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Hot Rods How do I fix THIS?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by flynbrian48, Oct 17, 2019.

  1. flynbrian48
    Joined: Mar 10, 2008
    Posts: 8,220

    flynbrian48
    Member

    IMG_2850.JPG

    This is the heater core in the A/C/ heat from Southern Air I’m putting in my ‘63 Riviera. See the little hole? What are the chances that a sheet metal screw holding a block off plate on the firewall would find that particular spot to enter the core? I couldn't be that accurate if I'd been trying to hit it...

    If said 100%, you are correct. I tried my soldering gun but it won’t heat the copper enough to melt solder. I don’t believe I can get the core out without wrecking the plastic housing, and there’s no way, I don’t think, to use a flame to heat without ruining everything.

    A sheet metal screw and JB weld came to mind, but I’m not quite to that level of hillbilly repair...


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  2. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    Cut a larger access hole in the plastic, solder with a jewellers torch and make a larger cover for the hole with sheet metal

    Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  3. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,216

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    If you have a soldering iron (, not a gun) that wouldn't be too difficult , clean , flux , tin ,solder. If you want to silver solder it , you'll have to remove it from the enclosure ...
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
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  4. Bird man
    Joined: Dec 28, 2009
    Posts: 894

    Bird man
    Member
    from Milwaukee

    Thanks for the hearty laugh.
    Yeh, BTDT!
    Who hasn't?
     
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  5. flynbrian48
    Joined: Mar 10, 2008
    Posts: 8,220

    flynbrian48
    Member

    I have a soldering iron, but it's small, it seems to barely get hot enough to melt solder on the tip, let alone anything else. So perhaps it's not enough. I'll try a getting a better one. I'm aggravated at myself for doing this, but I've done similar things before. Like putting a drywall screw into a 14-2 hot wire in my little camper, on the last piece of trim in the interior, that instantly made smoke come out of all the sockets...
     
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  6. Paul
    Joined: Aug 29, 2002
    Posts: 16,387

    Paul
    Editor

    Just thinking out loud, I wonder if a brass screw inserted into the hole would absorb and transfer heat better to accept the (better, hotter) solder gun method than copper alone..
     
  7. TrailerTrashToo
    Joined: Jun 20, 2018
    Posts: 1,289

    TrailerTrashToo
    Member

    Brass screw adds thermal mass, requiring an even bigger soldering iron or gun.
     
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  8. KevKo
    Joined: Jun 25, 2009
    Posts: 926

    KevKo
    Member
    from Motown

    When I was young, stupid, and poor (still 2 out of 3) I had a '63 Nova. Was patching the floor. Drilling holes and screwing the patch in when I smell gas. I drilled into the fuel line, dead center. I cut it and slipped a piece of rubber line over it.
     
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  9. nochop
    Joined: Nov 13, 2005
    Posts: 3,818

    nochop
    Member
    from norcal

    Solder, silver soldering might be a tad to hot thus risking unsoldering adjacent joint rendering the whole unit unusable.....ask me how I know....
     
  10. G-son
    Joined: Dec 19, 2012
    Posts: 1,276

    G-son
    Member
    from Sweden

    A bit tricky with plastic around, but I'd call that a perfect spot for making such a damage - very good chances to solder a repair there, you just need enough heat.
    I've repaired a number of brass/copper radiators and heater cores for friends, and a neat hole in thick metal like yours would be a dream to work with compared to most off the stuff they've brought to me.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Bryan, you are good? ;).
    I found the exact same problem on a tube in an original, unused, Mark IV under dash AC unit. A screw attaching the outer cover was off a fraction and punched the tube. FROM THE FACTORY. I had mine repaired at the radiator shop.

    Ben
     
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  12. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,216

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    I meant a soldering iron that you heat with a burner , guess I am out of touch ..
    Another thought , what's that paste that stops welding heat ??
    Heat sink or some such ???
    Possibly a Jewelers torch , one of those butane ones ??
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
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  13. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,216

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Would you cover the hole with flat copper ??
     
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  14. G-son
    Joined: Dec 19, 2012
    Posts: 1,276

    G-son
    Member
    from Sweden

    Might be easier to put a solid piece of copper from an electric wire or something like that in the hole and solder that in place, than a big piece of sheet to cover it. At least if you are unsure about having enough heat for a proper job, the bigger the area to solder, the more heat you need.

    Assuming there are no electric fans or other sensitive bits in there you could lower the assembly into water, and put wet rags over the plastic above the surface. Can let you get a big torch in there without burning anything up.
     
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  15. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member

    X2 on the old soldering iron which is just a big piece of solid copper. There are older electric ones that also have the large copper tip. Both would seal that hole in literally just a few seconds.
     
  16. MrPhat40
    Joined: Apr 30, 2007
    Posts: 92

    MrPhat40
    Member

    Re: your comment that your soldering iron will barely heat up to melt solder on the tip. I would suggest you thoroughly clean that tip and make sure it is properly;y tinned. With out tinning the tip will not transfer enough heat to melt the solder.
    Before you attempt to close that hole clean that copper pipe with Emory cloth and then flux it. You will be amazed at how well solder flows when it is applied to a properly cleaned joint or in this case hole. First three rules in soldering:
    1) Clean
    2) See rule #1
    3) See rule #1 and clean some more.
    Also what about a pencil torch? Heat that cleaned copper pipe and flow the solder to the hole.
    Good Luck
    MrPhat40
     
  17. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 13,174

    Budget36
    Member

    I'd think you could put a short screw back in it, tighten well, then silver solder it.
     
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  18. Marine-tex will fix damn near any thing....
     
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  19. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,286

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

  20. Okay, I know just a little about most things and enough to steer clear of Trouble on some things. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that from your above comments you also are in that class of a little about most. Being this repair seems easy enough it sounds like you don't have the right equipment to do the job like a real Rad. shop would use. I will also say that in the right hands that repair is so simple you'll always feel like you should have done it yourself. Myself I'd open up the housing just a bit more so I can see the end of my heat travel and control it. 5 minuets including clean up and it's done in the right hands. Just pay what it takes and be happy you didn't make Scrap metal out of it. Go to your local radiator repair shop, you'll be glad you did in the long run.
     
  21. I'll add this. You don't just solder the hole shut. You make a small patch and arch it to match the tube, tin both parts and add the patch over the hole. Keeps from plugging up the core with fall through solder.
     
  22. redo32
    Joined: Jul 16, 2008
    Posts: 2,137

    redo32
    Member

    I would tig with phos copper rod. Do it fast it won't melt much
     
  23. I agree with our friend from Sweden. Anybody that repairs radiators could knock that out in 5 minutes. Wrap a $10 bill around it and take it to a local shop if you're skeered of doing it yourself.
     
  24. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

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  25. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    Even better, do a search for 100 watt Hexacon soldering irons on ebay, there are several available on there, even some larger; for less than that cheap Weller.
     
  26. Use a butane soldering iron (carefully).
     
  27. Rex_A_Lott
    Joined: Feb 5, 2007
    Posts: 1,148

    Rex_A_Lott
    Member

    Muratic acid will do a good job of cleaning it, to get it ready to take the solder. 50/50 is the best solder , if you can find it. Most of the the stuff you see now is 90/10, since everybody is so scared of lead. Amazes me, the most dangerous thing you do is get behind the wheel and drive, you can get killed at any minute, but you cant buy lead solder because if you are stupid enough to eat a couple of pounds of it, it just might kill you someday.
     
  28. Ebbsspeed
    Joined: Nov 11, 2005
    Posts: 6,250

    Ebbsspeed
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    If you lived anywhere close to me I'd:

    1. Take two beers out of the cooler for us and set them on the workbench.
    2. Fix the hole.
    3. Open the beers before they had warmed up 2º, hand one to you and drink them.
     
  29. sunbeam
    Joined: Oct 22, 2010
    Posts: 6,213

    sunbeam
    Member

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  30. winduptoy
    Joined: Feb 19, 2013
    Posts: 3,328

    winduptoy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    So...the original connections are done with 15% silver solder so you can get away with soft solder...lower melting temperature on this than the original joints. You want to use a soldering iron instead of an open flame around the plastic
    Go to your local plumbing supply house and get a bottle of Soldering, Tinning flux.
    I use Harris 'Stay Klean' but any tinning flux will work
    Use a soldering Iron as suggested...get high enough wattage
    95/5 solder will have higher strength and 50/50 will probably be hard to find as the lead content is unpopular and even outlawed...now I know this really makes you want to use the 50/50
    Clean the area around the pipe with some sand cloth while preheating your soldering iron
    Put some tinning flux on the area to be repaired
    Put some tinning flux on the hot tip of the soldering iron along with some solder and get it shiny silver
    Place the soldering iron over the hole trying to get as much contact with the pipe as you can
    Keep trying to apply solder at the junction of the soldering iron tip and the pipe...suddenly it will wet and flow
    Play the iron on the pipe and lift it so as to leave the hole covered.

    Piece of pie......
    Or send it to me and I'll send it back repaired

    Larry
     
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