Welding transmission housings

[alloy]

Well my welding friends another question from a TOTAL NON WELDER.

I'm working on another transmission speedometer drive conversion an this time unfortunately I can't use epoxy to seal the insert in place it will have to be welded.

They are used housings and I will bore a hole for a 1-1/8" 6061 sleeve and insert it into the housing and it will need to be welded in place.

I'm taking a tig welding class and it's not going that great, I suck and I don't think I can ever tig these up or anything else for that matter. I'm thinking that a mig with a spool gun would probably be best, but again I'm not sure I could ever do it. If this works out these will come in 1 at a time like my other housings do and for the other ones I do everything in house. I have a guy that can weld but he's 60 miles away (120 round trip) and that makes this not worth it, and I can't expect him to drop everything to do one little job every time these come in.

So what are my alternatives? I'm saw those low temp aluminum rods and they look great on their videos and I tried them with a hand held propane torch and I think the torch doesn't get hot enough to get the part hot enough to melt the rod.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[FOMOGO]

Can you use some Loctite green I believe bearing retainer on a light press fit? Mike

 

[Nutfarmer]

Metal prep is the most critical. All the oil has to be cleaned off and out of what is to be welded. Sometimes it helps to preheat the case,but be careful you may have a melted case. Practice on some 6061 until your comfortable with what your doing. tig is still the best process for what you are doing. Don't give up!!! It will be better with the more practice. Things work better for me when I am fresh in the morning. Make sure you can see the weld puddle. The better helmets made a big difference for me. The most important thing is doing give up. I make no claims to being a welder ,but I get by with what is needed on the farm. Hopefully some of the pros can give you some better ideas.

 

[Jim F]

Well my welding friends another question from a TOTAL NON WELDER.

I'm working on another transmission speedometer drive conversion an this time unfortunately I can't use epoxy to seal the insert in place it will have to be welded.

They are used housings and I will bore a hole for a 1-1/8" 6061 sleeve and insert it into the housing and it will need to be welded in place.

I'm taking a tig welding class and it's not going that great, I suck and I don't think I can ever tig these up or anything else for that matter. I'm thinking that a mig with a spool gun would probably be best, but again I'm not sure I could ever do it. If this works out these will come in 1 at a time like my other housings do and for the other ones I do everything in house. I have a guy that can weld but he's 60 miles away (120 round trip) and that makes this not worth it, and I can't expect him to drop everything to do one little job every time these come in.

So what are my alternatives? I'm saw those low temp aluminum rods and they look great on their videos and I tried them with a hand held propane torch and I think the torch doesn't get hot enough to get the part hot enough to melt the rod.

Anyone have any ideas?

I have used those low temp rods to weld a .22 reciever back together, I used MAPP gas.

 

[alloy]

Can you use some Loctite green I believe bearing retainer on a light press fit? Mike

I guess I should have chosen a different word other than boring. Where the sleeve has to go only half the sleeve is surrounded by the tail housing casting. The other has is out in the open.

I'm not at my shop now, but I'll post pics later. Ironically I'm in town waiting to go to my welding class. I came in early yo get my 2nd covid booster.

Yes they stressed metal prep in my class. And the housing is saturated with oil for the last 20 years.

I've looked at the map gas cylinders. Can I use them on my propane torch head?

 

[mksj]

The low temp sticks will probably not work on a transmission housing as there is too much of a thermal heat sink, you will not be able to get it hot enough to get the rod to stick. Not a welder, but TIG/MIG would seem to be the best option. Fortunately in the past when I needed welding done, I had a friend that had 30+ years of experience and started his welding career in the Navy welding submarine hulls. He was meticulous and a perfectionist, which is what often required to get the welding done right the first time. My wife always wanted to weld, so he gave her a lesson in welding and she laid down so decent beads in short order.

 

[FOMOGO]

Mapp should take the same torch head. Mike

 

[erikmannie]

What material is the used trans housing? I would guess that it is cast.

EDIT: I found this on the internet.

 

[erikmannie]

If this were me, I would go TIG all the way. You would want to practice as much as possible before you execute the task on the real part.

Here is a thread about a guy who wants to TIG weld 6061 to cast aluminum:

Welding 6061 to Cast Aluminum - Weld Talk Message Boards

Spoiler alert: he chooses 4043 for a filler rod.

See also:

Aluminum Workshop: The truth about welding aluminum castings

Q: A group of friends and I were talking the other day. Some people said that all aluminum castings are weldable. Others took the extreme opposite position

www.thefabricator.com

This article talks a little about prepping the cast:

Welding a cracked cast aluminum bell housing on a vintage Alfa Romeo

Cast aluminum can be problematic, and fixing cracks only add more of a challenge to the welding process. Detroit welder Josh Welton of Brown Dog Welding tackles a cracked cast aluminum bell housing on a vintage Alfa Romeo. 

www.thefabricator.com

At the risk of overdoing it, if you scroll down on this page, the *text* has some amazing tips for your job:

Cast Aluminum Welding Repairs

Cast Aluminum Welds like Fidos Butt - Cast Aluminum Welding Repair Tips

www.weldingtipsandtricks.com

Bonus screenshot:

 

[erikmannie]

The reasons that I wouldn’t use a spool gun include:

(1) You would probably be limited to 4043, which isn’t the worst thing.

(2) Even if everything else is perfect, a spool gun can introduce a high degree of frustration.

(3) You can be more *precise* with TIG! Yes, I know it is possible for an experienced MIG welder to be just as precise with wire feed, but again, all other things being equal…

Disclaimer: I have only used a spool gun once, and it was beyond frustrating. I was trying to help the owner of the spool gun find settings that would work. Long story short, he never could figure it out, & put the spool gun aside, only to go out and buy an AC/DC TIG welder! Last I heard, he TIGs all his aluminum, as do I.