CJ, I went thru no less than four heads (3835517) before I found one that was not cracked. Ended up spending several hundred dollars shipping and chasing. That was several years ago so I can't imagine that they would be any more available today. Head are repaired in the trucking industry on a regular basis. But you need to find a shop that knows what they are doing. The casting has to be soaked before any welding is performed then they control the cool down very closely then it is heat treated to relieve the welding stress. After all that you end up with a head that is as good as new.
I'm not a big fan of stitching a crack. Stitching is more akin to soldering or brazing because it really doesn't join the crack, it just fills it in. A properly welded repair flows the metal back together with compatible filler added for strength. Also any weld bead leaves the repair or joint in a cast state just as the original casing was.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
Last edited by Denny Graham; 10/14/2010 4:56 PM.
