Don't you wish you could weld?

[WizeOne]

...So do I. These pics are of an Alpha 1 lower unit that got whacked by a rock on my friends boat. This, all a week before an annual Boy Scout Crab trip. He had to pick up another lower to be able to make the trip but he took this case to work where a master welder plied his trade. Incidently, the welder said the Merc casting was P**s poor.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

Ayuh,... Actually, I Can,+ Do weld, quite often, most everyday....

I wouldn't have even Tried to weld up that Junk...
The Outside is pretty, but the inside will never be near Spec...
If it was a 1934 Harley case or some other Irreplacable item maybe(Yes, I fixed 1),...
But,...
Alpha lower gear cases are a dime a dozen...

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

.....Alpha lower gear cases are a dime a dozen...

Not sure what planet you're wheelin and dealin on Bond-o, but my local Outdrive Guru says that he has the fixin's for ten of those units but can't get any cases (short of new) for them.

I'm certainly not pretending to be any kind of expert here but I though it noteworthy that there didn't appear to be any heat damage around the welded area.

Besides, it's not nice to be a spoilsport. I thought it to be just short of a miracle.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

Besides, it's not nice to be a spoilsport.

Ayuh,... I'm Sorry Wiseone,... It Is a real Pretty repair... looks like it was Tig, not Mig...
But Pretty don't properly support the workin's of it all...

How are you dealing with the missing Internal bosses,+ alignments,+ tolerances,..??

I'm not trying to p on your parade,... Sorry if it comes off that way...
Just seems like a $2000. Effort for what could have been a $600. Cure...

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

The pilot bushing just hanging in mid air within the case? I can't imagine that working very well, but it sure looks good cosmeticaly.

 

[wire2]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

The pilot bushing just hanging in mid air within the case? I can't imagine that working very well, .....

I also noted that there didn't appear to be provision made to support the bushing.
I was expecting to see a small cylinder of solid aluminum welded into the center of the nose before closing it up. Then a machine shop can measure the innards, and bore an appropriate hole for the bushing.

 

[longstand]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I dont want to BRAG. BUt iam the best welder in San Diego.. i was building NAVY ships few months ago before i lost my job..

i was a PIPE welder. i weld sleve around a pipe..

i weld mostly MIG>. did i mention iam the best in the business in my old job.. LOL

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

The guy who welded it spent a ton of time on that.

I have a MIG welder i have been playing with..still trying to learn but i have welded a few decent looking beads with it.
It's a Lincoln that was gave to be from my GF's dad....Free welder..heck yes!
Still need the Argon tank for it and man they are expensive.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

The welded outdrive WILL function, to an extent, for a while.

Depending on the loads, it might even get some hours, but I would NEVER bet on how long it will last, unless parked, in a museum.

600 for a NEW OEM case, about the same for a complete SEI lower.

Less for a rebuildable lower from a salvage, like the 4 stacked in my barn with bent prop shafts.

Unless the welder was the next door neighbor that works for beer, this owner would have been far better off replacing the case for a PERMANENT reliable fix.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

Yeah....aluminum welding is really not all that hard....

I wouldn't even attempt to weld up a mess like that. It's FAR more "cost effective" to just get another "lower".


Cheers,


Rick

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I could weld nicer than that with my HF $99 wire feed flux core welder!

NAH just kidding (the flux core welders BLOW) and dont do aluminum
and thats some clean work and nice grinding to shape

and I believe..correct me if im wrong here....
there is no boss for the shift crank/shift spool you see in through the hole, they need to move, the support is in the bearing race further in...
either way that case has seen better days, a repair such as welding it is a last resort such as = (you live in a deserted island but HAVE a tig welder)

either way Bondo is right on tolerances and alignments, that case is prob outta wack by a few millimeters...

fun to mess with so i understand the repair...and may make a decent lower for a boat you are selling off

my 2 cents

 

[mkast]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

Incidently, the welder said the Merc casting was P**s poor.

I'm going out on a limb, I don't think the case was designed to bounce off rocks.
The case wasn't designed for repair, instead of replacement when damaged.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

....I don't think the case was designed to bounce off rocks. ......

Maybe they should have been considering that rocks are a hazard of the sport.

 

[Dshow]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I'm sure they could have designed it to withstand those stikes, but I'm also sure that people would not like to pay for it if they did.

 

[mkast]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

Maybe they should have been considering that rocks are a hazard of the sport.

Owner/operator persons (OOPS) are a hazard of the sport.
In aviation I think it's called "operator error".
I'm wondering, how fast was the boat moving when the rock was hit?

 

[madgadget]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I've been learning alu welding. Just fixed a pulley on my compressor, so nice job! I bet that will be fine, The bearing support to me looks to be further back.

 

[ENSIGN]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I'll bet he will look at a chart the next time!

 

[Maclin]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

P-Poor seems to have lasted a few years, must be good enough

 

[Grumman59]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I'll bet he will look at a chart the next time!

Wow! So all rocks that are lurking 6" below the surface, all tree stumps and submerged logs are shown on charts, are they?

I never knew that.

 

[Grumman59]

Re: Don't you wish you could weld?

I'm really surprised at some of the ignorant put-down comments on here.

Some people like to fix things just because they can.

There's nothing critical in the front end of that housing. It's just a void except for the shift shaft guide in the bottom and you can see the welder took care of that first.

Nice job, I'd say.