HOW TO FIX A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD

HOW TO FIX A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD
I this video I'll show up how to fix a cracked cylinder head and this is the same way you would repair a cracked cast iron block.
I can repair 90% of the cracks but only about 60% is it cost affective.
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This would be a great small business that anyone could start today.
Machining, machinist, automotive machining, DIY, automotive DIY, easy diy tutorials, fix your car, fix your car easy free, machinist tips, cylinder head, cylinder block, headgasket, engine problems, Smokey Yunick, best damn garage in town, faye hadley, all girls garage, pistons and pixiedust, pixie dust, daniel soliz, danny and faye, automotive book club live, Hill Country Performanance & Machine, HCP, flathead, flathead ford, 8BA
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Why A Flathead? In this series, we explore old school cool!
Why A Flathead? link
• Video

[@bad406camaro]

This was one of the very first machining operations I learned in my grandfather's machine shop in the mid 1970`s i hated working the summers away at the time. Now looking back i see he was laying the foundation for a lifetime of work ethics. I can remember being chastised for throwing away plugs when they could be used on a second repair. We did not have fluid weld back then. just drill, tap, grind it and peen it. At the time It would seem that he saved cylinder heads all year for my summers. It was not the case but as a 12 year old it seemed like it. This is a lost art in modern machining. Even now I have fallen into industry practice of welding or replacement. From time to time I come across a cylinder head repaired with plugs and have never seen a repair failure. I have seen poor weld repairs fail usually because the crack was not terminated. But never a plug repair. BTW it is over 100$ a bottle for the 9floz bottle

[@MrDanielSoliz]

That’s awesome, same here. Miss those days!

[@chadchampion4952]

I would have never thought THATS HOW you repair a crack in a cast iron head!!! Can't wait to see part 2

[@dannylister558]

Your patience is a wonderful thing to watch..

[@venomgeach9690]

Another great video, keep it up brother.

[@gilmello8296]

Interesting repair.

[@grantreid8583]

We use this same system in Australia i have fitted thousands of these what we call A plugs but i have never seen the reamer we just drill 13/64 from memory and then use the tapered tap. Have fitted over 60 plugs to 1 diesel cyl heads when i was working overseas in a brutal country. That cyl head you are working on is the same as our early ford falcon ones they used to crack badly in the central exhaust port. They were shocking heads for leaking and cracking around the exhaust your one appears to have helicoils fitted from a repair and also has what we call thin wall guides which are what were used before klines came along here in Australia.

[@elainesoliz2205]

One day you should tell people how hard it is for me to keep quiet while you are filming!

[@thevandivers]

LOL

[@dannylister558]

Shop mom..im talking to myself just watching your videos..so I could not be quiet..

[@elainesoliz2205]

danny lister 😂

[@errolwong6445]

You have the patience of a Saint Shop Mom!

[@Tim_M]

You are a woman so we already know

[@randomugliness1238]

Fascinating!

[@charles_wipman]

I never seen this repair before but i seen the interlocking screws before, on firearms; and it works 100%. And yep; 'mira' is what we say to ourselves (our out loud) when we see a good looking girl passing by or just something else equaly good. Have a great weekend, i was missing you, stay well!.

[@juanitafinn-1460]

Great to watch, takes me back to my early trade days - I thought it had all been forgotten stuff ! 🙂👍

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@thevandivers]

Looks good!

[@junebrooks665]

a very good procedure; many thanks it will be very useful to us when we take the heads off

[@jpegjake]

dang feels like a like alot more work than I thought at first

[@scflooring8658]

Your the best Danny

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Thank you 🙏

[@CHEAPROLLIN]

Nice video brother good work

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Thanks

[@jamesratliff5164]

You could use a dremel tool or a sonicrafter and be able to get into smaller places or even closer to the surface being plugged.

[@dannypalmer7701]

Nice!

[@jizburg]

Its all about that space age polymer.

[@krazykozey2259]

Personally I would cut the plugs so not as much is in the water jackets but I dig. I have a set of olds 455 heads Joe Mondello did in the 80s that have a crack between the valves in the combustion chamber. Where I'm at in Florida the Machine shop guys around me are 🐈s. We'll see how well this holds up after I'm done. I dyno'd 520 at the wheels before I steamwashed cylinder 8. Blocks been sleeved and the head is the last thing I'm trying to salvage. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@krazykozey2259]

Nvermind on cutting short. Just realized how short they are. I payed attention to the tap.

[@dannypalmer7701]

Elmers Glue might work best?

[@jeffcarpenter396]

You can tig weld cast with stainless ro but I like this plugging method

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Right on

[@randy1ization]

I have seen videos of cast iron being welded in pakistan. they make a firepit and heat up the whole head. they cut a vee notch in the crack and weld the crack with a cast iron rod and flux. have u ever tried welding cast iron?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes, the next time I weld cast iron I’ll make a video on how I do it. I use an oven and spray cast iron weld it.

[@andrewmiller37]

Whether it's cast iron or aluminum wouldn't matter. If the base metal has absorbed oil or water, preheat the welding area for best results.

[@backseatdriver3898]

Love this stuff. Couple questions: does the pressure from tapered plugs pushing out on the cast iron cause new weak spots to form? And why not cut the plugs off rather then snapping toward the previous plug? The knowledge provided is invaluable. Thanks for sharing like you do.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

The pressure actually stiffens the area up , we do want to drill the ends first, if not the crack will keep cracking. You most definitely could cut them off, the closer the better. 🙏

[@IvesvanderFlaas]

For something that's not under large loads like this, have you tried bronze brazing instead? Welding cast iron that's been soaking in oil its entire life probably won't be easy but maybe brazing could work? Opening it up with the die grinder and then brazing it might be less labor intensive. Maybe it won't hold under heat cycles though, differential expansion through heating etc.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Depends on the repair, I do like to braze cast iron as well as spraying cast iron.

[@bad406camaro]

Try using bronze and stainless 50/50 twisted filler less expansion issues over bronze

[@B._Smith]

When do you oil for drilling and tapping in metal? I've always wondered.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It depends on the metal. Aluminum-always. I just don’t use oil here because I don’t want the oil oil to interfere with the sealer.

[@grantreid8583]

No need for cutting oil for cast iron it contains graphite which is a lubricant anyway.

[@NS1.]

When you were learning how to do this stuff at such a young age, did you know at the time that this was the field you wanted to work in for the rest of your life?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

I did! As a kid we had to work in the auto parts or the machine shop our choice, I loved the shop side.

[@NS1.]

@@MrDanielSoliz - That's awesome. It also doesn't hurt that your line of work is just plain freaking COOL too. 😎

[@derkmerv6725]

Why not certanium weld?

[@dilnoznishanova9238]

hello, please tell me how much such bolts and fluids cost, where to buy them? I am grateful in advance for the answer

[@elainesoliz2205]

Thank you for the question, we buy from our local EPWI warehouse and i will need a little time to get you that answer. I will update this next week.

[@errolwong6445]

So what are the reasons for repairing a head like this? Is a replacement head not available? is it cheaper to repair just purchasing a new/used head? or some other reason? Can't wait until part 2!

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It's the original cylinder head off of a customers 1966 mustang and she wants to keep it and they are getting harder to find. I'm working on part two right now.

[@dannypalmer7701]

Could you solder it or use welding wire and torch?

[@bad406camaro]

You can braze but not welding wire. To mig weld would require a custom wire. regardless preheating is required. I use a bronze / stainless filler and tig braze small cracks. The best method for cracks that required large filets to remove the cracks are best repaired with spray welding with Oxy/acc powdered metal welding

[@dalebennett5227]

Where do you get the repair kits at. Great Job

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Shop Mom will check our inventory on Monday and let you know.

[@bad406camaro]

Goodson or cylinder head supply CHS in oregon i am sure others carry the plugs also

[@SinsBird]

What a nice secret channel you have here.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Thank you 🙏

[@franklinsitspoor3734]

Where can I purchase the bolts

[@MrDanielSoliz]

You will need the reamer, tap and plugs. call the shop 830-885-6977 talk to Elaine aka Shop Mom and she can set you up with where to get them.

[@wjanis1]

Looking in the hole to see the crack seems reversed

[@missumenimsatanass]

No link for the stuff?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Sorry about that.

[@StephenGiovi]

Daniel: Could I repair a cast iron exhaust manifold the same way?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

You could if it’s a small crack, I always try and think why did it crack, if it cracked because of freezing then yes if it cracked because of heat then the heat that cracked it it still there and most likely will crack again. Hope this helped.

[@dannypalmer7701]

Can you just clean it and grind it and weld it?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes you could.

[@andrewmiller37]

It may work but time consuming though, getting it welded lot easy.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

How would you weld it? Thinking of a fast way to weld cast iron that works, can`t think of one. These cracks go into water so they can`t have any pits in the weld.

[@sevenmoons8700]

What kind of bolt is that? I forgot the name 😅...

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It’s a cast iron tapered plug made by IronTite.

[@sevenmoons8700]

@@MrDanielSoliz thanks 😁

[@MrDanielSoliz]

@@sevenmoons8700 👍👍👍

[@eduardoperez7797]

What happened to part 2?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmSvlK2sg9emZ6M Here is the link, its the next video.

[@4040pmora]

That crack is so close to the boult hole.

[@VB-zx1yk]

out of curiosity, how much on average would a mechanic charge for this type of service?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Sadly, this is an old school way to repair and very few shops can do it. It's not hard to do that's why I did this video. I'm hoping someone will watch this video and start their own business or add it to what they already do.

[@dannypalmer7701]

Super glue wont work under hot steam pressure!

[@daleburnfart6845]

Cool trick, but I wouldnt bother with that for all the money in the world. lol

[@MrDanielSoliz]

What I tell our customers is “if you can find a replacement cylinder head or block buy it” makes no sense to repair a part that can be replaced. Now if you have a numbers matching block or a rare/vintage engine what’s your options?

[@daleburnfart6845]

@@MrDanielSoliz Ah fair enough. Hate to think someone didnt add coolant to a vintage engine.

[@JohnDoe-ml8ru]

100% no. Drill the crack on both ends, grind the crack and either A. Braze it, or B. Weld it.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

There’s more then one way to repair a cracked cylinder head. This is one of them.

[@dannypalmer7701]

Them cracks hard to see!!!

[@robertbutler8004]

I just watched another guy using the pinning system he used a jig that did two things it kept the drill bit at the correct angle and the jig spaced the holes in a precise position way more professional than this guy.

[@elainesoliz2205]

There are a number of ways to accomplish the same thing, however, not every process can be utilized effectively on every repair surface. For instance, you can not use a jig on a surface that is not flat or of dissimilar thickness throughout. I am thinking of the lifter valley of a Flathead Ford, specifically. I recognize the value of a jig in some instances where one is working with a metal that has some of the attributes that occur , I do not think those attributes are generally present in the automotive machining process. I take good advice when given by someone who has mastered the process in real world application, not from someone who makes decisions based on videos watched. To each his own.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

First off please don't give bad advice on my channel. If you notice the surface in not flat and the thickness of a cast iron cylinder head or block is never consistent. That's why I deliberately change the angle of the drill bit. Don't get me wrong I like the other method and kit, also like the video but this way is the old school way, and it works. I have never had one leak

[@bad406camaro]

The jig is used on deck surfaces not be used correctly where portions of the cylinder head are not flat