welding a lower unit

[ghamm]

has anybody ever welded a rude lower unit 1990 x p 150 and does it hold up well?

 

[Benny1963]

Re: welding a lower unit

hey i had mine welded a mid section two pretty good size cracks .
i believe he used tig with argon gas .he charged me 1 hour at 65 hr
he is the outboard repair shop by my house but some prop repair shops will do it . you just need the right welder someone that will weld cast alum.
lots of the places i called acted like it was rocket science /but you have to know how to weld it,so they wanted madd money for it .
Bennyb.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: welding a lower unit

I welded a crack on my small LU with an aluminum brazing rod and propane torch.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: welding a lower unit

I have seen many successfully TIG welded with Argon as stated by Benny.

 

[ghamm]

Re: welding a lower unit

i had a guy weld my lower unit today it looks great thanx for the info

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: welding a lower unit

I used to do a fair amount of TIG welding "back in the day" but never wanted to brave welding cast aluminum. At that time I ended up with a crack in the casing of my Honda 750 motorcycle and my boss volunteered to weld it - he did a great job and it held up fine. I am having a hard time remembering but I am wanting to say that we used Argon for everything.

 

[patrick4266]

Re: welding a lower unit

I am a welding instructor at a local college near st louis. We have welded up many a lower units over the years. If a person knows how to prepare it right and is a good welder with a fair amount of "tig" experience it can be done very well with excellent results.

 

[patrick4266]

Re: welding a lower unit

Another thing about welding them for some one wanting to try. First they Must be clean and by that I mean NO GREASE and use a STAINLESS STEEL wire brush to remove paint ect. Next be sure to use as close to as possible the same kind of aluminum rod as the "base material " the casing is made of.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: welding a lower unit

So true, Patrick. A contaminated surface makes it pretty tough, if not impossible, to get a decent weld. I always found TIG to be pretty easy once things are set up and cleaned up properly. Really, once you get the heat right and have the right rod, its a matter of controlling the puddle and getting into a rhythm with the rod.

 

[patrick4266]

Re: welding a lower unit

We kind of do them for free here, I would be willing to bet if some one took it to their local tech school, high school or college they could get it welded there too.