 396 I went to look at that had a weld by the starter hole.. is that a weakness for the block? Is there a way to fix it? How serious Is it?

 

Do you have a picture? It might not be a huge deal, it depends. Is it at the mount area that hangs out past the block? That part can break if the block gets set down hard on it while out of the car.
They normally don't tend to crack out of the clear blue while in the car though.

 

Yep that's the spot on both motors I looked at right where the outside bolt is

 

Could be from the torque of the starter yanking on it, if say the bolts were loose. Was it cracked right through the center threaded area?

 

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I looked in the hole with a light and could see the creak run up the bolt hole there was a weld on the front and side of the hole not sure how it would hold up