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| | | | Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 13 New Guy | | New Guy Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 13 | Crying out loud!!
I am told that my head has a crack in the water jacket area, and that it can be pinned or tungsten welded but is hard to do. Is it worth it, or is it a band-aid on a mortal wound, kinda thing? Any help or good suggestions would be a hugh help to me. Thanks all!
CJBChevy53
It's funny, never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.
Standing in a church does't make one a christian anymore than having a truck in a garage make it a 53 chevy.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 9,671 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 9,671 | 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.
Denny G
Sandwich, IL
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 13 New Guy | | New Guy Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 13 | Hey Denny, thanks for the input, kinda how I felt too. Can't really make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Will be looking for a "good welder" then. I really am a stickler on perfection and won't do a half hearted job. Maybe that's asking too much, but after all someone's gotta love it as much as I do, right? All the best to you and thanks so much for your insight.
Best, CJ
It's funny, never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.
Standing in a church does't make one a christian anymore than having a truck in a garage make it a 53 chevy.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2008 Posts: 465 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Nov 2008 Posts: 465 | I had some stitching done on my block water jacket.
Because it is low pressure,and welding may cause other problems ,I chose this method.
The guy who did the work was an artist.
Denny is correct about the methods,but I was concerned with welding shrinkage and warpage.
just my experience
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 13 New Guy | | New Guy Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 13 | Thanks for the input, I appreciate it very much.
It's funny, never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.
Standing in a church does't make one a christian anymore than having a truck in a garage make it a 53 chevy.
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,923 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,923 | Water jacket into what? Into the intake port is low pressure, exhaust port is more but still low. Into the chamber is 700 psi, much more critical. | | |
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