On Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:21:37 -0700, Tim Wescott
wrote:



Yup. You could use a countersunk screw, but there's not much meat there
to thread a fastener into. You could do something like #4 screws
(countersunk, of course) into the sides -- but I only suggest that
because I have a master's degree in engineering, not because it actually
has a chance of working.

No need to apologize for bailing out at MS?? level, Tim. G

4-40 flathead screws with Loctite would work just fine. Even 2-56
screws would probably suffice. It's not a fix a grease monkey would
think of, but it'd be easy peasy for a machinist or gunsmith.

A good braze would be stronger, but all that's needed here is
"enough". Gunner sez a dozen pounds. Call it 50 for a bit of margin.
A bad braze with micro cracks in the surrounding casting, bad wetting,
or foaming of the braze alloy would very likely fail, and the
likelihood of getting a bad braze is significant for folks like me and
Gunner having no experience brazing with TIG. Torch brazing ain't on
the menu here unless the head is stripped and preheated, and even with
that there is significant risk of warping. The advantage to TIG, if
it works, is that you're in and out of there quick as a surgeon with a
golf date, leaving a very limited heat-affected zone. The question is
what happens in that very limited HAZ. Any crack upon cooling is a
failure. Cast iron varies a lot in tolerance; some castings can be
welded or brazed without difficulty while others are impossible. I
have successfully repaired fractures in the intricate cast iron
lattice work on the treadle of a vintage Singer sewing machine,
totally failed on the exhaust manifold of an '80's vintage Japmobile.

So I'd either learn and verify a TIG brazing process experimentally on
scrap stock, or I'd drill, tap and use flathead machine screws.

I'd go with TIG if I could find some cast iron to practice on, because
I have lots of time, 3 working vehicles and no urgent need to be
anywhere other than medical adventures with Mary and Mayo. If I were
in Gunner's sit, I'd go with machine screws.

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 01:27:44 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

If I were
in Gunner's sit, I'd go with machine screws.

Same here. I'd have screwed and glued before gummer finished his first
batch of posts. What happened to the mechanical "knack" he claimed to
have? It morphed into "my mechanic"! Have you heard the adage "if you
watch an expert long enough, it feels like you're an expert"? Well,
gummy discovered that talking was even easier than watching.

Anyway, this is only episode 2 of the Rancho Deadbeato Great Cylinder
Head Debacle. Stay tuned for 3 and 4.

Wayne

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:30:45 -0700, wrote:

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 01:27:44 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

If I were
in Gunner's sit, I'd go with machine screws.

Same here. I'd have screwed and glued before gummer finished his first
batch of posts. What happened to the mechanical "knack" he claimed to
have? It morphed into "my mechanic"! Have you heard the adage "if you
watch an expert long enough, it feels like you're an expert"? Well,
gummy discovered that talking was even easier than watching.

Anyway, this is only episode 2 of the Rancho Deadbeato Great Cylinder
Head Debacle. Stay tuned for 3 and 4.

Wayne

Staying tuned. Looks like he's gonna have a go at TIG brazing. I've
never tried that so I'll be interested in how that turns out.

On Sat, 18 Sep 2010 01:43:33 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:30:45 -0700, wrote:

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 01:27:44 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

If I were
in Gunner's sit, I'd go with machine screws.

Same here. I'd have screwed and glued before gummer finished his first
batch of posts. What happened to the mechanical "knack" he claimed to
have? It morphed into "my mechanic"! Have you heard the adage "if you
watch an expert long enough, it feels like you're an expert"? Well,
gummy discovered that talking was even easier than watching.

Anyway, this is only episode 2 of the Rancho Deadbeato Great Cylinder
Head Debacle. Stay tuned for 3 and 4.

Wayne

Staying tuned. Looks like he's gonna have a go at TIG brazing. I've
never tried that so I'll be interested in how that turns out.

Lots of ways would work. But the entire job should have been completed
over a weekend without any outside help. As in, take spring compressor
to wrecker Sat. morning and pick up decent used heads. One other stop
for top end overhaul kit. Clean, check, lap valves, replace seals. Re
and re on Sunday. Heck, I once dragged a dead beater into my shop on
Friday night, installed an auto trans. rebuild kit, and drove out
Monday morning. Most of the time was spent fabbing pullers and
wrenches using modest equipment. Of course, I was driven by the need
to make a living in order to pay my bills. Gummer's modified deadbeat
method is to pay a "mechanic", tow home later, write about poor job,
start over, more writing about minor wrinkle, etc. Reminds me of a
couple of acquaintances. One was pulling a cam and managed to puncture
his radiator with it. The other stabbed himself in the eye with a
screwdriver while removing a motorcycle carb. Main difference being
that neither of those guys would waste their time bragging about
having a mechanical "knack".

Wayne