hairline crack in head, can it be repaired?

dogsled1 · Jul 21, 2014

I have a '52 8N that I am trying to get going. It has been sitting up for about 3 years. The previous owner pointed out a hairline crack in a water passage on the head, said it oozes coolant when hot. I have read a few posts where people have managed to fix this with metal shavings (a rust repair) and some folks claim that JB weld will do the trick. I was hoping to get some first hand feedback here.

Is it worth trying to fix? A quick search yielded both new and remanufactured heads starting at $125.

R Geiger · Jul 21, 2014

If it was mine I would replace it. If you got lots of time and like playing with it you could try and repair. I brazed a cracked block years ago and it held, but it is always a crap shoot!

Den N Ms · Jul 21, 2014

dogsled1,I would look around for a good used one ,ebay,Local ect.$50.00 $60.00.Then you know it's repaired.

Dean · Jul 21, 2014

Perhaps, but for the price of a good used head, it's hardly worth the effort.

I tried brazing leaking pin holes in an N head 25 years or so ago without success.

Dean

notjustair · Jul 21, 2014

Get a good used one. When you are bored in the winter have
it welded and keep it as a backup. You can never have too
many spare parts.

kylemorley · Jul 22, 2014

If it was mine, and I hadn't pulled the head yet, I'd be tempted to
throw in a can of Bars Leak and see what happens. If nothing else it
might give you some time to find a good head at your leisure, at
best it might fix semi-forever.

souNdguy · Jul 22, 2014

for the low price of a N head. I'd get a good one.. then braze the old one after cleaning it up good.

use it as an emergency spare...

i for sure would not use jbweld...

Braze would be the safest concerning warping IMHO.. though I certaintly think it could be welded properly too.

cbradio · Jul 22, 2014

(quoted from post at 19:29:46 07/22/14) for the low price of a N head. I'd get a good one.. then braze the old one after cleaning it up good.

use it as an emergency spare...

i for sure would not use jbweld...

Braze would be the safest concerning warping IMHO.. though I certaintly think it could be welded properly too.

I agree with braze being a very good fix as well. (Welding engineer)

Welding on cast iron is a PITA. It requires specific preheat and interpass temps. Solidification cracks are a buzz kill.

dogsled1 · Jul 22, 2014

I like that idea, I think I'll try that once I get it running and hopefully give me time to find a good used head. Since this tractor was free and has lots of unknowns still, I am trying to keep the investment to a minimum until I see how it runs.

dogsled1 · Jul 22, 2014

(quoted from post at 16:57:51 07/22/14)

I agree with braze being a very good fix as well. (Welding engineer)

Click to expand...

Could the braze be done with a small plumbers torch? I have a small one that uses mapp gas and an oxygen cylinder.

Royse · Jul 22, 2014

(quoted from post at 22:44:10 07/22/14)

(quoted from post at 16:57:51 07/22/14)

I agree with braze being a very good fix as well. (Welding engineer)

Click to expand...

Could the braze be done with a small plumbers torch? I have a small one that uses mapp gas and an oxygen cylinder.

Click to expand...

Brazing can be done with Mapp gas and oxygen.
Shoot, you can weld with it if you're not doing thick material.
I can't vouch for how well it would work on a cast head, but
I still think it would work better than epoxy, JB Weld, etc.

Dean · Jul 22, 2014

Doubtful.

Dean

hairline crack in head, can it be repaired?

dogsled1

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R Geiger

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Den N Ms

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Dean

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notjustair

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kylemorley

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souNdguy

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cbradio

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dogsled1

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dogsled1

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Royse

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Dean

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