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If I may reply, I have welded various kinds of cast iron and steel with an AC arc welder before I found out I couldn't do that. I broke my Jeep gear case in two and welded it back together back in 1960/61... Still holding strong to this day. Had put a Buick 364 engine in a 1954 Chevy pickup. Then found myself doing it again several times for cheap horse power upgrades for them old dogs. I used to cut two exhaust manifolds and AC weld the properly angled pieces together for frame clearance. Again, I did not know it couldn't be done. And, there's been some tougher projects since useing cast and stainless welding rods making these jobs easier. But, I want to get back to the first ones: trans case and manifolds. I welded these with 6018 mild steel rod. Secret was preheating the parts and I used a wood stove using wood and a little coke (available at that time). Each piece was welded together over a period of a week to ten days, preheating each time and cooling off in the wood stove simply letting the fire die. NOTE: the primary secret (or trick) is in short welds, and one whale of a lot of peening: the, when you have peened it enough, immediately do it again and if need be again. I can not stress this part enough. The peening takes the stress out of the welded materials. Then put it back into an oven, wood stove, whatever!!! Second NOTE: make the weld short. Not over one inch or two one inch welds a day. That is why it took me a week for the manifolds. Third NOTE: Some may say I don’t know what I’m talking about. So let them. All I know is what had worked for me. Acetylene cast iron welding is tough. I have done that. And, it requires heating the pieces to near red hot and going at it very progressively with a cast rod and flux. Then follows is the problem of distortion. Have done this welding also salvage welding castings before machining. Good luck and a peening good time!!!!!
Fernan
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