I Need Someone to Repair Aluminum Heads

[HOTROD_WILLIE]

I have set of old Aluminum heads. I know spark plug threads are bad and some welding around the water inlets. The head might need to shaved and redome. I was thinking about H&H Flathead. Has anybody had H&H flathead do head work before? Is there anybody else that I can trust? Thanks again for all the help

[wga]

Willie - wow, the labor involved in repairing heads vs. the cost of new? What heads are these? Are they are some very trick cool old school gots to have them? Seriously to weld these - GTAW or TIG is required, plus the aluminum alloy is not known, so the filler rod used - a silicon rod, etc. etc. This all get $$$ in a big hurry.
H&H has Navarro heads which are in my opinion the best.

[TomT/Williamsburg]

I have to agree with WGA - unless you can do the work yourself, it's not worth it. Even then, with all the work, time, and money involved, you may still have issues. It's a crap shoot, at best .....

[Dale Fairfax]

What you're looking for ain't exactly rocket science. If the heads are old (like in stock Fords or rearly '50s aftermarket) they're going to be difficult to weld no matter what. Poor quality original aluminum and/or aggravated by years of oxidation and exposure to contaminants makes welding a problem. However, a good tig welder can usually overcome some of that and you probably have as good of access to good tig welders in your area as all the way to the west coast. Most automotive machine shops have to be able to repair aluminum heads since they have been common on most cars since the '80s ( and prone to head gasket problems thus requiring welding and resurfacing). The Spark plug holes might be better done with Timeserts (or Helicoils) since tryong to weld down in a hole is difficult under the best of circumstances.

[JWL]

Well, Dale has said a mouthful---it won't be easy but they can probably be saved. It is sometimes necessary to initiate the actual weld some distance from where the apparent defective area is. The welding operator must find a reasonably solid area upon which to begin the build-up. This can be an inch or so from where your eyeball thinks it should be.

The welding can be done with either TIG or MIG. The newer Lincoln pulse MIG machines, for aluminum, can make a hero out of a novice. Whichever process is used there will probably be significant "aftercare" in the form of machining and grinding. Too, I agree with Dale on the sparkplug threads being replaced with some kind of insert.

[Robert Dip]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I have to feel with HOTRODWILLIE….I was about to ask the same question. Sure, new stuff is the way to go….why should I work on my old Fords when I could go buy a new one…..and that is the question. I have a few old sets of aluminum finned heads that would also need attention. I have new ones too, but I do not use them on my ‘true ole Ford Hot Rod’ restoration projects. I use only the real ole stuff….why….don’t ask, that the way it is with some of us. A lot can be said about local welders and engine shops that can ‘possibly…maybe’ do the work, but without having the true experience, I would have zilch confidence on the workmanship. Maybe we are dreamers, but, like many of the experts we see on the Ford Barn, maybe, just maybe, there is someone out there that can handle this job….some welding, re-surfacing, re-machining the dome that has been slightly beaten with broken rings, re-do the valve clearance work. There are a lot of us, I am sure, that have fairly good heads that require a bit of expertise work on them, so….anyone out there?? Robert

[HOTROD_WILLIE]

The question is there anybody out there know how to restore aluminum heads. I know H and H Flathead can restore heads. I also have friend that had some head restore by someone else several years ago.
Sometime I feel I am wasting my time asking question on the Fordbarn. I was not asking is worth money to restore set of aluminum heads. I had 4 replys that had nothing do with the question.

[s nichols]

wall hangers

[Ol' Ron]

Back in the late 80's when I went into business, I did head rebuilding, the procedure went something like this sand blast the combustion chamber side if the head, add Devcon F to all the croaded areas. Mill head .040-.060", redome , helicoil spark plug threads and machine combustion chamber for .375 valve clearance and 65CC. All this was done by hand and I charged 125 to 150 for this service. Did quite a few heads this way, but got busy building engines and had to quit. Wouldn't touch it for 500 bucks today.

[JWL]

I apologize for trying to inform you of uninteresting aspects of head repair.

[Dale Fairfax]

I think this guy was predisposed to send the heads to H & H and wanted confirmation-more than advice. Oh well, it's his money.

Originally Posted by JWL

I apologize for trying to inform you of uninteresting aspects of head repair.

[Robert Dip]

Ol' Ron....'your the man'.....any way to reverse your aging process...I'd be in line to get my heads done. On a serious note, I like your comment on Devcon F ( aluminum epoxy )....fill in the corroded areas and mill the head......and from your past experience, how did the Devcon hold up? Since I have most of the equipment in welding and machining, I may be crazy enough to try the repairing myself.

[Ol' Ron]

The Devcon F worked great, at least nobody had any complaints.. I've also used JB weld to repair the corroded areas. The biggest problem is the combustion chamber, if the combustion seal is broken. their hard to weld. Good luck
PS I mill the clearance over the valves at a 5 degree angle and the transfer area at an 8 degree angle in the opposite direction.The entrance into the cylinder at a 45-50- degree angle. This has the best flow for a street engine you can change the CR by making the length of the transfer arer longer or shorter. Re doming is the trick, I hade to make a doming tool.

[296 V8]

I know someone that’s set up
Send me a message if interested
Greg

[BILL WZOREK]

Greg:
If in your reply you mean that you know some one that can do this type of work,Please let us all know,it is becoming a lost art and if some one still has the Expertise, it would be nice to let the rest of us know

THANKS
BILL W

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by HOTROD_WILLIE

The question is there anybody out there know how to restore aluminum heads. I know H and H Flathead can restore heads. I also have friend that had some head restore by someone else several years ago.
Sometime I feel I am wasting my time asking question on the Fordbarn. I was not asking is worth money to restore set of aluminum heads. I had 4 replys that had nothing do with the question.

Willie, keep in mind this is a discussion forum. You may get varied opinions from various people. You need to go through the responses and then make your own decision on what YOU want to do.
I recall you once made a statement in a post here about the Early Ford V8 Club meet held in Charlotte in 2010. No one here could convince you that you had heard wrong information.

[Robert Dip]

Thanks Ol' Ron, as usual we always wait for your informative responses. Yes, I figure that a special tool for the dome machining is in order…not a shelf item. Interesting of your valve clearance specs…recorded in my head files….Thanks…Robert


PS..attached is a photo of an interesting set of heads that I acquired a few years ago..it’s an Edelbrock design that was made for the everyday guy who just simply wanted to change heads and using all of the original length studs. It took me a while to find some info on these heads….old ads from Edelbrock showing both models…the ‘race’ and the stock version. They are too interesting to become just wall hangers. Are we having fun yet!

[296 V8]

Originally Posted by BILL WZOREK

Greg:
If in your reply you mean that you know some one that can do this type of work,Please let us all know,it is becoming a lost art and if some one still has the Expertise, it would be nice to let the rest of us know

THANKS
BILL W

Sorry but I don’t want to put friends phone numbers out on an open forum … happy to message it to you.