Welding steel to cast iron head?

I wouldn't heat it on a dare! Bolts? Blind rivets? Marine-Tex---good s*it Maynard!

The guy delivered the rebuilt Ranger 3.0 cast iron head the other day and my mechanic started to install it..and noticed that on one of the rocker towers..something had been broken off..evidently long ago. The rebuilder claims he wouldnt have rebuilt the head "If it was busted when I got it"..but frankly...its an old break. Nothing clean and new looking about it.

It forms one side of a "groove" in the top of the casting that holds one of the rockers in place and keeps it lined up.....sorta like this:

_ _ _ l l-------l l but looks like this l l------l\

The head is finished but for that. So I stuck it in the mill and cleaned up the busted side and cut a .187 x .75 flat that I can weld a bit of steel to. It only keeps the rocker from spinning away from the valve. One side of a deep "groove" with a bolt hole in the middle of it to hold the rocker bolt.

What is the prefered way to attach that bit of steel to the side of a cast iron head? Braze? High Nickle silver solder? Tig with stainless? ???

The piece that I have to attach is .187 x .75 x 75.

I do have some 3/32 dowel pins I could install and then braze/weld/whatever the "plate" to the cast iron head, but I rather think its over doing it. It only keeps the rocker from turning away from the valve.

Any suggestions? Ive made the "plate", Ive milled the flat, filed everything to fit perfectly...I just need to know the suggested best way to attach it to the cast iron head.

Thanks for the advise

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

I think that should have been "If I noticed that it was busted when I got it", or perhaps "If I cared to notice that it was busted when I got it".

I thought the normal prescription was to weld with nickel rod -- but then, that's after you strip the thing down to nothing.

Is there any way to bolt something on, and sidestep the need to braze/weld/solder? That'd certainly be the least risk.

I'd do it with JB weld on a bet -- but only if I were betting against the JB weld, and the payoff would fund the work of fixing it when it broke.

How about a threaded hole and a bolt.

Here are pictures of my problem child.

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

Maybe instead of trying to weld the head, you could find a way to attach the plate to the lifter instead. You didn't say what it's made of, but fsking up the lifter would be way cheaper to fix than fsking up the rebuilt head.

Check the photos I just posted...

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

Bob La Londe wrote: How about a threaded hole and a bolt.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I say "amen" to Bob's suggestion, AFTER looking at the pictures carefully. What is depicted that argues against his idea?

The hole in the center of the "tower" and the fact the valve cover nearly touches the sides of the "towers"?

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

Unfortunately..thats not an option, based on how it all works. But thanks!

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

Yup. You could use a countersunk screw, but there's not much meat there to thread a fastener into. You could do something like #4 screws (countersunk, of course) into the sides -- but I only suggest that because I have a master's degree in engineering, not because it actually has a chance of working.

Glue & screw may actually work -- I've seen screws + epoxy do amazing jobs. After you ruin ten prototypes, of course, but who counts?

Oh I know! Put it on with a #10 countersunk screw and JB Weld. Go ahead and go all the way into the stud hole. Then clean up the stud hole with a milling cutter followed by a tap. Do y'think that'll get me my consultant's fee?

Y'know Gunner, if you'd have just paid the guy to do the whole job he would have found some wonky way to install the lifter, then he'd have glued the valve cover on so you'd never have to experience the pain of seeing it.

Gunner Asch fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

But Gunner, you said the valve cover almost touches the guide towers. It IS an option to attach the guide to the valve cover, instead of to the head. Mmmmm???

LLoyd

Preheat with a big rosebud (or oven) and tig with stainless

Tigging with stainless actually would make a better job if you had a peice of cast to make the repair with, but this is not a terribly high load application. I'd have been tempted to just build up the damaged area with Stainless rod and grind it to fit, myself.

Looking at the picture, Brazing would work fine - but why not just drill, tap, and fasten with a couple small screws? Permanent loctite and bob's your mother's brother.

What's that Lassie? You say that Gunner Asch fell down the old sci.engr.joining.welding mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:44:03 -0700:

I think I would braze it. But that would mean striping it down to pre-heat the casting. If you go this route, I recommend wetting out the brazing on both mating surfaces first, then clamp lightly together, cool slowly.

Gunner, if you don't feel that welding the insert to the valve cover is feasible, then how about this? Fabricate and weld a holding device to the valve cover, keeping the insert in place. IOW, the little repair piece can't fall out unless the valve cover is removed. Just remember that it's there next time you adjust the valves, so you don't lose it.

The idea of disassembling the head and preheating it for brazing sounds like a BIG PITA.

Well, Bob 'was' one of her brothers. ;-)