weld heads

1tuffcj

so i was going through my garage and takeing invitory. some of you might remember after i did my build, and just fireing the beast up. i discovered i had a cracked head, that the machine shop should of fluxed it then i would'nt of wasted so much time. they said they did so either they lied or i cracked it buy lifting it with the cherrry picker. antway i went with some edlebrock aluminum heads ( love them ). my question is can i get it welded. the thing is at the machine shop they put new valves spring, valve seats and all that goes into cleaning up a set of head's. i just came across a free 360, it's been seating for awhile so i know i'm gonna have to go through it. can i use the 401 heads on the 360, would that be a good thing or not realy. i also have my old t-150 i was gonna rebuild it and put it behind the 360. watch you think, all advise is welcome. thanks in advance.

tufcj

Cast heads can be repaired, but it depends where the crack is. If it's external, they usually drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it, insert a pin, weld and grind flat. Cracks into the combustion area are more difficult. 360 and 401 heads are the same, and can be interchanged. T-150 is an iffy trans at best. I broke 3 of them behind a very mild 360 before swapping in a T-18. Bob tufcj

ironman_gq

I think the trans itself isnt that bad. it just has crappy ratios and not the best syncros. I am still using my t150 and I only rebuilt it with new bearings and syncros. so far its held up but I just have a slightly massaged 304 Its still not even close to a mild 360

1tuffcj

here's where the crack is, it also looks like it goes about 3/4 to 1" along the 90 dgreees. what do you think, like i said all new parts on it.

tufcj

That's actually a very common place for AMC heads to crack (especially 291-Cs). I've had a couple fixed and pressure tested and put back into service. What usually causes that is too much torque on the bolt too fast. I torque the heads on in at least 3 stages. First pass at 30, then 60, then 2 passes at full torque. Haven't had one crack since. Definitely fixable. Take it to a shop that specializes in heads though, not just the local welder. Bob tufcj

AMX69PHATTY

Someone on another sight had pictures where they had that area "spray welded" ??? :-|

1tuffcj

thanks you guy's, now to find someone who speacializes in head work.

Mudrat

Bump for TUF and I too have a question.

Did the long run to Jacks place and got his stuff, including the old 401 heads he had. It had been so long since I've seen him (or hte heads) I forgot that he ate some bolts along the way. (No wonder it was knocking Jack!!! :shock: )

Now that I have these boat anchors here - can these be fixed? =D>

tufcj

I'd have them magnafluxed and pressure tested, but as long as there's no cracks, they're completely salvageable. I had a 304 head that dropped a valve, the valve head turned sideways and was rammed into the seat by the piston (putting a hole in the piston). The machine shop had to machine out the seat and install a new one, and do a little polishing to remove sharp edges, but the head was put back into service. Bob tufcj

fuzz401

see I told you mudrat #-o :?

Mudrat

Yeah, YOU told me on the phone Bob stuck it out there in WRITING :lo1l: 111!!! by the way, called Aeromotive - any -6 o-ring will work on the regulator and any AN-6 fitting. It's just the countersink in the regulator that makes the difference. They're sending me the O'rings because I found Summit didn't list the right discription :!: :t: They are $12 for 10 at Jegs (Aeromotive 15621) and $10 for 10 on Summit. And $6.77 for 10 on Amazon.com :shock:

ironman_gq

gonna be another $10-12 for that "free" shipping from jegs or summit. 111!!!

fuzz401

See I told you to call them #-o :? :?:

Mudrat

fuzz401 wrote
See I told you to call them #-o :? :?:

Yeah, but I had to ask for the O-rings :wink: