Header Touching Frame?!?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 4
From: Washington
Solder will just melt out the next time you drive the truck. JB weld has the possibility of expanding at a different rate as the cast iron. If it expands faster, or takes longer to contract while cooling then you will end up breaking off that piece of the thread. It is best to just leave it alone until you have the time and money to repair or replace it.
pedant
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 23,576
Likes: 38
From: EXTREME southwest CT
No kind of epoxy is going to repair a cracked thread in a cast iron exhaust port.
Some cracks can be brazed, but again.... remove the head and completely disassemble, preheat, braze, check for flat, rethread, reassemble head and reinstall.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 318
Likes: 1
I'd make sure you use the longest bolts that'll safely thread into the holes, maybe even run a bottoming tap into them, and as long as the bolts reach well past the crack I'd never think about them again. Remflex header gaskets too, they are way better than anything else I've ever run.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
I'd make sure you use the longest bolts that'll safely thread into the holes, maybe even run a bottoming tap into them, and as long as the bolts reach we'll past the crack I'd never think about them again. Remflex header gaskets too, they are way better than anything else I've ever run.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,893
Likes: 12
From: Ohio
You'll never get the surface clean enough for solder to stick. Waste of time. Same with any JB Weld. Never get it to stick to flaky rust. With the temp change and it swells the JB will just crack and fall out. If the spot was NOT the exhaust it might have a chance of staying.
Just run it.
Just run it.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 5,771
Likes: 441
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 318
Likes: 1
RF3013, I think. Not aluminum, some sort of graphite. Very soft, they crush a lot.
Make sure you get gaskets for a late model FI 460, they are different than the earlier motors.
FTE Legend
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 37,887
Likes: 20
From: North Central Rural Sask.
I see you fixed your header clearance issue. My suggestion was going to be to take a come a long, and jut bend the header inwards away from the frame a little bit. Someone suggested that to me on my truck that had the same issue, it took minutes and worked perfect!
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 501
Likes: 7
From: Deep East Texas
I agree with most of the others, solder or JB Weld probably will not work. Bolt it up and hope for the best. If the cracks become a problem, exhaust leaks, it will be time for new or rebuilt heads. If you want to try solder or JB Weld, I doubt it can hurt anything. Good luck.
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