My friend is having an issue welding cast to regular plate AL, we did the bungs on my valvecover and they came out pretty crappy, and now since I am having a hard time finding a thick gague AL 90 to weld on my Endtank I am forced to use a Cast AL 90 and weld it on my endtank. What are some recommended fillers and amp/settings for the welder to get this worked out right, I am pretty sure we used the wrong filler on my valvecover, it was popping and crackeling when he welded it, he has too much pride to ask himself.

Here is a link to the bend: http://www.verociousmotorsport...Elbow

And the Endtank:

I also have a V-Band that I would like to weld on the other end of the cast bend, is that a good idea or no?

 

i personally use 4043 rod, though the quality of the cast can make it easier or harder to weld on it. i tried welding bungs on a 4g63 valve cover and it welded like **** and im good at welding cast to billet........... but it could have been cause it had some oil in the weld so make sure its nice clean and oil free.


mike

 

thanks, he uses a stinky purple liquid to clean everything before the welds, he is really good at that. I dont know if it makes a difference but does the rough surface of the cast make it harder to weld? Would it help to grind it down smooth before he welds it? I know the maker of the bend is Vibrant, hopefully they have decent castings.

 

i never use chemicals on the materials i weld. just a plain stainless wirebrush has always worked for me.

vibrant gets most of their stuff off shore... even their flanges... the elbow you got is probably some crappy grade of aluminum and that is the problem. i've welded some ebay charge piping that customers have brought in to the shop that is full of contamination and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it but complain and charge extra for the hassle. i've welded cast to piping before without an issue, but it was probably better quality material. i use 5356 filler.

 

thanks

 

man those ugly welds are going to make all the people who pay for really good welds look like idiots... i cant believe you did that to a honda and the community as a whole

idiot

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by welfarepc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">man those ugly welds are going to make all the people who pay for really good welds look like idiots... i cant believe you did that to a honda and the community as a whole

idiot</TD></TR></TABLE>

wtf...... where did that come from? where do you even see a weld in this thread?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by weiRtech &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> i've welded some ebay charge piping that customers have brought in to the shop that is full of contamination and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it but complain and charge extra for the hassle. </TD></TR></TABLE>

lol, i must say i agree with you

 

Well all the stuff I bought was Vibrant material, so I guess they source their stuff oversea's....... kinda makes me mad to know that after what I paid for 2 polished 3" U-Bends and a 3" x 18" long straight section, it sure wasnt cheap.

Anybody got any comments on amperage and/or tungsten? Should he weld just as hot as if it was just straight AL or hotter/colder? I just dont want to mess this up for his sake, he did such a good job on the endtanks I would hate to see the last little bit look like ****.

here is a pic of it on the car...... it needs a little level tweak, but looks pretty good IMO




Modified by 96 GSR-T at 5:26 PM 4/30/2008


Modified by 96 GSR-T at 5:27 PM 4/30/2008

 

i use vibrant stuff all the time. the piping is a little soft, so you have to bead the ends or weld beads if your using t-bolts.

as far as welding vibrant stuff, its pretty clean. i've never had a problem. most of the ebay stuff is chromed, which obviously makes it turn out a like crap.

some of the forign stuff makes me look like i've been welding 5 minutes.

i weld on ebay endtanks all the time. there is usually a little crap in there, but its not that bad.

i usually use laquor thinner to clean if i clean at all.

 

well when i build manifolds i use about 90-105 amps for welding anywhwere from 1/8"-3/16" cast aluminum to 1/8" sheet aluminum. i use 3/32" 2% or pure tungsten (whatever is in the torch) with 1/16"-3/32" filler rod (4043 like i said above) and this is the end product......... oh and i actually carbide the surface of the cast aluminum to get rid of all the diryt flash on the surface and then spray it with non chlorinated brake clean. look close right above the welds and u can see where the carbide went across.


mike

 

Agreed, switched to 4043 for welding cast and it sure helped out a lot. Though I seem to have to use a lot more amperage than you do, a good 150 amps for 3/32 or so cast. I usually don't pre-heat, though, which I guess would make life a lot easier.

Ian

 

I've welded a bunch of the Vibrant cast elbows, and they weld just fine. Same with their aluminum tubing. The eBay **** sucks, mind you.

 

Thanks for all the input, you guys have been a great help, shouldnt be a problem now.

 

I also us 4043 rod and scrub the area with a stainless steel brush and acid for like 5 mins on cast parts. Then I clean with the cheap Autozone brake cleaner and weld away, never had a problem.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GTibunny16v &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I also us 4043 rod and scrub the area with a stainless steel brush and acid for like 5 mins on cast parts. Then I clean with the cheap Autozone brake cleaner and weld away, never had a problem. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Make sure you use NON CHLORINATED brake cleaner.

 

Im pretty sure it is. It smells mostly of alcohol, dries quick and leaves no residue.

 

its also much nicer on the scences than chlorinated

 

Got it done! Came out quite well, welded very easy.... Thanks for the help guys






I am glad I bought 2 3" V-Bands insead of 1 because when I removed the o-ring in the 1st one and clamped it back together to weld it I mist of overtightened it and stripped the bolt..... $45 down the *******