Engine and Transmission Tech

Ahh! I’m looking at getting a new one or used that will fit my LT77 5 speed. Its probably a Rover unit right? This is sick! There’s JB weld in the crack! I guess they didnt want to pull the tranny, so got some epoxy and a drill. Geez! I didnt want to clean it up anyways.

You could Tig weld it. But it has to be real clean first. I'd be tempted to use those low temperature rods that are more like brazing. You use a Mapp gas torch and heat the aluminum until the flux turns brown.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2025 07:47PM by mgb260.

Non-critical area. Bake it in an oven on the self-clean cycle then bevel the edges with a die grinder and it should TIG just fine. Way cheaper than a new bell.

Jim

Yeah, only SD1 and TR8 used or new from Rimmer or TWS for $500.

I’m going to try the low temp brazing rods with Mapp gas or mapp w/ oxygen,
thanks

Here’s what I’m going to try. It’s hotter than Mapp gas alone with the added oxygen. We’ll see..

It is worse than i thought. It was only held together by the JB Weld.. Getting all of that residue off is a pain.

Not sure how or why this was done the way it was, but I’m guessing it was a temporary fix without taking the motor out. Trying to clean it up as much as possible. Hoping the brazing thing works. If not, I gotta pay a Tig welder.

Scott, I'd bevel the crack open a bit for more penetration. The brazing rod will be stronger than the surrounding aluminum. I think where it was broke they hit a rock or something hard like a curb maybe? Mapp gas alone would get hot enough, but with oxygen you will get hot quicker.

Thanks Jim,
Bevel it just like a tig weld set up.

Getting out of tight spaces may be easier with a load leveller as it enables the engine to be tilted.

"One of these days I'll make it to a V8 meet. West of the Mississippi would be better for me."

There has only been one. That was in Colorado Springs in 2014. It was not as well attended as those East of the mighty Mississippi River.


"Carl had a cracked bellhousing before also. I think the early D&D bellhousing had issues."

I have now cracked two OEM Buick bellhousings. Crack starts at the thin section of the clutch fork window & migrates around.

Fortunately, I had a fully round D&D bell in storage waiting for a new engine. So glad I measured it before installing. The Buick bell was a 1/4" deeper.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2025 09:15PM by MGBV8.

Yes, the load leveler helped a bunch.

I just use a big, strong nylon strap under the intake manifold. It can be slid back & forth as needed.

Quote:

"One of these days I'll make it to a V8 meet. West of the Mississippi would be better for me."

There has only been one. That was in Colorado Springs in 2014. It was not as well attended as those East of the mighty Mississippi River.

Don't forget about the 2012 meet in Palestine, Texas and the 2013 meet in Omaha, Nebraska. All of those were great meets! In retrospect, it might've been better if the three western meets weren't back-to-back... but meets are held where someone volunteers to host a meet.

One of these days guys, I promise I I just don't like to fly and it's always a long drive. Maybe we should do a NW one? Clark County fairgrounds Vancouver, WA. Curtis you are in Portland, what do you think? We could draw from California to Canada and everybody West of the Mississippi!

If you can get one, preferably two, to host it & do the leg work. Just don't expect many of the Eastern British V8 crew to attend. Not nearly as many of that bunch went to Colorado Springs as I expected to be there.

Yes, Curtis, I forgot which side of the Mighty Mississippi that Omaha was on. The Lumberjack's last hurrah. What a great time we had!

Texas is a part of the South to many, so I excuse them for being on the Left side of the Mississippi River. :)

Beveled!





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2025 01:13AM by Gswest236.

Scott, looks like you're ready to melt some metal!

I'd strongly encourage you to persuade the wife to visit her family for a day and use the opportunity to pop it into the oven and set the self-clean cycle.

Oil gets down into the pores of the aluminum casting and will continue to boil out as you attempt the repair. The hydrocarbon gases will interfere with your gas shield (yes, burned fuel gases are an effective shield to keep the oxygen away from the aluminum) resulting in a dirty nasty weld that will be ugly and weak. This is true even when you are brazing which is what you are talking about attempting with the mapp gas process.

You also risk melting holes in it, especially if the metal is dirty. What happens is that you get it *almost* hot enough to get the rod to stick but due to a thin oxide layer it just won't quite do it so you heat it a little more trying to penetrate the surface layer and stick to the metal that is starting to melt underneath and are just starting to get some progress when a dime sized area just drops out on the floor and now you have a hole to patch with ragged oxidized edges. BTDT

Not trying to discourage you though. Here's an old-timer's trick: Smoke the area to deposit a thin layer of carbon. (easily done with acetylene but with other gases you have to find a way to block the air from the torch so you get a smokey flame) Then as you heat the area and approach melting temps the carbon will begin to burn off, and when it finally does you are just slightly below the melting point and at risk. This is the temp where your brazing rod will work the best.

I'd recommend you try to practice on something else first if you can.

Jim