Rocker box support reairs

[Steve Little]

Hi. I have a few Knuckleheads that are missing all 3 of the rocker box supports.
I think there is a manufacturer in Europe and perhaps a source in the US.
I would like to use cast iron rods with a TIG for the repair, and I have been told that HD used a specific type of cast iron which had some addatives.
I don't have any experience in repairing Knuckle heads but I have been told the cast iron in the heads can spit some cast welding back at you.
Does anyone have any experience of fitting either type of repair kits, and was the metal compatible to OEM.
.

[1950Panhead]

http://www.caimag.com/forum/showthre...-diving-boards

[RichO]

I have had good luck with mild steel and brazing for adding missing pieces for barrels and heads on knuckleheads. No failures to date over fifty years.

[T. Cotten]

Dr. Sprocket!

If you can stick mild steel straight to cast iron, yer a better man than I, (insert "Gunga Din"....)!

....Cotten

[Steve Little]

Hi 1950Panhead, Richo and Cotten.
Thanks for the info and link.
I would like to try and use a cast iron repair piece and use cast iron rods if possible.
If all else fails, I will revert to brazing the steel parts on.
I will keep researching.
Regards Steve

[T. Cotten]

Steve!

I had my best luck with splicing on a piece with a low-temp silver-solder, as it reduced the "chill" hardening upon the cast iron.
Even brass brazing seemed to suffer hardening. My TIGmeister's silicon bronze work turned the casting extremely hard and un-friendly.

When very little machining after the repair was needed, such as only carving a fin, I have had great luck using air compressor piston rings for filler rod, and my Henrob torch.

....Cotten

[RichO]

Steve, I V both pieces to get 100% penetration, pre-heat and let cool under an asbestos blanket. I've never had a hardening problem. Some people save old broken cast iron fins but mild steel works fine. My friend George Hood an engine builder of some renown uses a mig with steel wire for mild steel to cast iron with fine results but I don't have the guts to try. Some folks use ni-rod but I never liked the results. I know that old Yale cylinders are made of really trashy cast iron and really hard to get good results. Old cast iron exhaust manifolds with lead contamination are like old aluminum cases with oil contamination and hard to get clean to get good results. A lot of my repairs on early pre-sixteen cylinders have been nickeled with good results. Later ones are usually painted. Of course the repairs are textured to simulate cast iron. Good luck Steve. More than one way to skin a cat Cotton and as far as a better man let's just leave it as different.

[Steve Little]

Got some good points out of both those ideas. Thanks.

When we were kids the old man would insist on packing 9 of us (It was a Brady Bunch situation) in a Ford station wagon and go for a drive on the weekends. It was the 60's, so kids were laying down in the back as well. Both folks were puffing away on fags and it was always confined and every one had an opinion, which sometimes got testy.
On these frequent occasions, the old man would raise his hand in the air and yell “Don't make me come back there!!

[T. Cotten]

It would seem Folks,

That I cannot even compliment someone without ruffling feathers.

....Cotten

[Carl Olsen]

"
We have the cast iron diving boards in stock now.
Carl

[PRG]

Howdy chaps,

At the link below you'll see a classic example of ignorance is bliss when I repaired three broken cylinder fins on my 346 5 years or so ago using merely a 110v mig, standard 025 wire and just one practice go beforehand. Absolutely no science involved or applied other than my previous experience building up broken steel frame castings on Indian frames to form new clutch/brake brackets wherein the receiving piece needed to be heated generously beforehand. Oh yeah, have not gotten around to the permanent fix for the JB Weld formed fins on the head and it shows no sign of falling off yet.

https://petergz.smugmug.com/Motorcyc...-346/i-zTnR7Tx

[exeric]

I have had good luck with mild steel and brazing for adding missing pieces for barrels and heads on knuckleheads. No failures to date over fifty years.

I do this as well and had no problems. I use a needle scaler to texture the mild steel doner fin. I've also had no problem nickel plating the repair. Peter, I have a friend that fixed broken aluminum fins on his Panhead using JB Weld. Not only can you not see the repair, but he did that over 15 years ago.