Terry Coombs wrote:

One of my never-ending projects is the restoration of a '39 Harley . One of
the broken parts is the transmission sprocket cover . It's made of cast iron
, and one of the bolt hole/cover standoff's is broken out . I have machined
a part out of mild steel , and ground out the jagged edges on the cover to
fit . Both pieces will be bolted to the tranny end cover for correct
alignment .
I was planning on brazing it , but am concerned that heat distortion will
be a problem . I'm also concerned about strength , as this cover supports
the throwout bearing for the clutch . I'm limited on arc welding eqpt to a
flux core wire feed (Lincoln Weld Pak) , but the guy at the machine shop
around the corner from work will likely weld it for cheap if I decide to go
that way .

Brazing is really cool, but I would be uncomfortable doing it on a
highly-stressed part. I'm no expert, but if I were left to my own
devices I'd probably make the repair part out of cast and see if I could
find somebody willing to get it hot and weld it with a cast-iron stick
-- or I'd restore that old forge I have out back and do it myself (which
may be worse than just using JB weld, given my welding skills .

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com