I have had pretty good luck just pre-heating cast iron and Mig welding it with 75%25%,and some er70s-6 electrode.Then try to have it cool really slow.You can use a propane torch for the cool-down.Just clean/grind it as best you can first ofcourse.
If you build up the flanges you should at least check with a straightedge for possible warping. A junkyard head is a possibility combining the parts it comes with and the parts in your head possibly with a trip to your friendly local machine shop for a valve grind should result in a pretty fresh head.
Bill
Hi There; I've had good success with welding cast iron using Everdure 254 rod.
It is a soft bronze rod and used with the tig process. Apply most of the heat to the rod and not the base metal.
Try it on a piece of scrap metal to make sure it is what u need.
This rod is also excellent for welding galvinized sheet metal (no fumes and very fast).
Hello just to drop in on the subject i went through the whole spill on exh leaks on my 1995 f450 460 i replace the r/h head due to the rear bolt broken in the head i was able to remove it but the lack of meat on the corner when i torq the manifold bolts it cracked on the corner so i replace the head and the ypipe assy to the manifolds because they collapse and ford has made them with a piece that goes in the manifold so they dont collapse i would not waste time just do it right you will be happy in the long run.
thank you fellas....the last response sounds like something that my dear old dad would say...without a doubt Id be happiest replacing them...but then again....I guess Im (cheap) adventurous...Im gonna probably try fixin....take it as a challenge.....not gonna waste too much time though...the first flange will be make or break...I cant ruin it any more than it is...Its really a shame because the engine runs very well...I dont like the exhaust noise but...for the kind of money at stake... if it wasnt burning up plug wires...I might not be so inclined to fix it
Could that everdure 254 be used with a oxy/acetylene brazing torch?...and how is the everdure different from the common brazing rod I have????...what kind of flux is used?
anybody ever use cast iron rod with a brazing torch???
its gonna be a bit before I do this ....its a plow truck and the snow is almost all melted here now....but its gonna get cold at the end of the week...so why freeze trying to do this now?...Ill wait till it gets a bit warmer for good.....feel free to jump in with any more thoughts & Ill keep looking for replacement heads that are more affordable
I have used a product - SIFBronze mfg. cast iron filler rod / flux combination. We got it from a company in England. It was intended as an oxyfuel weld filler material used with a powder flux. The filler rod was a casting. To make the stick, it actually looked like they poured the molton iron metal into the vee of a flat piece of angle iron and let it freeze. The process worked pretty good, but the high preheat and req. post heat caused enough thermal distortion to require machining afterwards. (I don't work there anymore...or I'd send you a stick to try).
This "seasoned" welder in our shop told me that when he was a kid they used to weld cast iron together using a torch and some old cast iron piston rings as filler.