I was tapping my heater core fitting in the rear iron and....




Is that fixable? I don't plan on reverting back to using a heater so a permanent fix is welcome.

I've used JB Weld for worse situations and it worked wonders. I don't really have the ability nor the resources to actually do a repair weld either.

Anyone have any other ideas? If I have to replace the rear iron, I will. But I would LOVE not to.

Any ideas will be considered!!!

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

Find someone to weld it up for you.

 

Ouch, try to weld it.

 

How tight did you screw that in!?

 

I noticed the crack spreading as I was threading in the plug. It must have cracked while I was tapping it.

 

Guidelines for Welding Cast Iron

Cast iron is difficult to just weld. Read the article above.
I vote some good JB Weld will probably do it..

 

^ I read that article earlier and it scared me. hahaha

 

Ignore that article, these housings weld just fine fro my exp

I assume the drilled hole was a little too small?

 

Don't try an epoxy or jb weld. It might hold short term but heat cycling and expansion will have it's way with it. If you want to send it over to me I'll weld it up and guarantee it for the life of the iron. PM me if you're interested.

 

Take ten minutes total to prep and weld that. I repaired a front iron last week and it welded very easy with shielded wire feed.

 

Damn, that was my worst fear when I tapped mine, that side is super thin. At this point I would just try to get the entire hole welded up if possible.

 

Bloody shame... i hate when stuff like that happens. one step forward....2 steps back...

 

If you are ever in the Portland Oregon area I will buzz that up for you for free. Our shop doesn't typically weld for customers so I can fix a fellow rotorhead's iron off the books.

I konw it is a long shot, but I thought I would offer.

Oh and make that another vote for using a welder and not JB weld.

Edit: beautiful photography BTW

 

I agree, find someone who can weld it.

Welding cast iron is more tricky, because if you change the temperature abruptly, its prone to even more cracking, but if you slowly preheat the area, perform the weld, and slowly cool down the metal, it can be done relatively trouble free.

 

Getting the iron hot first is a must. Wrap it in rags or cool it in the oven when done. It will be fine if you take those steps.

 

I appreciate all the advice and offers to help guys. However, the motor was JUST rebuilt and I don't want to just yank the rear iron off to get it fixed.

I also don't really have the means to tote an assembled motor all over the place either lol.

After some further research, I think the JB Weld fix will work for the time being. I'll just have to monitor the area and see how it goes.

 

For people that might read this thread, it's a good idea to do any iron prep (milling, tapping, etc) before engine assembly.

 

^ Yea well you could say its a good idea to do "this" or "that" but realistically.... almost all Mistakes are preventable. In this case anyone could've made the same mistake. Not all Irons are 100% exactly the same as far as strength/casting etc. He could've done the same tap on a different Iron and been perfectly fine. Are yougoing to be pluggin the hole permanently? If so... This is how I'd do it.

- Take some sand paper to the AN fitting to make it just the SLIGHTEST bit smaller as far as width goes. Just focus on the threads. Shouldn't take much but you'll know when you've taken off some because it'll be raw alum color.

-Don't put any JB weld on the iron yet

-instead use JB weld on 75% of the Inner Most Threads of the AN fitting.

- Which means if the fitting is an Inch long... you'll only put JB weld on 3/4 of an inch of the fitting....leaving the furthest section of the AN fitting (the section that will go in the deapest into the motor) without JB weld on it. This will ensure nothing breaks off inside the motor over time. But you will still have sealed the Problem area.

-Don't Tighten it OOOBER tight..just a nice snug fit...otherwise you'll crack it more. Once you have that inserted wait for it to dry.

- Then Use jb weld to cover the crack from the outside...pushing the goop into the crack with a small wooden stir stick or similar.

 

Personally, I wouldn't use JB on that. I'm sure with a little asking/bribing, you can get some local help to get the engine to a machine shop to weld it up properly. Don't skimp as it can be a more painful/expensive problem to come back and haunt you later.

 

Only newbies use pipe plugs on these engines... Just saying!

 

A skilled welder can weld that up no problem. A buddy of mine in Norcal welds cast iron exhaust manifolds and none of them have failed on daily driven turbocharged cars.

 

C'mon now Lance... your the one who gave us newbs the how to on the tap and plug idea in the first place lol.

 

You will be supervised how many shops pipe tap that hole!!!! ..I want to puke every time but what can i do, change the world.. Fu...k that .. ..

But yea that rear plate can be fixed if you plan on just capping off the heater line.. Get in contact with a shop that can machine and fixes irons...

Thanks Chip U

 

so, what is the better alternative? welding it closed and machining it flat?

 

You could try putting some JB-Weld on it as it is, I'm confident that would work just fine. That stuff does miracles, really.

Spec.