That’s funny. I spotted that, have the same tv tray somewhere and am always dragging out the bench grinder and temporarily attaching it. Figured it was friggen genius, lol.
Welders sometimes amaze me. I took a Harley mirror that broke off from vibration and what the welder did was tack it together, then he took a grinder to the other side of it to remove the apparently questionable metal (since it broke from vibration) and then filled in that side with welding rod. Then he ground out the other side that was tacked and replaced the original metal with welding to make for a better mirror stem in that area. I was impressed by that. Then I took it home and did some cosmetic grinding, just a little. Good enough for me. He only wanted $10.00 because I helped him move some heavy stuff in his shop. Small town welders are the place to go, for me.
That is a known technique, not to remove questionable metal, but to get 100% welding free of inclusions on a small piece that has a specific shape that must be reproduced.
I'm a pro welder. A freind bought one of those machines and asked me to try it. For the price I was impressed. This equipment can get the average guy in the game.
When it comes to these kinds of repairs, I remind myself "It's already broken, so I can't really make it worse." Then I usually fix it without problem.
Thing is when I was a teen and tried to do a fix that was unorthodox, it never worked! But in my early 20's I had loads of cash and several cars that all ran perfect I would try stuff like this on my broken cars and it worked and lasted tens of thousands of miles and never an issue..So moral of the story,if youre broke it wont work,if you have money it will work..Thats what happens to me,so since 21 I always had cash reserves and lots of it..
As a professional welder/ manual machinist I approve and appreciate this message I can use this at home and save time, and money. Your not charging someone premium price for the job, if it works and you like it, I love it
I once had to reattach an ear on a Meyers water pump housing that had frozen and broken off one of the four ears that held it to the impellor chamber. I made an 'oven' out of cinder blocks and used a space heater to cook the housing and attached impellor base. Once it was hot, I brazed the ear back on with flux-coated brazing rod and let the assembly cool slowly. As far as I know it is still pumping water. Big difference with Tony's repair is that the pump never sees temperature cycling, only 0-60psi pressure. Tony, you are my inspiration; I went out and bought a Harbor Freight flux core welder and the same welders helmet you got, and will be using them to shoehorn a 1975 Plymouth Duster 360/727 into a 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible (differential to be determined later...). Love the channel, man!
Made me think back to the days when one used to be able to buy Tex Smith's Hot Rod Mechanix magazine, where in one issue I recall them showing step-by-step pics along with diologue on how to properly locate and weld a cracked flathead block along with many other useful tips and tricks...
Been there ,done that ,it worked for years and years,the pro welders in my family said it wouldn't work and I have to preheat and post heat ,etc... I cleaned it up and welded it shut.. It's metal..I melted it together and moved on 😂
Yeah a lot of welders have big egos and think they always know more and are better at welding than everyone else. My grandpa was a pipefitter and said I could weld to copper well 12 year old me didn't care and welded a copper pipe to a steel pipe to make an exhaust tip for my dirt bike and it worked 😂.
@@alexlandsberger1423 so dont need to study welding so , just do yourself. everbody do it not everthing last you acn enter in russia, problem is get out alive
I used my cheapy, harbor freight flux core welder to weld my exhaust manifold back together. I broke an ear off. I have no doubt it's fixed. Good info.
Years ago I would take a broken or cracked exhaust manifold to the local blacksmith in my neighborhood but now I can t because he passed away last year at the age of 89 but he was still welding and using his forge making fireplace utensils and other things when he was 88 years of age and I use to enjoy watching him make things, now his son is doing blacksmithing but I haven't taken anything out to him yet but I'm sure that time will come!!!!!!
A blacksmith is the perfect person to weld cast iron. I was certified before my heart failed me but I spent a lot of time at a blacksmith shop when I was a kid in the 70s. That guy knew more about metal than I had to learn to get certified. Some old woman would bring him a plant stand or her favorite spoon that broke. Farmers would bring him a cracked head or a broken bearing housing. People didn't just throw stuff away back then they wanted their stuff fixed. My dad did upholstery and I welded seat spring for him here and there if they were odd ones. I don't think they ever broke but welding springs is kind of a no no.
@@williamrosenow6176 Blacksmithing is a dying art, I'm glad the Blacksmith that passed away that his son is taking it over and he is very good just like his Dad and his Grandfather who was still doing things up until he died at the age of 95!!!!
I'm not going to tell you that weld won't hold, but for just a little more effort you could've had a genuinely strong weld: Pre-heat Post-heat Stick welder with nickel rods
I'm not a pro welder, but I welding is part of my job repairing machines. Sometimes I weld a few times a month; sometimes once every couple months. Just depends on what breaks. A kid fresh out of welding school taught me to weld cast by pre-heating, stick welding with nickel rods, then letting the part cool under a few layers of fiberglass welding blankets. So, almost the same as you. I've only had these welds break when they were put under unusual stress, IE another part breaking and transferring the load to the welded part. I don't know enough to say Tony's weld won't hold. I hope it does. But I was surprised as hell to see him welding cast with a wire welder. I've had nothing but bad luck when I tried it, but I was MIG welding; not flux core. I may try it just for the helluvit.
My two cents. Just a little pinging (not pounding) with a slag chipper will help the steel molecules get to know each other as they cool. Sometimes this will head off that dreaded "bink" that proceeds a crack.
Quality content here. It's amazing what a simple.flux core might can fix. I just did some body work repairing floor pans and rocker panels using techniques you showed on Slaghammer.
My new mantra " I'm not a welder , welders are professionals that will do it the way it's supposed to be done .....I'm just gonna fix it so it works . Personally , not being a welder , I've had the need to make two pieces of steel stick together . I've been successful maybe 75% of the time . If it was something critical and safety was the prime consideration....I paid the pro . Although I love the look of a perfectly laid down bead , it isn't always required . good work Unc !
I’ve had mixed results welding cast iron. I’m frankly shocked this didn’t crack in a million places considering it was welded with an unknown filler presumably a mild steel filler, wasn’t preheated or slow cooled by burying it in sand. I’ve had the best luck so far brazing cast iron with a silicon or aluminum bronze filler wire, rather then welding it.
Other YT welders say use "NICKLE" rod , either "STICK" or "TIG" for filler also to place piece, in a "BARBY GRILL " to heat to ; 300 F. & after welding re-heat in grill & let cool slowly for "STRESS" relief.
Perfect statement Tony just gonna fix it so it works. That's all That needs to be done and it's your car so there's no expectations I do the same stuff. if it is on a customer's cars and I Let them know up front hey it's either gonna work or it's not. You might want to source a used known good one Either for now or for later Your choice. But this is a perfect example of Being an actual mechanic the definition of is to fix and repair mechanical equipment. Not necessarily just replaced parts.
@uncletony: Fascinating. I was always taught you should not try to weld cast iron with steel rod or wire. Preheat and use a high nickel alloy rod or wire. Braze is also acceptable. Your hot rod ingenuity seems to prove the experts are not always completely correct. Thanks for sharing.
I've have better luck brazing cast iron vs welding, but hey; whatever works! Those little Hobo Freight welders are great. Especially for the youngsters just starting out with barely any money. Since flux core tends to be hotter than MIG, it's a better choice for cast iron. But I'm a Tin Bender, not a welder so do the research. Thanks U.T.!
Tony has the same grinder safety shield I do--and his is about as old as mine. Excellent job, sir, but I m still in shock about the amazing job you did straightening the quarter panel on tat 67 Charger!
Nice! Oh the knee-jerk reactions from "welders" lol. Got one at work that claims you cannot weld steel to cast iron. I threatened to show him the slant 6 CI intake with sheet steel welded to it to make it a 4bbl - with a stick welder from over 30years ago!
The bead you laid was cold. Instead of sinking into the surrounding metal, it stayed bubble shape, leaving the boundary layer between the bead and the metal very shallow. This, with the tension that bubble creates, creates cracks. The bead and the cast iron are two different types of metal, they act upon temp changes differently. The flux core itself is not the problem. Only problem with that is the light it emits, eye destroying brightness. If you'd heated up the parent metal and cranked up the amps just a tad, the bead would've sunk into the manifold further, creating a stronger bond. Next thing you need is a ball or a pin hammer. You need to hammer that hot bead to release the tension it creates when it cools and shrinks. This procedure remains the same, were you using MIG, TIG, Flux core, stick or gas brazing. Hot and clean pieces, hot weld and hammer to release the tension. If you lay down multiple passes, remember to clean the area in between beads. Not absolutely necessary, but makes you look like a pro. For cleaning use brass brush spinny disc, stainless wire brush leaves carbon behind, making your bead hard and brittle. To avoid new cracks from forming, let the piece cool down slowly. A real party trick would've been JB weld/ similar thick metal epoxy. Perfectly fine for light use naturally aspirated manifold.
I have one of those fold-out plastic tables in my shop for extra table space you should see mine it has ben Melted cut ground caught on fire grinding marks spay paint all over it its a beautiful thing. In eye of the unfolder.
Someone else probably already commented on this , (lmao buttt ) I would have sat at a bench with a dremel to make the valleys , heat it up with map gas the best you can , run your beads reheating as you go an use a blanket to slow the cooling , want it to cool as slow as possible , unbolt it , turn it over , reheat with map , run your beads ,cool slow as you can , ink an a good bastard file to get your face flat again , might last might not probably will , imho an Godspeeds , Another Great Video 🙂
I have fixed some broken cast iron Singer sewing machine tables with a mig welder. I have also welded a crack in the water jacket on a 383 Mopar engine. Crack went from freeze plug to freeze plug. Since it wasn't a place that was actual structure I wasn't worried about welding it.
Tony (I hope you read this), please get a 3rd brake light installed on the 'Cuda. I have had mine for over 20 years and everyone I ever talked to said they "usually died because some idiot did not see the mini-brake lights the car has." A 90's vintage Saab sport body has a 3rd brake light assembly whose pitch angle matches the pitch angle of the huge rear window. Three small holes and some sheet metal screws did the trick.
LMBO I have to admit ELITE is not the vibe up there or the one you'll find in my garage shop - I did score an awesome CRFTSMN mega grinder 8 for 35 at garage sale tho - but the real "gem" is the 10 bucks rockford 6 that was full of those chinee lady bugs - cleaning it out was so sickening, and it has a clutch that clicks when you bear down too hard , it's small enough i made a 2x4 pedestal mount and jammed it in a tiny spot use it all the time, too lazy to setup bigger one it's on a deskfor sit down , the third one I got first is a big lots is sitting on the back of the desk it's a medium good it's just back there have one of those drill sharp jigs bolted to the side of it, my TV tray is a used from a friend prob wall murt has plastic flip up tray with U bottom and side metal up
In 1971 I acquired a 1956 Ford with a Y-Block 292. Not as severe as your manifold., the front lug had cracked on the left exhaust manifold creating a leak that only heightened the ticking of the solid lifters. It was a common Y-block problem. One mechanic said it couldn’t be welded. I would have to get a good one from the junkyard. Another said it could, he did, and it lasted at least for 2-3 years before I sold the car. So IMHO it can be done successfully and has been done for years.
I did that on the pipe flange of a 383 manifold once and I had no problem with it at all. Haha, that one angle that the camera was at, makes that manifold look pretty restrictive. Lol
I use this same HF welder all the time. I only use FC .030 and it does everything I need it to do. Also welds cast fine. I use to heat and braze cast but stopped doing that long ago,
I weld for a living, i for cast iron will braze it, or stick with 6010, or mig, or flux core... if your prep is good and you are mindful of what your doing its fine use whatever you have. Folk make a lot bigger deal out of cast than it is.
Cool video. The kind of content that earned my subscription. If you look at two minutes and thirty four seconds you can see exactly how much of the boss needs to come off. There is a flashing line on the exhaust manifold in plane with and about an eighth behind its machined surface. That's what needs to come off the boss. Quarter of an inch off of the bottom of the boss reducing to nothing all the way up to/at the exhaust manifold gasket. I am wondering why you used a bench grinder. I suppose it's because more people have a bench grinder than have a die or angle grinder. But I think a small die grinder bit opening the crack on the manifold with it bolted in place would have done a cleaner job opening it up. And it would tend to open it in a way that would make it easy to get the tip of the welder in there. Probably still going to weld that nut in though.
No gloves, safety glasses or shields, just like we did it in the old days! I see Dickies Pants are still the go to for real working guys, or are they 30 years old? Could be either...
This is a great clinic to Backyard repair. You have given many the confidence to make this repair with these simple tools and instruction. All hail Uncle Tony for this gift.
The problem with those super cheap harbor freight flux core welders is they are wired electrode positive. Flux core should be electrode negative. It's possible to convert them, but probably more cost effective nowadays to just get a better flux core. The difference in weld quality with the proper polarity is staggering. 90% of the spatter will be gone.
I’ve had that same welder for many years. A lot of ugly welds down the road, but my motto is the worst you weld the more you grind. I paid $110 for the 220 version as a repack.
I've got the same one. Only mine is old enough that it's blue with a gray front panel, it was made before HF really got into the welding game and started trying to make their welding machines look cool ! Other than that it's the same machine !
At your own risk is correct. I have done the same thing multiple times. Except, I would heat the metal with mapgas or just propane right before welding it. I have never had a problem. I would just keep all the metal hot around the welds and let it cool together.
If I were fixing this particular casting, I would've completely ground out a 1/4 inch on the beginning and end of the crack, bolted it to the cylinder head, hammered it together to close up the remaining crack as much as possible, then completely fill the ground out spots with weld. Let it cool, take it off, grind out the remaining crack, bolt it back on and weld the rest. That would get the broken off ear in 99.9% the same position relative to the rest of the casting as it was before it broke.
Nice work I prefer a tig torch but if it holds it holds. Nothing wrong with mig welding its certainly a faster process and much easier to use in awkward positions like under a car. Tig to me is like a manual transmission and mig is like an auto. I find it easier to have the adjustment on the fly because my speed isn't fluid and I can't set a mig welder to save my life. A foot pedal and manual rod feeding compensate for my lack of skill.
Flux core on cast iron manifolds works. I've done it myself with my Eastwood flux core welder. I took a torch to mine first to burn off the oil residue. But otherwise I did it the same way
Tony must have bought that welder 5-6 years ago, I paid $132 after taxes two years ago, well worth it. After 4 attempts of people trying to steal my cat converters I found some bed frame rails someone was tossing out and cut the angle iron into different lengths and welded up my exhaust so that it now looks like a dragon's tail and nobody has tried stealing them since.
Nice job . Years ago you said you were going to show us how to weld cast iron combustion chambers up . Being that you have the welder out and a cast head how bout it
I've had lots a luck welding manifolds. I've taken them and put them in the oven for a preheat before. Some of your newer manifolds are cast steal which seems to weld just fine
Everyone brags about their trade , it's like taking a piss an someone laughs at a small pud an the trades guy says yep it's small but i shopped for the perfect fit choosing my wife , she squeals like a bad bearing so what's your point 🤣
My knowledge of welding is that cast iron should be heated in an oven before welding. Learned this from a fire fighter that could not find a welding shop in Dodge City that could/would do the job correctly. He had to drive 80 miles to Ulysses to a shop that would do it correctly.
A few notes: 1) A great job in returning a broken part back to serviceable condition with the tools at hand. 👍 2) Past observations reveal that *Stupidity &/or Machismo* go hand in hand. WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR! As someone unfortunate enough to have received *Slag Tattoos*, protective clothing is a MUST. A good pair of gauntlet style Leather Gloves, and at a minimum, a long sleeved *Natural Fibre* shirt (Cotton) is recommended. Better yet, an old denim jacket. As a current apprentice welder, a focus on PPE cannot be understated. Skål!
8:10 Man, i laughed at those back back, dollar store welders, and then i bought one, hot dam, 200' of light extension cord, on 15A service, it glued the turbos exit fer the boat just nice
Wow! Tony, I'm not a Mopar guy, is that a typical manifold? That is one convoluted restrictive looking beast there! They gotta flow like crap. I see why Mopar guys are huge on headers now. I thought weird looking manifolds like that were only big block Cuda items. You're quite a education on Mopars.
Tony I don't know much about welding I can just make things stick together. This is more of a theory question for you. Would it have been better to say get like a Dremel or something like that and Bolt the exhaust manifold with the broken ear to the Head, aligning the 2 pieces so they fit together. Then grind a shallow V into the two pieces, but leaving the back back of the manifold intact, that way they would kind of still fit together then run a bead into that then take the manifold off. Flip it over and grind a V into the back and weld that up? Just to try and preserve the orientation? Or do you need that large of a gap for strength?
Well I guess you could say I'm a pro having welded structural steel cast iron and pipe for 45 years you did ok on the way you fixed it if you wanted to make a almost invisible repair oxy acetylene weld it then peen it with a chipping hammer would make it very hard to see and guaranteed to not break slower than your flux core but if its a repair that has to look original it's a better way to go
A bench grinder mounted on a TV tray.....Classic Uncle Tony..Great stuff.
That’s funny. I spotted that, have the same tv tray somewhere and am always dragging out the bench grinder and temporarily attaching it. Figured it was friggen genius, lol.
Tony, your the man. The only TH-camr that doesnt pull out a Tig torch .
Welders sometimes amaze me. I took a Harley mirror that broke off from vibration and what the welder did was tack it together, then he took a grinder to the other side of it to remove the apparently questionable metal (since it broke from vibration) and then filled in that side with welding rod. Then he ground out the other side that was tacked and replaced the original metal with welding to make for a better mirror stem in that area. I was impressed by that. Then I took it home and did some cosmetic grinding, just a little. Good enough for me. He only wanted $10.00 because I helped him move some heavy stuff in his shop. Small town welders are the place to go, for me.
Harleys vibrate? 😮
That is a known technique, not to remove questionable metal, but to get 100% welding free of inclusions on a small piece that has a specific shape that must be reproduced.
@@fr33dumb0 Only when they are running.
@@fr33dumb0only when you rev them up 😅😂
@@donaldhalls2189 I know. I was being facetious. I'm in the oblique 65 degree chapter of the hells angles.
I'm a pro welder. A freind bought one of those machines and asked me to try it. For the price I was impressed. This equipment can get the average guy in the game.
Iam a engine machinst i dont advoise anyone to do it at home
Anu machine do that if it has written, 200AMp, great
Got mine 13-14 years ago and sometimes can hot glue pieces together
When it comes to these kinds of repairs, I remind myself "It's already broken, so I can't really make it worse." Then I usually fix it without problem.
Pretty much the same thing I say. Can't break it any worse!
@@brokentoolgarage I'll third that.
Thing is when I was a teen and tried to do a fix that was unorthodox, it never worked!
But in my early 20's I had loads of cash and several cars that all ran perfect I would try stuff like this on my broken cars and it worked and lasted tens of thousands of miles and never an issue..So moral of the story,if youre broke it wont work,if you have money it will work..Thats what happens to me,so since 21 I always had cash reserves and lots of it..
Good doctrine. I just wouldn't weld it fixed on the engine's head like you did, but it doesn't matter, there's many different ways to fix one problem.
I usually make it worse.
As a professional welder/ manual machinist I approve and appreciate this message I can use this at home and save time, and money. Your not charging someone premium price for the job, if it works and you like it, I love it
the MEsage is:
fuk YOUR CAR AT HOME,
we dontCARE
As soon as Tony says something like “I’ve done this countless times…”. You can almost be certain it’ll work. No gloves, no problem! Man hands!!!
Me (all the time)- "yes i do... i grow my own gloves. It's cheaper that way!"
I once had to reattach an ear on a Meyers water pump housing that had frozen and broken off one of the four ears that held it to the impellor chamber. I made an 'oven' out of cinder blocks and used a space heater to cook the housing and attached impellor base. Once it was hot, I brazed the ear back on with flux-coated brazing rod and let the assembly cool slowly. As far as I know it is still pumping water. Big difference with Tony's repair is that the pump never sees temperature cycling, only 0-60psi pressure. Tony, you are my inspiration; I went out and bought a Harbor Freight flux core welder and the same welders helmet you got, and will be using them to shoehorn a 1975 Plymouth Duster 360/727 into a 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible (differential to be determined later...). Love the channel, man!
I always love the sound of a welder inside a pipe or in this case a manifold.
The reverb man, the Reverb!
It is indeed a weirdly satisfying sound.
I'm not too fond of that sound when welding a pipe. Another hole to shut...
Uncle Tony's Garage.. Your welding gloves are the bomb!.....
He has man hands not sissy boy hands!
Made me think back to the days when one used to be able to buy Tex Smith's Hot Rod Mechanix magazine, where in one issue I recall them showing step-by-step pics along with diologue on how to properly locate and weld a cracked flathead block along with many other useful tips and tricks...
Awesome video. I’ve been using Harbor Freight tools, jack stands, floor jacks, cordless impact wrenches, etc since the Eighties.
Been there ,done that ,it worked for years and years,the pro welders in my family said it wouldn't work and I have to preheat and post heat ,etc...
I cleaned it up and welded it shut..
It's metal..I melted it together and moved on 😂
I haven't preheated iron in years. Clean, short welds, and peen.
Yeah a lot of welders have big egos and think they always know more and are better at welding than everyone else. My grandpa was a pipefitter and said I could weld to copper well 12 year old me didn't care and welded a copper pipe to a steel pipe to make an exhaust tip for my dirt bike and it worked 😂.
@@alexlandsberger1423 so dont need to study welding so , just do yourself.
everbody do it
not everthing last
you acn enter in russia, problem is get out alive
I used my cheapy, harbor freight flux core welder to weld my exhaust manifold back together. I broke an ear off. I have no doubt it's fixed. Good info.
Years ago I would take a broken or cracked exhaust manifold to the local blacksmith in my neighborhood but now I can
t because he passed away last year at the age of 89 but he was still welding and using his forge making fireplace utensils and other things when he was 88 years of age and I use to enjoy watching him make things, now his son is doing blacksmithing but I haven't taken anything out to him yet but I'm sure that time will come!!!!!!
Blacksmith now that's a trade that is quickly dying off. You don't see many of them anymore.
@@johnnymack8442 You are so right
A blacksmith is the perfect person to weld cast iron. I was certified before my heart failed me but I spent a lot of time at a blacksmith shop when I was a kid in the 70s. That guy knew more about metal than I had to learn to get certified. Some old woman would bring him a plant stand or her favorite spoon that broke. Farmers would bring him a cracked head or a broken bearing housing. People didn't just throw stuff away back then they wanted their stuff fixed. My dad did upholstery and I welded seat spring for him here and there if they were odd ones. I don't think they ever broke but welding springs is kind of a no no.
@@williamrosenow6176 Blacksmithing is a dying art, I'm glad the Blacksmith that passed away that his son is taking it over and he is very good just like his Dad and his Grandfather who was still doing things up until he died at the age of 95!!!!
I'm not going to tell you that weld won't hold, but for just a little more effort you could've had a genuinely strong weld:
Pre-heat
Post-heat
Stick welder with nickel rods
I always braze cast. Never fails. And yes, preheat and nickel.
I'm not a pro welder, but I welding is part of my job repairing machines. Sometimes I weld a few times a month; sometimes once every couple months. Just depends on what breaks.
A kid fresh out of welding school taught me to weld cast by pre-heating, stick welding with nickel rods, then letting the part cool under a few layers of fiberglass welding blankets. So, almost the same as you.
I've only had these welds break when they were put under unusual stress, IE another part breaking and transferring the load to the welded part.
I don't know enough to say Tony's weld won't hold. I hope it does. But I was surprised as hell to see him welding cast with a wire welder. I've had nothing but bad luck when I tried it, but I was MIG welding; not flux core. I may try it just for the helluvit.
The sound of the arc traveling through the manifold is so tubular.
With a bit of pinging just to settle in the iron molecules as it cools.
My two cents. Just a little pinging (not pounding) with a slag chipper will help the steel molecules get to know each other as they cool. Sometimes this will head off that dreaded "bink" that proceeds a crack.
You did the process the right way, who gives a crap about the welder. Sometimes gasless flux core wire can suprise the best of us.
Quality content here. It's amazing what a simple.flux core might can fix. I just did some body work repairing floor pans and rocker panels using techniques you showed on Slaghammer.
I can tell by the sound your set perfectly.
the sound of bacon frying ....
I totally never would have done it that way but wow, nice job, looks to be a nice fix.
This will get a million views in a heartbeat!
I've had several heartbeats already, and we're only at 6071 views!! FAIL!!
I hope it does, he deserves it but unfortunately as the country rapper Brodnax said real shit don't get views
I welded a slip yoke back together years ago with a flux corded welder. It held up great and never let go for years
Amazing job sir. Thank you for the video
My new mantra " I'm not a welder , welders are professionals that will do it the way it's supposed to be done .....I'm just gonna fix it so it works . Personally , not being a welder , I've had the need to make two pieces of steel stick together . I've been successful maybe 75% of the time . If it was something critical and safety was the prime consideration....I paid the pro . Although I love the look of a perfectly laid down bead , it isn't always required . good work Unc !
I’ve had mixed results welding cast iron. I’m frankly shocked this didn’t crack in a million places considering it was welded with an unknown filler presumably a mild steel filler, wasn’t preheated or slow cooled by burying it in sand. I’ve had the best luck so far brazing cast iron with a silicon or aluminum bronze filler wire, rather then welding it.
I've done that but used counter sunk bolt. Holds it centered because counter sunk centers hole, and the flatter head gives more room for welding tip
Other YT welders say use "NICKLE" rod , either "STICK" or "TIG" for filler also to place piece, in a "BARBY GRILL " to heat to ; 300 F. & after welding re-heat in grill & let cool slowly for "STRESS" relief.
When I got a job in an aircraft engine overhaul shop i used the term "jig." I was immediately corrected. It is called a fixture.😊
Perfect statement Tony just gonna fix it so it works. That's all That needs to be done and it's your car so there's no expectations I do the same stuff. if it is on a customer's cars and I Let them know up front hey it's either gonna work or it's not. You might want to source a used known good one Either for now or for later Your choice. But this is a perfect example of Being an actual mechanic the definition of is to fix and repair mechanical equipment. Not necessarily just replaced parts.
AWESOME vid...way to go UT.....FYI...I have HORRIBLE FREIGHT welder myself, they work great for stuff like that...MOPAR 4 EVER.
@uncletony: Fascinating. I was always taught you should not try to weld cast iron with steel rod or wire. Preheat and use a high nickel alloy rod or wire. Braze is also acceptable. Your hot rod ingenuity seems to prove the experts are not always completely correct. Thanks for sharing.
You can't beat that welder !
I've have better luck brazing cast iron vs welding, but hey; whatever works! Those little Hobo Freight welders are great. Especially for the youngsters just starting out with barely any money. Since flux core tends to be hotter than MIG, it's a better choice for cast iron. But I'm a Tin Bender, not a welder so do the research. Thanks U.T.!
Tony has the same grinder safety shield I do--and his is about as old as mine. Excellent job, sir, but I m still in shock about the amazing job you did straightening the quarter panel on tat 67 Charger!
It's worth a try for sure.
I like watching “backyard” solutions like this, as well as pros like abom79 brazing castings back together. I want to see it all 😊
Nice! Oh the knee-jerk reactions from "welders" lol. Got one at work that claims you cannot weld steel to cast iron. I threatened to show him the slant 6 CI intake with sheet steel welded to it to make it a 4bbl - with a stick welder from over 30years ago!
The bead you laid was cold. Instead of sinking into the surrounding metal, it stayed bubble shape, leaving the boundary layer between the bead and the metal very shallow. This, with the tension that bubble creates, creates cracks. The bead and the cast iron are two different types of metal, they act upon temp changes differently. The flux core itself is not the problem. Only problem with that is the light it emits, eye destroying brightness. If you'd heated up the parent metal and cranked up the amps just a tad, the bead would've sunk into the manifold further, creating a stronger bond. Next thing you need is a ball or a pin hammer. You need to hammer that hot bead to release the tension it creates when it cools and shrinks. This procedure remains the same, were you using MIG, TIG, Flux core, stick or gas brazing. Hot and clean pieces, hot weld and hammer to release the tension. If you lay down multiple passes, remember to clean the area in between beads. Not absolutely necessary, but makes you look like a pro. For cleaning use brass brush spinny disc, stainless wire brush leaves carbon behind, making your bead hard and brittle. To avoid new cracks from forming, let the piece cool down slowly.
A real party trick would've been JB weld/ similar thick metal epoxy. Perfectly fine for light use naturally aspirated manifold.
Lol😂
Cast iron is easiest to just braze and not worry about trying to get a penetrating weld.
In other words you're doing the job the Uncle Tony way!
Awesome video Tony. It's great watching you work instead of ranting 😁
When it comes to these kinds of repairs, I remind myself "it's already broken, so I can't really make it worse." Then I usually make it worse.
good thas why poors are always poors., they dont measure the risk
I have one of those fold-out plastic tables in my shop for extra table space you should see mine it has ben Melted cut ground caught on fire grinding marks spay paint all over it its a beautiful thing. In eye of the unfolder.
Sign of a true mechanic just run all the welling slag and Beebee's bounce right off your hand without Flinching. Man skills.
Someone else probably already commented on this , (lmao buttt ) I would have sat at a bench with a dremel to make the valleys , heat it up with map gas the best you can , run your beads reheating as you go an use a blanket to slow the cooling , want it to cool as slow as possible , unbolt it , turn it over , reheat with map , run your beads ,cool slow as you can , ink an a good bastard file to get your face flat again , might last might not probably will , imho an Godspeeds , Another Great Video 🙂
Great video
Nice repair
I have fixed some broken cast iron Singer sewing machine tables with a mig welder. I have also welded a crack in the water jacket on a 383 Mopar engine. Crack went from freeze plug to freeze plug. Since it wasn't a place that was actual structure I wasn't worried about welding it.
Tony (I hope you read this), please get a 3rd brake light installed on the 'Cuda. I have had mine for over 20 years and everyone I ever talked to said they "usually died because some idiot did not see the mini-brake lights the car has." A 90's vintage Saab sport body has a 3rd brake light assembly whose pitch angle matches the pitch angle of the huge rear window.
Three small holes and some sheet metal screws did the trick.
I've never seen a better use of an Elvis TV tray.
LMBO I have to admit ELITE is not the vibe up there or the one you'll find in my garage shop - I did score an awesome CRFTSMN mega grinder 8 for 35 at garage sale tho - but the real "gem" is the 10 bucks rockford 6 that was full of those chinee lady bugs - cleaning it out was so sickening, and it has a clutch that clicks when you bear down too hard , it's small enough i made a 2x4 pedestal mount and jammed it in a tiny spot use it all the time, too lazy to setup bigger one it's on a deskfor sit down , the third one I got first is a big lots is sitting on the back of the desk it's a medium good it's just back there have one of those drill sharp jigs bolted to the side of it, my TV tray is a used from a friend prob wall murt has plastic flip up tray with U bottom and side metal up
Your v or valley you make for welding is called a groove!!
In 1971 I acquired a 1956 Ford with a Y-Block 292. Not as severe as your manifold., the front lug had cracked on the left exhaust manifold creating a leak that only heightened the ticking of the solid lifters. It was a common Y-block problem. One mechanic said it couldn’t be welded. I would have to get a good one from the junkyard. Another said it could, he did, and it lasted at least for 2-3 years before I sold the car. So IMHO it can be done successfully and has been done for years.
I still run a bunch of 292 engines still
Uncle Tony! You old Gavadeal ! Love you my friend
I love my cheap little Harbor Freight flux core welder! I use it all the time! I also am NOT a welder. I just own one 😂
I did that on the pipe flange of a 383 manifold once and I had no problem with it at all.
Haha, that one angle that the camera was at, makes that manifold look pretty restrictive. Lol
I use this same HF welder all the time. I only use FC .030 and it does everything I need it to do. Also welds cast fine. I use to heat and braze cast but stopped doing that long ago,
If you’re welding outside flux core is way better than gas. You don’t have to worry about the wind blowing away the gas.
I weld for a living, i for cast iron will braze it, or stick with 6010, or mig, or flux core... if your prep is good and you are mindful of what your doing its fine use whatever you have. Folk make a lot bigger deal out of cast than it is.
boy do i feel good abut my welds after seeing these! Go upgrade to the $170 HF Titanium welder. I did and I love it, if only for the weight reduction.
What a stud. Hot sparks and no welders gloves.
Cool video. The kind of content that earned my subscription. If you look at two minutes and thirty four seconds you can see exactly how much of the boss needs to come off. There is a flashing line on the exhaust manifold in plane with and about an eighth behind its machined surface. That's what needs to come off the boss. Quarter of an inch off of the bottom of the boss reducing to nothing all the way up to/at the exhaust manifold gasket. I am wondering why you used a bench grinder. I suppose it's because more people have a bench grinder than have a die or angle grinder. But I think a small die grinder bit opening the crack on the manifold with it bolted in place would have done a cleaner job opening it up. And it would tend to open it in a way that would make it easy to get the tip of the welder in there. Probably still going to weld that nut in though.
The BOSS of youtube backyard mechanics💵 💵 💵
😂
Harbor freight! Love there stuff, im a backyard guy, perfect for me!
No gloves, safety glasses or shields, just like we did it in the old days! I see Dickies Pants are still the go to for real working guys, or are they 30 years old? Could be either...
I wanna sticker that says
"STOP BABY PROOFING AMERICA!!!
Stupidity should be painful,
Smart ones listen,
Either way we learn
Ah the famous bench grinder bolted to the TV tray! I love it!
This is a great clinic to Backyard repair. You have given many the confidence to make this repair with these simple tools and instruction. All hail Uncle Tony for this gift.
The problem with those super cheap harbor freight flux core welders is they are wired electrode positive. Flux core should be electrode negative. It's possible to convert them, but probably more cost effective nowadays to just get a better flux core. The difference in weld quality with the proper polarity is staggering. 90% of the spatter will be gone.
Good job! I have Harbor Freight Tools all been good to me. PU Truck or my Shovelhead.
Very informative. Thanks tony.
I’m still amazed at a grinder on a TV tray. Ha ha.😅 cool to see you work.
Finally.. someone who welds like me.
I’ve had that same welder for many years. A lot of ugly welds down the road, but my motto is the worst you weld the more you grind. I paid $110 for the 220 version as a repack.
I've got the same one. Only mine is old enough that it's blue with a gray front panel, it was made before HF really got into the welding game and started trying to make their welding machines look cool ! Other than that it's the same machine !
Nice one well done
At your own risk is correct. I have done the same thing multiple times. Except, I would heat the metal with mapgas or just propane right before welding it. I have never had a problem. I would just keep all the metal hot around the welds and let it cool together.
If I were fixing this particular casting, I would've completely ground out a 1/4 inch on the beginning and end of the crack, bolted it to the cylinder head, hammered it together to close up the remaining crack as much as possible, then completely fill the ground out spots with weld. Let it cool, take it off, grind out the remaining crack, bolt it back on and weld the rest. That would get the broken off ear in 99.9% the same position relative to the rest of the casting as it was before it broke.
Nice work I prefer a tig torch but if it holds it holds. Nothing wrong with mig welding its certainly a faster process and much easier to use in awkward positions like under a car. Tig to me is like a manual transmission and mig is like an auto. I find it easier to have the adjustment on the fly because my speed isn't fluid and I can't set a mig welder to save my life. A foot pedal and manual rod feeding compensate for my lack of skill.
Flux core on cast iron manifolds works. I've done it myself with my Eastwood flux core welder. I took a torch to mine first to burn off the oil residue. But otherwise I did it the same way
I repaired cracked cast iron piston rings with flux core 😊
😂
Good Job T!
One trick i use on a weld like that is pre heat the metal with a torch. Helps the weld flow better. But im no welder, just a mechanic haha
You’re supposed to use a …Slag Hammer…to clean welds ..😂
He tried, but all it did was add burnt rubber and bits of rust to it..
😂
Tony must have bought that welder 5-6 years ago, I paid $132 after taxes two years ago, well worth it. After 4 attempts of people trying to steal my cat converters I found some bed frame rails someone was tossing out and cut the angle iron into different lengths and welded up my exhaust so that it now looks like a dragon's tail and nobody has tried stealing them since.
Nice job . Years ago you said you were going to show us how to weld cast iron combustion chambers up . Being that you have the welder out and a cast head how bout it
I've had lots a luck welding manifolds. I've taken them and put them in the oven for a preheat before. Some of your newer manifolds are cast steal which seems to weld just fine
You won't find a bigger cult than professional welders...
Everyone brags about their trade , it's like taking a piss an someone laughs at a small pud an the trades guy says yep it's small but i shopped for the perfect fit choosing my wife , she squeals like a bad bearing so what's your point 🤣
Tony i am professional welder and if that way works for you than i cant argue its not a saftey related item
Nice save, These manifolds are getting very hard to find and cost a lot of money when you do find one.
My knowledge of welding is that cast iron should be heated in an oven before welding. Learned this from a fire fighter that could not find a welding shop in Dodge City that could/would do the job correctly. He had to drive 80 miles to Ulysses to a shop that would do it correctly.
A few notes:
1) A great job in returning a broken part back to serviceable condition with the tools at hand. 👍
2) Past observations reveal that *Stupidity &/or Machismo* go hand in hand. WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR! As someone unfortunate enough to have received *Slag Tattoos*, protective clothing is a MUST. A good pair of gauntlet style Leather Gloves, and at a minimum, a long sleeved *Natural Fibre* shirt (Cotton) is recommended. Better yet, an old denim jacket. As a current apprentice welder, a focus on PPE cannot be understated. Skål!
I've done this and other "impossible" welding. Experts dont know anything. Just do it and let the experts bicker.
I did the same on my cracked Ford 2.3T manifold, several months later, its still holding.
8:10 Man, i laughed at those back back, dollar store welders, and then i bought one, hot dam, 200' of light extension cord, on 15A service, it glued the turbos exit fer the boat just nice
Good to know about the potential interference. I wasn't aware of that.
Wow! Tony, I'm not a Mopar guy, is that a typical manifold? That is one convoluted restrictive looking beast there! They gotta flow like crap. I see why Mopar guys are huge on headers now. I thought weird looking manifolds like that were only big block Cuda items. You're quite a education on Mopars.
Tony I don't know much about welding I can just make things stick together. This is more of a theory question for you. Would it have been better to say get like a Dremel or something like that and Bolt the exhaust manifold with the broken ear to the Head, aligning the 2 pieces so they fit together. Then grind a shallow V into the two pieces, but leaving the back back of the manifold intact, that way they would kind of still fit together then run a bead into that then take the manifold off. Flip it over and grind a V into the back and weld that up? Just to try and preserve the orientation? Or do you need that large of a gap for strength?
Well I guess you could say I'm a pro having welded structural steel cast iron and pipe for 45 years you did ok on the way you fixed it if you wanted to make a almost invisible repair oxy acetylene weld it then peen it with a chipping hammer would make it very hard to see and guaranteed to not break slower than your flux core but if its a repair that has to look original it's a better way to go
Hey uncle Tony. New subscriber new. Been watching your videos. great stuff. Keep it up👍
Tony says, who needs a hand held grinder or dremel tool? Bench grinder works just fine.😉
FLUX is ETERNAL !