prepping my old Harley case for welding

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I have an old Harley case that I need to do some welding on.I have a crack that runs from my cam bearing to the pinion race insert.My question is should I press a race in and weld it like it would normally be stressed and my other question is whether I should grind the crack to the insert, which is steel, or should I come shy and have some meat to weld to.There is about a 1/4" from the cam hole to the surface of the insert.I would appreciate your input.Thanks,Ron
Reply:I hear those are some nasty dirty things to weld, so I'm curious how this goes for you. Pics are worth about 1000 comments, but I'd v-grind the crack to 1/16th of the bottom, and weld it with as little heat input as possible. If possible clamp the case to the biggest block of aluminum you can find. Don't forget to scrub it with degreaser before you start v-ing out the crack. good luckSqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:Member castweld does aluminum head, block, housing, etc. repairs all the time and if he were to chime in my guess is he's recommend removing the insert and welding it all the way out followed by machining the pinion bearing insert (and cam bearing bore if needed) back to spec.  If not familiar with his work just do a search for threads started by castweld.Being an engine/gear case you're going to get a lot of contamination come out from the weld heat so be prepared to grind out and re-weld several times to get all the crud out.Good luck and pictures do help as Brazin pointed out.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Thanks guys,the insert is cast into the case and the pinion race is a light press fit into the insert...this weld isn't much more than a tack, 5/8" long x 1/8" =/- deep.It is a common crack in those old cases and my issue was baring the insert and having the aluminum get funky there...I have pics but they are too large and I can't seem to get a handle on how to shrink them to fit this format...
Reply:hope this worked
Reply:My friend owns Baisly hi performance and he told me that 93-94 are really bad castings. Could have been a couple other years. They weld all day on those motors and they make there own roller rockers that are super durable. They know there stuff!
Reply:I'm with Duaneb55.  I wouldn't press in a bearing race prior to welding.  The stress that creates in the surrounding aluminum may make the weld crack upon cooling.    The freezing temp for molten aluminum is a fairly wide temperature range, compared to steel.  With stress in the area being welded, the weld joint can hot crack as the weld puddle freezes.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:Looks like a bit of a pain in the butt, but i'd still try it the same way. V down to about 1/16" of material, try to weld, stop, grind out the crud, repeat.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A