Oh sorry stedbedford i thought you were describing the crack width but now i understand it was the length....cheers
to be honest though i think this has just been a case of learning the hard way i am afraid stedbedford i dont think youve probably got any come back on this....forget about it and move on
i once bought a nearly new Calibra turbo (many many years ago) and the very first journey i drove it on (about 300 miles) the rear diff started singing louder than the radio , the head went and it started mixing oil and water (like an endless supply of choc milkshake) then it finaly stopped when the transfer box blew lots of oil out the bottom and it sounded like an industrial lathe
i wasnt happy but nothing i could do but fix it my self and flog it to a man that rolled it 3 times ( best place for it!)
see it could be worse
cheer up