Broken cast motor mount tab - TIG or HTS 2000

[Jesse]

Hello,

I discovered a broken cast aluminum motor mount tab when I removed the engine a couple weeks ago. It is on a 1935 VLD. I have been struggling to find a welder in the area (Ft. Collins, CO) who can TIG the old cast. As I have been investigating options and welders in the Denver area, I came across a couple recommendations to try a HTS 2000 soldering rod. My initial thought was it must be a late night infomercial type product. However, others have commented that it does well with oily, porous cast. Looking for any advice from the forum as to experience with TIG repairs and/or aluminum repair rods.

Thank you as always. Such a great resource!
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Jesse

[tfburke3]

You need a good tig welder willing to take the time to prep the weld joint,keep the case halves bolted together and not rush.After a cleaning pass with argon ,and subsequent passes let the heat even out throughout the casting rather than zipping it up quick,which could some cracks in adjacent areas.4043 always worked for me in Indian cases.Try to find someone who is familiar with exotic autos or vintage blkes.Then you will need some milling.
Good luck
Tom

[drinner-okc]

Jesse, I pm'd you a lead in Canon, CO give him a call.

drinner-okc

[Steve Swan]

Hello,

I discovered a broken cast aluminum motor mount tab when I removed the engine a couple weeks ago. It is on a 1935 VLD. I have been struggling to find a welder in the area (Ft. Collins, CO) who can TIG the old cast. As I have been investigating options and welders in the Denver area, I came across a couple recommendations to try a HTS 2000 soldering rod. My initial thought was it must be a late night infomercial type product. However, others have commented that it does well with oily, porous cast. Looking for any advice from the forum as to experience with TIG repairs and/or aluminum repair rods.

Thank you as always. Such a great resource!
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Jesse

i've lost track of who the good welders are in FoCo, a top flight wleder who is not longer with Design Metal Manufacturing repaired the twin V cracks leading from the holes in my rear mount into the belly of the LH case. Beautiful work. if you want to stay local with the welding, you might check in with Cole Diester. you can contact him via JD facebook. do you live in FoCo? i am in SW area.

[Steve Swan]

Jesse, I pm'd you a lead in Canon, CO give him a call.

drinner-okc

great recommendation. i seem to recall his name is Mike... he replaced a fin on mt front cylinder. Beautiful work.

[chuckthebeatertruck]

Please post pictures of what you heed to repair. If it is minor, then hts might work. If it is major, then weld.


I have used HTS2000 to repair several damaged motor mounts, most recently on my '46 UL. Repairing mounts usually doesn't take much compared to case cracks. I have also used it for transmission case repair, nicks/gouges in surfaces that were to be restored etc. It is surprisingly durable. However, it is closer to brazing and the strength goes way down with big gaps. So, if you have a close fit, no problem. If you need to bridge, it is not the best choice.

However, it is not a miracle product as shown on YouTube and does take prior experience with alloy to judge what's going on and whether it's the right product. And, while it will deal with some muck, like all repairs the metal should be clean or at least as clean as you can get it. You will burn most of the gunk out with your flame front, then a thorough scrubbing with a stainless brush, then applying the rod.

I would be happy to mail you a hts rod to try on some scrap. I'm gong to bet you won't like it and will wind up hunting a welder. Also, you need a good oxy/acytelene set up, and for mounts, a rosebud tip is very handy. A small hand held propane or mapp works ok on sheet, but will laugh at mounts. Anyways, if you are still interested, send me a PM.

[chuckthebeatertruck]

Just noticed your picture, and yeah hts will work on that if the fit up is tight.

[Jerry Wieland]

I would not dream of soldering that mount back together. For me it is TIG all the way.

Jerry

[Jesse]

Thanks for the replies, Great info! I spoke to a few people last night and made contact with Randy in northern Colorado who builds/fabricates bike engines. Think I will will see how it goes. I have heard of Mike in Canon City. Would definitely consider using him if I had not found a guy closer to Ft. Collins (where I live). I have also heard of Cole Diester and will likely reach out. I understand he has some great old bikes

Regarding the use of HTS, great advise. If I were to use it, I would have tried using a propane torch which from your response would have been a mistake.

I recently had the front piston bored due to a rist pin gouge in the cylinder. New valves, guides, etc... Looking forward to bolting it back together once the tab is repaired. The bike was a Montana barn find. Came with a matching year side hack. Someone in the 60's-70's painted bike and sidecar purple. I was able to strip off the purple and uncover the original blue. I am going to leave it original paint and only add the 35 tank panel. Only new parts have been tires, points/condenser, wiring, messinger seat recovered and battery cover. I will post pics once complete. Stoked to get the bike ready for spring.

Thanks again for the responses!