welding a bellhousing

early hemi bllhsngs welable? cast steel or cast iron? mine is cast steel i belive. I plan on diging in with p-5 and cover with 7018. any ideas?

 

It is likely Iron. You can try the spark test.

Touch an inconspicuous area with a grinder and observe the sparks. If they are dull and red, and hard to see, it is Iron. If they are bright orange/white, it is steel.

 

Yup, Try welding a short steel tab to the housing with the 7018. Just weld one side. try knocking it off with a hammer from the unwelded side. If the tab bends, it's steel. If the weld pulls loose from the housing, it's cast.
Cast- Preheat to at least 500dg and maintain while either brazing or spray welding. Maintain the 500 dg heat for an hour. Then slowly cool in a sand bed.
If steel, pretty much the same rules apply, Just the welding process is different.

 

For steel just grind it out down to where you have about 1/8" left and just use 7018
p-5 (6010) is a brittle rod and not good for anything that moves or flexes.
If it is cast iron use the same technique and a ni rod, There are different brands but all are basically the same 99% nickel and black in appearance.
Take your wallet when you buy these they are around 14.00 a pound but thankfully they are sold in small quantities.
Just think if you had to buy a 50# box.
Get a few extra so you can practice with them and get your heat right. They are not the easiest rod to run.

Also if it is not mounted back grind and weld the inside to get rid of any crack in the root.

Dean.

 

ive tried the spark test and that was what led me to belive its steel lots of bright sparks. I will also try in an out of sight spot first. Thanks