TIG weld a AL head?

-
pishta

pishta

I know I'm right....
Joined
Oct 13, 2004
Messages
23,822
Reaction score
13,679
Location
Tustin, CA
Can I repair this head by building up the fire ring land with AL rod without warping it? Totally new to TIG. Don't want to warp it, not sure what filler rod to use. MAZDA AL casting. Plan on building it up very slowly and then doing a minimal skim cut on it to flatten to spec. Blown head gasket ran too long. Eroded fire ring land from 15 to 5mm wide. Will no longer seal.
20220515_204013.jpg
 
Take the valves out and clean the head with super clean, Glass bead the head with new beads. Then prep the area with a carbide cutter and clean thoroughly with acid. I watch my son totally rebuild chambers when the valves get stuffed up through them. Anything made of cast or billet aluminum can be repaired . You won't warp it doing that little area weld it once and done.
 
could you could machine it flat and use a copper gasket? I did this on an iron block Triumph with excellent results. Not as fun as learning to weld aluminum though :)
 
There is a trick to getting all the oil cleaned out and cooked out of the aluminum poures, so it will weld good.

Degrease it well, then wash with boiling hot dawn dish soap, and rinse with distilled water.

Blow dry and let it sit in the hot sun for a couple hours, then go right to welding it while it is warm.

Won't Warp

Some folks even go as far as taking an old dishwasher and do a hot wash cycle with Cascade and and a hot rinse.

Some also use 20 Mule Team Borax to clean aluminum too.
 
Is this Mazda head an OHC? If so, lay a straight edge along the cam saddles to test for warpage. If it's BENT, you have a new concern.
 
What's the year make and model of the Mazda pickup you are working on?

Head welding project.

Mazda B210?
 
Like others have said, you can definitely weld it as long as it is cleaned thoroughly. Any oil left in the casting will show in the weld. Note that the weld will generally be a little softer than the rest of the head, which shouldn’t be a problem for most engines.
 
Its fixable but you'll need to have machine work done. Looks like a HEMI head so the money still might be right to fix vs replace. This guy has several cast alum repair vids that are all very helpful.
 
When Ford first came out with the Escort the aluminum heads were prone to cracking. I knew a Shop teacher that also had a machine shop business and they could fix aluminum heads. I can’t tell you how many Escort heads I had fixed and timing belts I replaced. They would throw the heads in an oven and the iron valve seats would fall out then after they welded and machined everything they would install the seats.
 
Max1196 said:
Is this Mazda head an OHC? If so, lay a straight edge along the cam saddles to test for warpage. If it's BENT, you have a new concern.
Click to expand...
Not bent...ran a straight edge 7 ways to Sunday and no light under it. The small ridge actually cleaned up and I have the same amount of meat at the thinnest part that the head gasket has so it looks as if it eroded/wore right up to the fire ring then stopped. Im gonna run it and see what happens. Im attempting to use this head as its 109mm spec thickness so the valve timing wont be retarded. I believe they milled my old head way past maximum (.2mm!) and now I'm x degrees cam retarded. It just doesn't run like it used to before the head rebuild.
 
George Jets said:
What's the year make and model of the Mazda pickup you are working on?

Head welding project.

Mazda B210?
Click to expand...
Mazda B2000, although this head is technically a 1972 Maz B1600/Courier 1.8. Couriers got the 1.8 while the Mazdas got the 1.6.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top