welding question

[river1]

are there any tricks to welding aluminized steel?

or is it pretty straight forward?
MIG?
TIG? filler rod?




thanks jim

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I've used my mig on this metal

[C9]

My muffler shop owning friend MIGs aluminumized exhaust tubing with no probs and in fact it makes a nice looking weld.
He does use a shielding gas.


I've done the same with a gas (Oxy-Acet) welder.

[river1]

would you use it for headers?

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/1128235/10002/-1

seems like a good deal for some assorted bends

thanks jim

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I use the oxy - acel  gas torch for welding header tubes together.

Use the mig at the collectors

[C9]

would you use it for headers?

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/1128235/10002/-1

seems like a good deal for some assorted bends

thanks jim

Yes I would.
Doesn't seem to be any different from welding bare steel tubing.

The muff shop guy mentioned above always sprayed the welded area where the aluminum had melted off.
A nice touch and stops rust for a long time.

I built my roadster headers in 1986, got the car running in 1993.
Headers and exhaust system were painted with VHT.
About five years down the line it got painted with Dupli-Color high temp header paint.

The VHT is a little glossier and looks better after some time has passed.
Regardless, the Dupli-Color is holding up well although it's dulled down quite a bit.

Nice thing about the D-P line of paints is their spray nozzle.
Funny looking, but it puts out a soft fan of paint and is easier to control as well as does a better job overall.

Dunno if a D-P nozzle would fit another brand of rattle-can, but it would be a worthwhile swap imo.

That nozzle comes on the D-P engine paints as well.

[C9]

I use the oxy - acel  gas torch for welding header tubes together.

Use the mig at the collectors

Good idea.

I like to TIG the collector flange on from the inside.
Make a shallow, level bead and not much to file off for a flat gasket surface.

That will suffice for the collector flange.

At the header flange proper I TIG - and have arced in the past - and draw filed the flange for a flat seal.
No problems and no leaks, but nowadays I like to braze a fillet around the header flange and tube.

Helps to brace the tube-flange juncture and if you get all the flux off, VHT et al sticks to the brass just fine.

Use ARPs stainless header bolts.
They're rated higher than grade 8.
They have a 3/8" head and flange setup much like the common header bolts with 7/16" head.
You can crank down on the ARP bolts pretty hard if you wish.

Also use red high-temp RTV for a thread locker.
Recommended by the local - and both very experienced guys - speed shop where I used to live when in Sunny California.

The header bolts don't back out and release easily when needed.


I gave up on "Official" hot rod header gaskets long ago.
Mr. Gaskets melt like Kleenex when they get wet.

The steel shim stock style gaskets that some stockers come with work fine and I've never had them leak on home-made or factory built headers.

Same thing for the metal looks like asbestos inside sandwich gasket that comes in the gasket set for stock Buick 455s.
They work great.

I just finished making a set of cutouts and made a soft aluminum gasket for it.
I'm pretty sure the aluminum will seal ok and probably will try it next for  collector gaskets.

I think a slightly thicker piece of soft aluminum sheet will work fine for header gaskets.

I'll make a separate post on the cutouts in a few minutes.