1935 Ford flathead V8 aluminum heads

B

Bullshark

Junior Member
I have to repair as small crack in one of my aluminum heads on the 35 ford coupe. Can someone tell me if those heads were originally factory painted along with the rest of the engine?
 
No paint from the factory.Commercial applications which were cast iron were painted.
 
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Depending on where the crack is there could be additional issues. If there is a lot of corrosion inside/behind where you are attempting to weld it will not react well to the heat of the weld. It is possible to end up with a bigger problem.
 
I bought some special high strength aluminum epoxy on Amazon and used it to repair some broken bolt bosses on a Navarro Universal intake manifold. Two years down the line, it's still holding. I don't know if it would work on heads; just suggesting a possible alternative to welding, which, as "JSeery" said, can make a big problem out of a little problem quite quickly on old aluminum castings.
 
It is a small hairline crack seeping coolant along the line illustrated by the blue mark on this picture. Turns out it is positioned directly over a coolant port on the block. I toyed with the idea of using one of those new nanotechnology fiberlock head, gasket & block repair products I have heard has had some success. Thinking welding would be a more reliable fix.

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IMO I would reconsider the welding option, it would be a shame to destroy that nice of a head. But that is just me.
 
I have the same similar issue with my aluminum head made in Canada, "cheater heads" I'd like to repair them. Let me know what you ended up with and give me some pointers. It's on the water side.
 
Does the crack go through into the stud hole? If so, then things will get a lot more difficult as the stud-hole would need to be sleeved with aluminum to seal it.

Another option is to use a 'water glass' type product (Moroso Ceramic Seal is what I use). If you're just weeping water out of the current crack, this will seal it. Pay attention to the directions!

If it was mine, I'd probably have it welded and then vapor blasted or light glass beaded to try to get the whole surface to look pretty much the same.

If you weld on it, it can warp the head deck surface as well - so then it may need to be surfaced. Just something to note . . .
 
There is a description of the 35 heads on the early Ford V8 club web site under edits to the 35-36 restoration book. Your heads appear a bit earlier than 35.
 
I have welded several of these heads. They weld just fine, just make sure it's perfectly clean and "V" the crack. I will then weld, peen, sculpt/sand the weld and retexture the area and you can't tell where the repair was made if it's done correctly. Sometimes preheating is necessary. Also, make sure to use the correct filler rod.

I have a big abrasive sander specifically for decking automotive heads or whatever else needs to be made flat again. This is perfect for making a head flat again, or to just check if a head is flat. It's always good to check this, especially after any repairs.

I think repairing it right the first time is the best practice. If you are unable to do the work, find someone competent that can. There are lots of qualified folks out there. Good Luck!
 
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OldGold360 said:
I have welded several of these heads. They weld just fine, just make sure it's perfectly clean and "V" the crack. I will then weld, peen, sculpt/sand the weld and retexture the area and you can't tell where the repair was made if it's done correctly. Sometimes preheating is necessary. Also, make sure to use the correct filler rod.

I have a big abrasive sander specifically for decking automotive heads or whatever else needs to be made flat again. This is perfect for making a head flat again, or to just check if a head is flat. It's always good to check this, especially after any repairs.

I think repairing it right the first time is the best practice. If you are unable to do the work, find someone competent that can. There are lots of qualified folks out there. Good Luck!
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This would be my approach!
 
OldGold360 said:
I have welded several of these heads. They weld just fine, just make sure it's perfectly clean and "V" the crack. I will then weld, peen, sculpt/sand the weld and retexture the area and you can't tell where the repair was made if it's done correctly. Sometimes preheating is necessary. Also, make sure to use the correct filler rod.

I have a big abrasive sander specifically for decking automotive heads or whatever else needs to be made flat again. This is perfect for making a head flat again, or to just check if a head is flat. It's always good to check this, especially after any repairs.

I think repairing it right the first time is the best practice. If you are unable to do the work, find someone competent that can. There are lots of qualified folks out there. Good Luck!
Click to expand...
How do you "re-texture" them? ALSO what rod do you use??
 
rockfla said:
How do you "re-texture" them? ALSO what rod do you use??
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4043 works for most vintage cast aluminum. As far as adding the texture back... it depends on the type of texture. Some textures are more rough than others, and casting material does not always respond the same way each time. Almost like some castings are harder than others. Softer castings are easier to get a good texture than harder castings. There are several techniques and it usually requires reading the materials and applying the correct technique, or many techniques, to achieve the desired results. It would be much easier to show someone than to explain it all.
 
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