Aluminum engine block rehab

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i seached on the internet but could not find a source that told me that 356 cast aluminum is weldable to 6061. this is my last stop, what do you guys think?
Reply:short answer, yes 6061 can be easily welded to 356. usual filler recommendation is 4043for a longer answer more info is needed. what exactly are you intending to do?
Reply:id use 5356 for 6061 because i just took a weld procdure and i guess 4043 can have some wierd side effects.
Reply:I couldn't find 356 mentioned in any of my reference books. Lincoln says and I quote, "Aluminum castings, as a rule, may be satisfactorily welded". Since 6061 is also weldable it should work just fine. I have repaired a couple of GM engine blocks and a couple of transmission housing that were satisfactory. I also repaired a hole in a Harley Davidson Sporster tranmission with 6061. I have no idea what number the cast aluminum in any of these was.
Reply:this fellow i work with is planning on sealing up his water jacket i told him to chose one of two options a. grind out the jackt so i can fit the large cup needed to avoid heat buildup and tungsten explosions on a high amp weld like this (even with preheat)b. cut and bevel inserts to be welded to seal it up. the material we found in our shop was 6061i have some experience repairing blown cylinder heads on 356 but any pointerswould be appreciated as i have never attempted this specific fix. I love learnin and talking some metullurgy the knowledge always seems to help me out in the workplace
Reply:major alloying constituents of 6061= Mg1 + Simajor alloying constituents of 356.0= Si7 + Mgboth 4043 and 5356 can be used, depends on the application. 4043 is more usually specified. 5356 is not recommended for service at elevated temperature
Reply:hey thanks guy you've been real helpful 4043 it is, makes sense considering it willl be exposed to some "elevated temps"Last edited by noobiex; 03-07-2008 at 08:27 PM.
Reply:so the block's not damaged, he wants to block the waterways and change the coolant flow path?
Reply:no damage, he plans to seal up that jacked then deck it down and re-bore the cylinder to add compression.quick question: what do you reccomend as a preheat procedure since i can not find any agreeing sources. i did a 500 one hour preheat with a 30 minute postheat last time i repaired some 356 heads
Reply:personally i would block the coolant jacket by means other than welding. Doesn't matter how you go about it welding aluminium will soften the HAZ.heads and blocks are welded all the time after a blow up/ to repair corrosion without any ill effects but an unwelded block/head will be harder- a good thing with regards to gasket integrityi would be looking to do this without welding- there's products around specifically designed for this job that drag racers use. stiffens the block tooi assume as re-bore is planned the block is linered, not nickasil?
Reply:I know more about building engines than welding aluminum, there has to to be a better way of raising compression.
Reply:you mean like aluminum filler for engine blocks right?not sure about you bore question engines was never a hobby of mine, far out of my price range, although very interested for when i have the $$$$$ i've helped out on some homemade turbos for guys at our shop very very cool(of course all the engine guys are nice to the shop tig welder). seeing other peoples cars progress has made me want to do it myself.
Reply:try googling 'hard blok'. should get some more info
Reply:got it, thanks for you replys so far
Reply:I think I can help with this as it's something I do occasionally. To avoid the welding issues when plugging the deck I use some crack repair plugs from irontite or I make some screw in pipe plugs. After installation the block is resurfaced.  Some of the jacket holes won't be round so you have to drill or bore them round first in order to tap them.If the water jackets are to be completely filled then you want a product called Hard Block, available on the net or through one of the HP catalogs.Link to irontite: http://www.irontite.com
Reply:ok yes 4043 will be fine as long as its not anodized haha 6061 w/4043 filler will tur JET BLACK after being anodied no matter what color even clear.
Reply:yup yup i learned that fact the hard wayi have it written in big bold letters by my stock of alum filler at workluckily i caught myself on that one right away only scraped one part but one part is still more than i would like to lose
Reply:Originally Posted by noobiexnot sure about you bore question engines was never a hobby of mine, far out of my price range, although very interested for when i have the $$$$$ i've helped out on some homemade turbos for guys at our shop very very cool(of course all the engine guys are nice to the shop tig welder). seeing other peoples cars progress has made me want to do it myself.
Reply:Originally Posted by tresiI know more about building engines than welding aluminum, there has to to be a better way of raising compression.
Reply:need information.I have a HD motorcycle and there is a crack that comes out from an over tightened pipe plug on the bottom of the cast aluminum engine casing. Check out the attached photo and the crack doesnot extend beyond what you see in the photo. What would be the best way to repair without removing engine from frame. Some have suggested tig welding others JB weld epoxy. I've also read about a product called hts-2000 which is used with oxy-acetylene torch to repair cast aluminum engine casings? I need some advice help!!!!! Attached Images
Reply:A356 filler will age harden, casting will get close to orig with time.350 pre/post heatWatch temps, block will cool quickly upon removal from oven to weld. 5 Mins will be about max weld time before reheat. Skip weld to prevent over heating.This is what I do at my shop for a living- also the machine work. Cast Iron too.If mods are just for compression gain I would think about custom pistons instead!Peter
Reply:Originally Posted by stillgoingneed information.I have a HD motorcycle and there is a crack that comes out from an over tightened pipe plug on the bottom of the cast aluminum engine casing. Check out the attached photo and the crack doesnot extend beyond what you see in the photo. What would be the best way to repair without removing engine from frame. Some have suggested tig welding others JB weld epoxy. I've also read about a product called hts-2000 which is used with oxy-acetylene torch to repair cast aluminum engine casings? I need some advice help!!!!!
Reply:And a reminder that heated crankcase vapors can be highly explosive.A flash can blow the pan and covers off of an engine.Good Luck
Reply:Check out www.aluminumrepair.com The HTS-2000 brazing rods seem to work quite well. I have no experience with them but i know a couple of people who have used it and they were quite pleased with the results."My fingernails are melting"
Reply:Thanks for the information guys. As for doing the repair with engine in place, I can still remove the plug and drain any excess oil and turn the bike over on its side with some type of cushion to prevent damage. The tube you see in the picture is the frame and above that one of the exhaust pipes which is easily removed for access from above the crack. The bike only has 15K miles and in the last month  I have just completted chroming it out to be a show bike. In fact I won second place in a recent bike show. I want to do it rigtht but unforunately I have spent all the extra money and time off I had  on the chroming  so removing the engine is not the best option at this stage. Please keep the helpfull options coming and thanks again.Originally Posted by stillgoingThanks for the information guys. As for doing the repair with engine in place, I can still remove the plug and drain any excess oil and turn the bike over on its side with some type of cushion to prevent damage. The tube you see in the picture is the frame and above that one of the exhaust pipes which is easily removed for access from above the crack. The bike only has 15K miles and in the last month  I have just completted chroming it out to be a show bike. In fact I won second place in a recent bike show. I want to do it rigtht but unforunately I have spent all the extra money and time off I had  on the chroming  so removing the engine is not the best option at this stage. Please keep the helpfull options coming and thanks again.