I'm having fits getting my 3" drop in the rear work with the Hotchkis anti-sway and Mag-Hytec diff cover.
So, I'm looking at grinding away some of the diff cover. What I'm thinking is a cutout for the bar, with a half-piece of aluminum tube welded from the inside (I'm pretty sure that I will grind through the cover to get enough clearance). Will welding work with sand-cast aluminum?
This is a last resort -- I have ground away the frame flanges and made 1/2" spacers to raise the bar off the axle. No luck.
And changing covers is not an option. I like the dipstick, large fluid capacity, and pre-drilled temp sender on the Mag-Hytec. Also, I'm getting ready to install a diff cooler, and the Mag-Hytec has ideal locations for the additional temp sensor and fluid outlet (drill and tap w/90 degree 8-AN).
you can not weld casted Al. when Al is casted it preserves a certain hardness and ridgidity. if you try to weld it, it will pretty much just melt in your hands. you are going to have to try something else.
Originally posted by zbornac aluminum welding is just about as hard as it gets. i wouldnt even attempt it without a good tig welder and plenty of hours behind the gun.
-Kimball
Bingo.
Find a good Tig Welder in the area and have him(or her) do it.
Just so I'm clear, I am not talking about doing it myself. As Vinnie noted, there should be no shortage of qualified facilties here in SoCal -- assuming that it can be done in the first place.
Interesting find on the Web. There appear to be several products that apply with low heat, like a propane torch. I guess it's like high-strength solder.
This might be the ticket. The cover is not structural. Hell, I even thought about using JB Weld.
So I'm thinking -- take an aluminum tube, cut the right section, make an inverse grind on the cover, lay the tube on the inside, Durafix the outside of the tube to the cover, then use Durafix or solder to clean up the outside joint, grind/sand, and repaint.
Opinions?
This is what the inside looks like:
Last edited by Tim Skelton; 05-09-2004 at 10:39 PM.
Tim
You can weld cast aluminum and you should be able to find someone in the phone book to do it for you.
I've had my best luck talking to guys at the track, I have found some really talented peaple that way and they don't advertise because they don't have to.
Dale
PS The inside of my intake manifold has more weld in it than I care to talk about ....oh and my upper manifold and and
I've welded that sand cast crap. Trick is to turn the tig up pretty hot, 110 or so, and keep glooping the filler in. It will finally puddle, and can be welded. It seems like you have to almost re-alloy the base metal with the welder to get it to kick. It requires alot of grinding and shaping after you are done, but like I said. It can be done, I have welded sand cast stuff before.
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Be careful welding aluminum. Some alloys can not be properly be welded, some can be welded quite well. Alloys like 2014,2024 or any other 20xx or 70xx series can't be welded. You can weld them and it will actually look like a good weld but due to the different melting temps of the alloys you will end up with clumps of copper and clumps of aluminum. This will make the piece very weak and will break under any real type of load. Converlsy 50xx and 60xx series weld quite nicely. Also consider the heat treatment on that piece, when you weld or place extreme heat on one spot you will change the heat treating and will make one part of the diff housing weaker. Pieces like an intake manifold can be welded because they really don't carry much of a load. The durafix solution might not work. I have used similar types of propane welding with mixed results. There have peen times where I attempted to repair my aluminum boat and could not get the aluminum hot enough to accept the repair. The heat was being transfered across the hull faster that the torch could deliver the heat. The end result was an empty propane cylinder and a still broken boat. Also bear in mind that you will need to take the aluminum to near melting temp to accomplish this ~900°F (aluminum melts at ~1100°F). This will negate all heat treatment in that area.
I would recomend a structural type adhesive like 3M's DP110. This stuff is like JB Weld on a lot of steroids.
I attempted to squeeze several years of Engineering Classes into a paragraph so if you have more question I will try to answer them.
Tim, yes cast aluminum can be welded! not a big deal! have repaired many MC engine casings in the past.
Scott
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Last edited by Scott Dunn; 05-10-2004 at 12:19 AM.
Bring to me ill weld it for you. Im welding on 2205 alloy at work, with heli-arc.
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