VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc 28 cast head crack. Welding options?

I have a 28 head wi multiple cracks between the water jacket and exterior surface. I am having it and the block dipped in a vat to remove the rust and am exploring options on welding. The guys dipping it for me think they can weld it with a modern cast welding rod. Do any of you have experience with this type of repair good or bad? Would brazing be a better option to avoid introducing new stress into the casting?

28 heads are not that hard to find. I once had 13 and now am down to 8 if I remember correctly. 2 are at a friends machine shop to be cleaned and checked. Austin is not too far from Freeport so one of them might be an option. 28 do not crack as frequently and the earlier ones.

Welding that crack might be an option as there is very little if any pressure behind it but I would not try to weld in the combustion chamber or ports.
Tony

I had the same problem with my 1926 head. I was able to find a machine shop in Safford VA. They sliced the top of the head off, fixed the cracks and re-casted the top. After that, they applied an epoxy coating through out the water jacket. The head looked like new when I got it back. https://www.therestorationshoponline.com/

It may be a good candidate for metal stitching. Lots of interesting threads on the process over on the AACA site;

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/314044-cylinder-head/?tab=comments#comment-1774513

Dave

The website is impressive. Just wonder how many wheelbarrows did it take to tote the $$$? Saving a casting made from Nonavailableium can be well worth it.

Thanks for the information guys. Being 28 only I thought they would be harder to find. The gentleman I am doing this work for has already found a replacement from his friend.

Frank Casey here in MA stitched a 35’ block for me. It was weeping water below #5 cylinder and frank found two other areas that were cracked. He charged $225 to stitch about 6-8” total of the block! Extremely cheap in my book.

Best repair for grey cast iron for this application is oxy/acetylene welding IMHO. There aren't a ton of shops that will/are set up to do it however, it will give you the best repair, particularly if it is within the combustion chamber. I had several cracks in my head within the combustion chamber that were repaired this way and have yet to have any issues.

Ideally, they will grind/prep all of the cracks after magnefluxing the casting, heat it up in an industrial furnace, make the welds and place it back into the furnace to SLOWLY cool down to minimize internal stresses and prevent additional crack formation.

Some of the other methods explained can make a good repair, particularly if the cracks are not in high stress areas but if it's in the combustion chamber, I would personally have it O/A fusion welded the old fashioned way. I'm not familiar with any shops near Austin, the shop I had my head repaired at is located in Nevada, IA:

http://www.midwestcylinderhead.com/


-Tyler