Welding early aluminum heads

[russcc]

I friend of mine, an excellent TIG welder, told me than the older cast aluminum can be difficult to weld. Anyone have any experience welding the early heads. The ones I may want to weld are '33, 34, 35 36. They are in excellent condition except for divot here & there. Thank you.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by russcc

I friend of mine, an excellent TIG welder, told me than the older cast aluminum can be difficult to weld. Anyone have any experience welding the early heads. The ones I may want to weld are '33, 34, 35 36. They are in excellent condition except for divot here & there. Thank you.

Your friend is correct. Actually, Ford OE heads are of much better quality of any pre-war aftermarket head/intake. If possible, I'd try welding a scrap one first to use as a test before welding the one you want to save.

Some early aftermarket aluminum parts are cast of really poor quality alloy.

[Pete]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by russcc

I friend of mine, an excellent TIG welder, told me than the older cast aluminum can be difficult to weld. Anyone have any experience welding the early heads. The ones I may want to weld are '33, 34, 35 36. They are in excellent condition except for divot here & there. Thank you.

I have welded a few flathead OEM aluminum heads. Mostly corrosion marks around the water holes. Just like a dentist, you have †o grind out all of the bad before you can put new in. Welding on a junk head will give you practice but the real thing will not always be the same due to inclusions and how much heat the head has had over it's lifetime. I have done it with both TIG and a MIG spool gun.
Both did a good job.