I have a rare and tricked out vintage Lucas-Laystall aluminum head for a vintage British MG race car I’m restoring. The castings were known to have porosity issues and this one has proven to be problematic. Simply attempting to chase the cracks and porous areas leads to chasing more gremlins. Can anyone highly recommend a shop who does work with porosity issues in alloy castings? I’m on the west coast. I’m thinking in the lines of pressure sealing with a ceramic coating (?). I have way to much invested in this head to continue using it as a glorified paperweight.
If you are near Oakland, drive by the stadium and look for the building marked "Stop Casting Porosity" on the other side of the freeway. I know they did a 12 port GMC head about three years ago. If that does not work, send me your e-mail contact and I will give you the name of the guy who had that head work done. [email protected]
If there is an aluminum foundry in your area stop by and ask them if they do casting impregnating or if they have a vendor who does it that they can recommend. A lot of aluminum castings get impregnated especially if subjected to internal or external pressure in their end use. They used to seal casting with a process called Water Glass which was sodium silicate in a water base however they now have epoxy based sealants applied under pressure or vacuum. Or try doing a Goggle internet search for “casting impregnation” for the area you are in.
I’m in Sacramento so I’m about 100 mi from the Oakland Coliseum. Any one in the Bay Area know the name of the company? Internet searches haven’t been particularly helpful but I may not be doing a proper word search. Seems to be various DIYer kits to do this but I’d much rather have a shop familiar with the process do the work. I tried an outfit down in the L.A. area but they don’t seem to want to get back to me and I’m tired of emails and calling them without anyone bothering to respond. in several months I’ll be taking the car to San Leandro for upholstery work and I’ll be driving past the stadium. I’d like to be further along with the head before then.
Contact S and S in Leandro they do midget and sprint cars engines Sent from my SM-J737T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
S & S Automotive Car Parts 4 reviews on Is this your business? Verify your listing 14127 Washington Ave, San Leandro, CA 94578Cross Streets: Near the intersection of Washington Ave and 139th AveNeighborhoods: Floresta Gardens-Bradrick (510) 357-9041
Send that head too Elden here in southeast Michigan.... They seal all aluminum castings from porosity.... Located on Inkster Rd. I believe....
I’m in Sacramento Thank you I will make contact with S&S. This wouldn’t be the S&S Automotive of Drag racing Fame would it?
I had a similar problem with an OT Lancia 037. The head was porous and we used a Loctite product to seal the water passages. Google may be your friend.
The "STOP CASTING POROSITY" sign on hwy 880, south of the Oakland Coliseum was advertising for the company WESTERN SEALANTS. The sign is gone now and Western Sealants is now owned by DougCo. They are still in business in Oakland- here is their website link: http://www.westernsealant.com/ good luck with your project.
We used to use a process called vacuum impregnation for aluminum castings at the engine manufacturer I worked for. It was part of the production process we specified for purchased parts, but there are job shops out there that did it for prototypes. Just have to know what to ask for.
I hope the OP gets back to us with his results. It would be nice to have a recommendation from someone who has crossed this particular bridge.
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