welding nickel rad shell

M

mike37cdn

Senior Member
i have a 26 model t ford the rad shell has a couple of cracks in it can you weld it and can it be polished thanks
 
The "nickel" 'shell is nickel plated steel. The steel welds easily and is a common operation. For small cracks, MIG welding on the "low" setting works perfectly with proper skill and control. Common MIG wire, or ER70S6, is ideal. It must be cleaned well and the crack aligned before welding. Then I weld with overlapping tacks, getting about 120% penetration along the entire weld. Gas welding of the shell works well also, and TIG is probably the best choice, but not necessary. This is an operation for someone skilled and experienced, but with the right information and practice you can do it. The weld should be done from the outside, which makes metal finishing easier. Soldering or brazing a crack in steel will sooner or later fail, however silver solder or brass can be used as a filler in those areas where metal finishing prior to plating is impossible. www.olympic-speedsters.com
 
Check with a magnet first. Many of the nickle plated 26-27 shells were brass. Before you do any stripping you might want to check price to re-plate. There is a conversation at MTFCA about the cost to re-plate a shell.
 
I think all of the nickel plated shells were brass. I have only seen one that wasn't and it wasn't made in the USA. A brass shell can be repaired very easily by brazing or silver soldering. Dave
 
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