Welding Transmission Case ?

[Black94DSM]

First off if this is in the wrong forum can a Mod please move it, I wasnt sure where to place it.


Well upon removing my transmission mount the bolt was stuck in there pretty good. I finially got it free and this is what I ended up with.

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Is there anyway that I can have this fixed? Is it as easy as just welding the cast webbing right there and then drill / tapping it again ? Obviously it needs to be stepped correctly for the mount that goes on the trans.

I hope this can be fixed pretty easily as this is a Shep Stage 3 Transmission!

Also can it be fixed as is, meaning with the gears still in it. Or would I need to just bring whoever would be fixing just the casing itself.

Thanks in advanced.

~Bob

 

[TwoLiterLaser]

Wow that sucks.... If you take it to a machinist, he might be able to do some magic on it. But since you are a DSMer..... Try using some JB weld. Just make sure there is not too much squish into the threads...

 

[Rex2342]

If you still have the piece that broke off they may be able to repair it. It looks like the threads are still mostly in tact. Try threading the bolt back in and see if the broken part still fits back together and take a picture of it if you can.

 

[danny_l_2005]

Yea i had the same problem but it was on my auto; I had it welded back because they told me my other option was to get another tranny

 

[perley03]

You are not going to be able to weld the piece that broke off. It is too small, and cast aluminum is a bi*** to weld. The welder/machinist that is going to fix it will probally cut that stub off, weld on a solid piece, drill and tap it, then step it to the right height. It ain't gonna be cheap, probally 2-3 hrs worth of work here. But it's cheaper than a new case.
I would not use JB on that, since it is a mount and will see tons of abuse and vibrations. It will break off again using JB.

 

[blkmjk]

bad idea to weld that up you should buy a new casing you can get those cheaply try a local junk yard

 

[Defiant]

Actually~~ how much depth is left in that hole? For a bolt to have full-thread strength, it's supposed to have about as much thread grip as its diameter. It looks like you'll be okay to get a long bolt, cut it so that when fully-screwed in (figure about 1/16 from bottoming out) it'll hold the mount tightly.
To JB weld it, make sure it's clean (Brakleen), Dremel a groove around the top of the boss, get a good, not-too-thick layer of JB on both parts, and use tie wire to clamp it up. It's really the kind of break JB's best at, and it looks to have enough surface area to work well. Before the JB's fully cured, run an oily tap into the hole to clear out the threads.

I don't know how much headache it'd be to try and weld the chunk back on. Probably better to just build up the whole missing area with weld metal and re-tap, but it'd depend on the welder.

 

[overboostin92]

never had much luck with jb weld my self.But i am a welder by trade and id say your best bet would be have it removed then have a piece of round stock welded on then drilled and tapped like mentioned before. The shop who does it should be able to run a bead or two up the side's of it like webbing to make it stronger so it never happends again.Also PB blaster probably would have cured this in the first place but too late now.

 

[Black94DSM]

I AM NOT GOING TO USE JB WELD ON THIS!!! I'm not a "DSM'r" when it comes to crap like this.

I will probably end up haivng somebody fill weld the boss. Then just redrill / tap / maybe heli coil to make it stronger.

Thanks for all the ideas guys.

 

[Defiant]

I AM NOT GOING TO USE JB WELD ON THIS!!! I'm not a "DSM'r" when it comes to crap like this.

Jeeze, calm down, Beavis. Splendid that you can afford $50 for a 25¢ repair, but not everyone can. Epoxies aren't for things like split bell housings, but they are perfectly appropriate for this sort of boss repair. It's where Devcon got its start.
The piece you're missing there is only slightly more than cosmetic. If you'd run a crack into the case, it would require welding.

 

[PSI NRG]

I saw an info-mercial on some stuff called alumnoy or something dont remember if that was the name but you can fix aluminum with this stuff it was amazing! All you need is a propane torch and you just heat the aluminum to 750 degrees and you use these sticks and it melts like solder and its like 100 times stronger. Try looking into that anyone else know what I'm talkin about?

 

[Defiant]

I doubt you could get enough heat into the case for aluminum solder products to work. The mass of the case would draw it off too quickly, leaving a cold joint.

 

[Black94DSM]

Jeeze, calm down, Beavis. Splendid that you can afford $50 for a 25¢ repair, but not everyone can. Epoxies aren't for things like split bell housings, but they are perfectly appropriate for this sort of boss repair. It's where Devcon got its start.
The piece you're missing there is only slightly more than cosmetic. If you'd run a crack into the case, it would require welding.

I wasn't mad persay. I just hate it when people associate us DSM'ers as cheap. I'm sorry that I sounded pissed, I really wasnt.

The repair shouldn't cost me no more than 20 bucks if I can just have somebody fill weld that boss. I can do the drill / tap / and cut myself. I just can't justify myself trusting JB Weld to hold my trans to the body of the car.

The alumnoy stuff was pretty neat, but I really dont see that working as stated above. The case would be pretty hard to heat up to 750 and keep it at that temp to use that stuff.

 

[danny_l_2005]

Well my problem was like that but mine was completely off but not enough to make a hole on the casing. For the guy that posted that casings are cheap, have check for prices on local junk yards. In my area, there isn't many F4A33s and when there is... they're expensive

 

[perley03]

I saw an info-mercial on some stuff called alumnoy or something dont remember if that was the name but you can fix aluminum with this stuff it was amazing! All you need is a propane torch and you just heat the aluminum to 750 degrees and you use these sticks and it melts like solder and its like 100 times stronger. Try looking into that anyone else know what I'm talkin about?

Did you notice what he was "welding"? Soda cans. Do you really think that a propane torch is going to have enough btu's to heat up that aluminum cast and you can solder that back together?
The tig welder i use at work (Trans-Tech Tanks)i run about 400-475 amps on just 5/16" T66 aluminum, and is water cooled. The problem with aluminum is that it dissipates heat quickly, thats why you need a high current welder with a high duty cycle. The problem with your case is that it's cast aluminum, which is full of impurities, and makes it a bi*** to weld. You end up with little gas pockets and black spots, and these are weak spots. I don't think you're going to be able to fully weld in that hole and drill and retap. The best thing to do is what I stated earlier. Have someone cut that stub off, find some round stock, weld it to the case, and drill and tap it.
If it were me, and I didn't know how to weld, or have access to a welder, I'd take it to a shop and have them do what they think would be the best scenario. Most shops around here charge about $60/hr, with a 1/2hr minimum, so you're looking at a minimum of $30.
Just a suggestion, and this is coming from aluminum welder.

 

[Defiant]

I wasn't mad persay. I just hate it when people associate us DSM'ers as cheap.

Eh, pinheads associate "DSMers" with all sort of things. That's their problem.

I'm sorry that I sounded pissed, I really wasnt.

Well, it would have been the first time for me. I've not ever had anyone on here get angry with me. WTF

The repair shouldn't cost me no more than 20 bucks if I can just have somebody fill weld that boss. I can do the drill / tap / and cut myself. I just can't justify myself trusting JB Weld to hold my trans to the body of the car.

Nor would I. It just appears to me that there's plenty of load-bearing meat left in the base of that hole. What you'll be concerned about is part location, and even at that there's still most of the boss left intact. Getting a properly-located and accurately-threaded new hole there will take a fair bit of careful setup.