Broken engine mount

[ducatiz]

You need a tig to weld aluminum (properly).  A mig works ok for steel.  That's all I got. 

You can mig aluminum but I don't think you can do it as well with this type of casting.  Hell, you can use an oxy torch with aluminum depending on the type of weld.

[bikepilot]

Hence the (properly) parenthetical    If you try and weld aluminum without flooding the working metal with an innert gas it'll be nasty - aluminum oxidizes really quickly and makes for a miserable weld.

[Langanobob]

I appreciate that, it almost feels like there has been a death in the Family.

I called my guy and said he does not have a mig for aluminum. I dont know what type welder he uses on the heads. He didnt see the engine, I just described to him on the phone.

So is mig the best welder for type of repair? Is it possible to replace the missing metal with the weld?

Some random thoughts:

What kind of process does he use  on the aluminum heads?  I think TIG is best for this kind of aluminum repair but then MIG will probably work, since it deposits more metal faster if he has to fill in the missing area where the broken piece is missing.   MIG surrounds the weld with inert gas similar to TIG and you CAN weld aluminum with MIG.  Both MIG and TIG "flow" the filler and the base metal and the finished weld should be void free.   You have to be careful 'welding' aluminum with an OA torch since many of the available aluminum rods are a low melting point and low strength alloy and are not much more than aluminum solder.  Aluminum can be OA welded with the right filler and flux, but it takes significant skill.   Your welder may be thinking there is too much metal to replace to do it efficiently with TIG.  The missing metal can be replaced with the weld, but it will take some time and skill.   Get it too hot and your case will melt too much, which can be a problem welding aluminum since it does not glow red when hot like steel and it melts very suddenly.

He really needs to see the bike, or at least the case.  I'm pretty sure that if he can repair damaged aluminum heads he can fix this.   Or, like Speeddog says, find someone who works on race cars.

[lilmonster]

He owns/operates a machine shop that builds race engines. I need to let him look at it and go from there.

[Speeddog]

He owns/operates a machine shop that builds race engines. I need to let him look at it and go from there.

If he can't do it in house, he should know someone who can.