In <33E20F64.85326250@utk.edu>, J. Adrian Barnes wrote:
>What has been the group's experiences with repairing cracked heads?
>Someone recommended a process to me where the head is put in a furnace
>for a few days, then the crack is essentially ground into and re-welded,
>instead of drilled and plugged. They said this would make it as good as
>new, and since the stress to the head had been relieved, it would be in
>better shape than a new head and wouldn't crack as readily.
The process is as you describe and the outcome is generally pretty
good. Cold repair (drilling and plugging) is good for water jackets,
but adds little strength to the head. Cast iron _cannot_ be properly
welded unless the whole piece is brought nearly to welding
temperature. In a sense, the repaired area is re-cast. A good
approach, but not cheap.
A. B. Bonds
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