Cast Iron Welding

[t-bone]

cylinders

i bought a set of square base cyl at oley this year one has nickle on it and casting # 93051 the other is bare cast metal and 93053 casting # i bought them for a 42 sport scout. since tom said mid 40s i,m wondering if they are correct and which is the correct finish if they are. as far as welding goes i replaced alot of the fins with a mig. sometimes ignorance is bliss.

[T. Cotten]

i bought a set of square base cyl at oley this year one has nickle on it and casting # 93051 the other is bare cast metal and 93053 casting # i bought them for a 42 sport scout. since tom said mid 40s i,m wondering if they are correct and which is the correct finish if they are. as far as welding goes i replaced alot of the fins with a mig. sometimes ignorance is bliss.

T-Bone!

Mr. Hatfield's Scout book cited the middle of the 1940 production year for the first of the different square-based Scout cylinders, so your '42 would certainly have had one of the variations.

I think I remember a restored '41 in the book (it isn't handy) with black cylinders, and no note that it was wrong. That would sure make it easier!

....Cotten

[fillibuster]

T-Bone!

Mr. Hatfield's Scout book cited the middle of the 1940 production year for the first of the different square-based Scout cylinders, so your '42 would certainly have had one of the variations.

I think I remember a restored '41 in the book (it isn't handy) with black cylinders, and no note that it was wrong. That would sure make it easier!

....Cotten

Square base intro as Hatfield suggests is confirmed also in Iron Redskin (memory tells me), but I'm not certain as to when nickel finish was non-standard but still an option. .. I love nickel, will likely show it on my 40ss, even if my paint sucks! .. screw the paint! .. paint never liked me anyway!

[fillibuster]

Gary Stark..

are you there, Gary?
I have a 35-6-7 front cylinder with a very thin sleeve in it, and missing a chunk at a base corner that was poorly welded. (1), I've heard that sleeves for a +.060 bore od and std id are available. (2), Also, I've considered sleeving to under-size and finding a work-able piston for that. (3), Finally, I'd like to read your comments on sleeves silver-soldered into the cylinder, which would (presumably) produce better heat dissipation than a cold joint.
Thanks
phil

[starklite]

Hi Phil,
Yes the sleeves are available.
Re: Silver Soldering - The mechanic at our old shop Wilson Plank has perfected a method of installing cylinder sleeves and silver soldering them in place.
This past Monday we had an hour long conversation about the merits of silver soldering the intake nipples in a Chief cylinder. He states that the head bolt holes directly over the intake nipple cause a stress rise, and makes that area crack, so he started silver soldering the nipples in place which increases the strength of the nipple/head surface thereby stopping it from cracking when you torque the heads down.
So I'm sure he would be able to repair anything you sent him and it would be down with his attitude towards perfection.

Having said that, he can be a little bit slow in getting work out the door, as he does the work all himself, and he has a lot of work to perform.
His phone number is: 714-447-4636 and he is available most days.

Another good welder who could repair the base of your cylinder would be Jake Junker at Indian Motorcycle News - His price could be high, but probably not higher than Wilsons, but he could get it done in under 4 weeks.
951-678-1583. When we have tough repair jobs we let Jake do the work, and it has always been good.

Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Gary Stark
Starklite Cycle
951-968-3070

[T. Cotten]

Hi Phil,
Yes the sleeves are available.
Re: Silver Soldering - The mechanic at our old shop Wilson Plank has perfected a method of installing cylinder sleeves and silver soldering them in place.
This past Monday we had an hour long conversation about the merits of silver soldering the intake nipples in a Chief cylinder. He states that the head bolt holes directly over the intake nipple cause a stress rise, and makes that area crack, so he started silver soldering the nipples in place which increases the strength of the nipple/head surface thereby stopping it from cracking when you torque the heads down.
So I'm sure he would be able to repair anything you sent him and it would be down with his attitude towards perfection.

Having said that, he can be a little bit slow in getting work out the door, as he does the work all himself, and he has a lot of work to perform.
His phone number is: 714-447-4636 and he is available most days.

Gary!

I hang on every word Wilson says.
But isn't it the Sport Scouts that have the bolt right over the nipple?

A wrong bolt in that hole is disastrous!

....Cotten

[starklite]

Yes Cotten - your name was also mentioned in the conversation with Wilson on Monday.

When we were talking about the manifolds, nipples, and leaks he mentioned how you came up with your testing method to check for leaks, and how you did it before he thought of it, and then to see if he could improve it.....

Yes, the Chief head bolts are not directly over the nipple, but close enough in his opinion to need to soldered the nipple in place. It will accomplish two things. Strengthen the cylinder when you bolt the head in place and prevent the nipple threads from ever wanting to leak.
He used to use a high temp copper rtv sealant, but feels the silver solder is the proper method now.

Gary Stark

[T. Cotten]

Just for the record, I suspect Heron of Alexandria first documented bubble-testing around 40 A.D.

The mystery is why modern minds overlooked for so long.

....Cotten

[fillibuster]

Gary Stark, thanks for your reply. I should have defined that "35-6-7" as a sport scout cylinder, just in case you thought I was talking about Chief. so my question is, is there a sport scout cylinder sleeve available with a +.060 od and a standard bore? Or am I asking for something impossible?
Thanks again.