Opinions on welding heads to fix cracks, good fix???
My 1957, 997 head (rare head) was magnafluxed and determined to have a crack in the water jackets. Attached is a photo of the head after it has been welded by someone that specializes in welding blocks, heads, etc since 1965. Soliciting opinions on whether this is a good fix or should I be concerned? Want to proceed with building the engine, but heard there may be some concerns regarding a welded head. What are the odds that I will have issues with the rebuilt engine with a welded head? Perhaps the area in which it was welded would help, so I have attached a couple photos showing where the weld was performed. There were 2 cracks, one between the water jacket holes and another extending above the central hole (smaller diameter hole) up through the center of the head. Any help would be much appreciated.
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Re: Opinions on welding heads to fix cracks, good fix???
Welding cast iron is very difficult but someone that has been doing it for 50 years and still has a good reputation probably knows what hes doing. there are people who will argue both ways on this topic. unless this car will be raced If this was my car i would use a good head gasket bolt the head on incrementally increasing the torque slowly and see how it runs. keep a close eye out for smoke white is water and blue is oil obviously. also make sure it doesnt overheat. compression test the cylinders to make sure they are in the ballpark. if all is within operational limits then use the head if something is off then you may have to find a new head obviously. -
Re: Opinions on welding heads to fix cracks, good fix???
John - It looks like the crack is between a head bolt hole and the water jacket? I fixed one set of heads on a small block that looked similar to this by boring the head bolt out and installing a "sleeve" to the correct OD and ID to seal all the way down. Press fit .002. But I was a machinist with a guide machine. Then I had the horizontal crack v'ed and welded. Final deal was to resurface, and then have the head pressure tested. It is dicey work these cracks because magna flux won't tell you everywhere in the jacket you have an issue - only those places you can see.
A good welder can do a lot provided he can get to the entire crack. This looks like a pretty good repair from what can be seen. It will be a problem if the crack goes into the water jacket or in an inaccessible place.... Make sure you pressure test the head before you it to make sure he got all of it - that will save a lot of headaches and time.
All the best -
PatComment
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Re: Opinions on welding heads to fix cracks, good fix???
I would not weld on cast iron since the heating process warps it and it must be re-machined in all critical areas.
I have had successful repairs made using the Lok-N-Stitch method, and that was INSIDE the combustion chambers.Comment
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Re: Opinions on welding heads to fix cracks, good fix???
I too have a small crack in BOTH of my 461X heads (exact same place). Had them "stiched" by a pro. Time will tell if they hopd up.Comment
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Re: Opinions on welding heads to fix cracks, good fix???
If this for just a trailer queen OK. But if you intend to drive it, no way would it go in my car. In fact I would not use it in a car I'm just doing for flight judging. I would rather take the points loss for wrong heads. IMHOComment
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