JB Weld Problems... Ideas? Anything better?

[Weston-work]

I need to somehow permanently attach my upper radiator hose flange/fitting to the head. Long story, but it suffices to say that bolts can never be used again. I really don't want to have to remove the head to do this, so I don't think welding is a real option. I have tried JB Weld and it has failed me twice. In both cases it came out looking like just a gasket between the two metal pieces... it was somewhat flexible (not exactly "hard as steel") and it didn't actually bond to either side too well. I thought it was supposed to bond and hold with some good strength, and be super hard when dried. I had mixed equal amounts of both tubes, cleaned the surface, and let it set for 24 hours before putting it in use or exposing it to coolant. It did work perfectly for about a month, but then it gave out pretty rapidly today. Is there some trick to JB Weld that I'm not aware of? Or do I just need to use something with a little more balls? Any suggestions?

[ryanman]

You couldn't tap the head and use a big AN fitting or something else that'll thread right into the head? I guess I would have to see a pic of it to better understand what it's for and the location, etc.

[HONDA GHANDI]

Its not a round hole so the AN route may be impossible without welding. JB weld will get soft I have found with high temps and chemical reaction. What about tapping the holes bigger and going with bigger bolts Weston-work?

[Weston-work]

Well, what basically happened is this... Honda uses bolts made out of a hot-dog-like substance, so the bolt for the bottom of the flange broke. I tried drilling and using a so-called "easy out", but that just broke in half and got lodged inside the hole, thus making the situation much worse. I said screw it, one bolt is enough and I'll just JB Weld the rest. Well, that sort of worked for a while, but started leaking after a month. The JB Weld that came off had gasket-like qualities, so it was weak, flexible, and there was no actual bonding to the metal. I decided to re-do it, but when I tried to remove the top bolt, it broke off too. So now I had no bolts to attach the damn thing so I just JB Welded the whole damn thing, and I took the time to do it right, or so I thought. It worked perfectly for about a month, but suddenly gave out this morning.

The only mechanical fix I can think of would be to use a Dremel cutting disc to open up part of the area where the bolts go in the head, then I could drill it out and stick a nut on the bolts. But of course that's easier said than done... I don't expect to be able to manuever the Dremel in the way I need to do it.

[Weston-work]

Its not a round hole so the AN route may be impossible without welding. JB weld will get soft I have found with high temps and chemical reaction. What about tapping the holes bigger and going with bigger bolts Weston-work?

The problem with that is that I was having a hell of a time drilling it out (the easy-out stuck in there doesn't help matters), but I suppose I could just be more aggressive now that the original threads are sure to be fubar'ed and I'm pretty much out of options...

[doctorstupid]

Are we talking about a thermostat housing? i.e. aluminum on aluminum? I would look into some HTS-2000, they have some pretty bad ass demonstrations on their website:

http://www.aluminumrepair.com/

EDIT: Although on a cylinder head it might be near impossible, since the base materials need to be heated up pretty well, and the large piece of aluminum that constitutes your head will take forever to heat up, and not stay that way for long if you haven't run out of MAPP gas yet. I tried it on a bell-housing once, too much material to get hot, ended up TIG welding it instead.

[ryanman]

:werd: to that drstupid, I was just gonna mention something about brazing.

[HONDA GHANDI]

Drilling an easy out in aluminum sucks. But Im not sure what other options you have at this point.

[exciv2000]

Liquid nails works pretty good :p

[Weston]

Drilling an easy out in aluminum sucks. But Im not sure what other options you have at this point.

I figured out a decent solution for the bottom one, which is the one with the broken easy-out stuck in it, so that part is probably ok. But then I tried to drill the top one, which should have been a simple job, but now I have a broken titanium drill bit stuck in it. :cry:

[doctorstupid]

I figured out a decent solution for the bottom one, which is the one with the broken easy-out stuck in it, so that part is probably ok. But then I tried to drill the top one, which should have been a simple job, but now I have a broken titanium drill bit stuck in it. :cry:
Am I the only one who has never been anything more than thouroughly unimpressed with titanium drill bits? All mine got dull in less than one use. Black and Decker bits have been working damn well for me.

Home Depot has a very extensive bit selection, they probably have something that will get through it without any trouble.

[Conrad]

if you need something welded let me know... ill weld it for free

[rmcdaniels]

At this point I'd remove the head before it gets any more fucked up, take it to a machine shop to get all of the crap cleared out of the holes, and tap them out bigger or heli-coil them if possible. I've been in this situation and it's not too hard to pull the head (maybe it is the first time, but after a few times you can do it pretty quickly in your driveway, I can have mine off in less than an hour) and you can get it taken care of properly in a way that will last.

P.S. - My Bosch titanium bits have been outstanding, expecially at cutting through steel like it was hard cheese. I need to keep them well oiled with cutting oil and stop frequently to let them cool and clean out/re-oil the hole, but they work well. I have tried other cheaper titanium drill bits and they were crap.

[HONDA GHANDI]

Titanium bits are a joke. I use them to cut in half and make shortened bits for tight areas. For all real drilling jobs I use my snap on high speed thunder bits. They will drill through a Ti bit like it was aluminum.

[ryanman]

Titanium bits are a joke. I use them to cut in half and make shortened bits for tight areas. For all real drilling jobs I use my snap on high speed thunder bits. They will drill through a Ti bit like it was aluminum.
:werd:

[doctorstupid]

Titanium bits are a joke. I use them to cut in half and make shortened bits for tight areas. For all real drilling jobs I use my snap on high speed thunder bits. They will drill through a Ti bit like it was aluminum.
I have got to get some of those! Sound expensive, though :(

[ryanman]

Anything that says Snap-On = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

That's why I call him the Strap-On guy, might as well bend over when he comes around.

[doctorstupid]

I have one, and only one, Snap-On tool (an 11mm 1/2" drive allen socket), everything else is Craftsman. Fucking thing cost me $30. I'm going to break it just to get a new one so I don't feel so robbed.

[rmcdaniels]

I got the Snap-On 10mm valve adjustment tool for my B-series head, it was definitely worth it.