Aluminum head repair

[Racer18]

Is there ANYONE out there that can repair (weld) aluminum cylinder heads reliably? I have tried 3 different places, and am not getting quality repairs! Latest took 7 weeks to weld up 1 chamber and intake runner, comes back leaking water in the exhaust port. They swear they pressure tested them, but it leaks just filling the block on the dyno. I am Located in the midwest, not looking for cheap, just need good reliable repairs, preferably from a shop familiar with race heads.

[houser45]

Brodix

[af2]

The problem is usually the head going soft and the seats moving

[SupStk]

The problem is usually the head going soft and the seats moving

That and castings change dimensionally with extensive welding. Sent a BBC head back to Dart for repair and "cold treat". After spending big bucks my customer couldn't get it to drop over the dowels.

[Newold1]

Always depends on how bad and extensive the damage is and what the cylinder head is.

If it's properly heated and welded by a proven head repair person it is done all the time.

Check with either BES Racing Engines in Gilman or Steve Schmidt Racing in Indy.

One will point you to a good knowledgeable welder who knows how if the head is salvageable.

[user-17438]

Always depends on how bad and extensive the damage is and what the cylinder head is.

If it's properly heated and welded by a proven head repair person it is done all the time.

Check with either BES Racing Engines in Gilman or Steve Schmidt Racing in Indy.

One will point you to a good knowledgeable welder who knows how if the head is salvageable.

Depending on casting and the amounting paperwork done, it may be more feasible to find another casting. I have had heads reheat treated and a local foundry after welding only because there was so much welding and there were no chasing down another casting for an option. Some repairs can be thousands.

Some companies like mentioned uses epoxy to fix water jackets.. After that, the casting is no longer repairable in my book.

[BillK]

Brodix

But they will only do their own heads.

[machinedave]

The best aluminum cylinder head repair guy I know is Headwerks in Bloomington, MN. He has repaired several aluminum heads and they have worked great.

[KnightEngines]

I can, do it all the time, but I'm kinda thousands of miles away!

I've repaired stuff the customer was sure was a total write off, rebuilt chambers, cut large chunks out to chase out cracks etc.

[volodkovich]

At what point does a welded head need re heat treating? I've seen you peen the head face TK, have you ever had to get them re hardened?

[KnightEngines]

I reckon if they're soft they're dead, I've had heads re heat treated with only ok results in the past, by the time you remove all the seats, guides, thread inserts etc to have them heat treated then replace all that stuff & re-machine everything its more economical to replace the head - unless it's a rare vintage casting or something.

The trick is to weld fast (lots of amps, pour the metal in) & let it cool periodically if it's a big weld job, then peen the bejesus out of the welds while it's still hot to stress relieve & work harden.
That & never, ever cover a problem by pumping metal into crap to try to float it out, you'll end up with a porous weld.

[EchoWars]

Talk to Noland's Cylinder Head Service in Kansas City.

https://www.facebook.com/nolandscylhead/

[Brian W]

Central Kansas here... I probably weld 20-30 sets a year. Lots of little tricks to doing a quality repair.

[gowest]

Marcella manifolds shows cylinderhead repair pics on their website.