Aluminum mig welding a stripped/cracked hole.

[aametalmaster]

These are pretty tough to fix unless they are done right. Its easier in steel but the aluminum wasn't any harder the prep just took longer and the spool gun doesn't fit in the area like the mig gun would. A guy showed up a year ago with a newer Ford Fusion that had been wrecked and the engine mount was tore from the block and needed some new aluminum in the holes for the bolts. So i jacked up the motor and removed the bracket so i could get a better look. The owner worked in a body shop and had removed the freon so i could get the hoses off. Yup it was all cracked and the holes were tore open. So i took a larger drill bit and hogged open the holes to get some wire down in them and vee'd what i could on the engine. Then i had my wife stand with the garden hose while i preheated with the torch and i welded while it was hot. The uphills could have been better but i couldn't get my spool gun in the right position but it worked. Then i filled the bolt holes up. Then the grinder removed the humps for the bolt holes and they were layed out and drilled and then tapped. The orig ones were metric but i did them in 3/8-16. The job just took a few hours and worked perfectly. Enjoy...Bob

[doubleboost]

Nice repair Bob
John

[DaveH]

Bob,

Another bit of magic


DaveH

[EdK]

I missed this post. Very nice job Bob! You saved that guy a ton of money.

Ed

[mikecwik]

when in a hole how do you keep the arc from rising up the walls faster than the hole is being filled?

[aametalmaster]

(04-25-2012, 07:56 AM)mikecwik Wrote: when in a hole how do you keep the arc from rising up the walls faster than the hole is being filled?

I drilled the holes bigger and then wobbled the bit making the holes bigger at the top than the bottom. If not they would have just filled right over and none in the bottom where the extra aluminum was needed...Bob

[Turbinedoctor]

Very nice job. I aint any good at welding aluminum much less spelling it.