| Author |
Message |
    
searcher
Member
Username: searcher
Post Number: 4
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 04:02 pm: | 
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I purchased an old marine engine that is in a sorry state of repair. If the engine was not of local manufacture and therefore unusual, it would not be worth the time and effort to restore it.
One casting has a broken bolt flange. The metal is thinner there than on any other engine I have ever seen. The iron also seems brittle. The timing mechanism uses a 6" dia. spoked gear and one of the spokes is cracked. Again, the casting is delicate and the iron brittle.
The local welders advise leaving well enough alone. However, I do want to hear this engine 'pop' once again. Is it best to weld or brase or leave well enough alone or is there some other technique available to mend these breaks? Is there some particular individual out there members of this discussion board recommend to repair such thin and weak castings? |
eddie
Advanced Member
Username: eddie
Post Number: 34
Registered: 04-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 07:15 pm: |
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It would seem to me that you could drill into the crack in the spoke and fill it again with weld. That can stop the crack and prevent the spoke from breaking off completely. The broken flange might be welded and extra material welded on to beef it up. Welders vary in their ability, skill and familiarity with various situations. Some welders relish the challenge of a situation that others might not touch.
Eddie |
searcher
Member
Username: searcher
Post Number: 5
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 09:20 pm: |
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Thanks for responding. The more ideas I can glean the more likely I will get the repairs done right the first time and minimize the chance of creating worse problems. This is a fairly new hobby for me so I have a lot to learn.
Thanks again. |
miro
Senior Member
Username: miro
Post Number: 162
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 07:18 am: |
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If you look at some of the other postings - you'l see some discussion about repairing cast iron - and you'll likely conclude that it is NOT a simple or easy thing to do. Pre-heating and slow cooling are the tricks and even then - if the engine has been salt water cooled - you may be out of luck anyway. The lock and stitch technique seems to be most efective for cracks and you do about a 1/4 in at a time - so patience and persistence is mandatory
Any pictures available? |
rholcomb
Member
Username: rholcomb
Post Number: 4
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 12:07 pm: |
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Here is a site from lock stitch that describes this issue fairly well
http://www.locknstitch.com/CastIronWelding.htm |
searcher
Member
Username: searcher
Post Number: 7
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 02:31 pm: |
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Thanks to both Miro and Rholcomb for their responses. I have perused some of the postings on cast iron repair which is why I am so 'gun shy' about having these two pieces repaired. The iron is of poor quality, thin, and somewhat brittle (even for cast iron). I will post some photos of the engine in a day or two as soon as I can figure out how to do so.
The Locknstitch site is great. I downloaded virtually everything from that site to reread in more detail later. Thanks. Hugh |
