project89

iTrader: (1)

to start i was having some issues with my starter which a starter brace fixed.
the remaining problem is it chewed up the starter ring gear on my flexplate.

if u were to measure were it ground the teeth off id say its aobut a 4inch long section the rest of the teeth are fine.

normally id would just install a new flexplate and be done with it but the problem i have is i just moved and cannot work on the car outside were i am and do not have access to a garage. so dropping the transmission is in no way possible.
ive actually had the car sitting cause of this.

so i had an idea well 2 actually

the first idea would be to crawl under the car with my mig welder and weld up the ground down teeth then file/grind them back to the right size and shape.
the only problems i have are the only welder i currently have is a flux cored mig which i suspect will make it alot harder to file and grind after i build them up with weld.

ideally for something like this i would use a tig welder but i dont have one and cant get access to one, though i could try some of the local auto shops in town but i dont think any of them have a tig welder


my second idea is i have a flexplate that i was going to install.

well why cant i just grind and cut the section of ground down teeth off and cut a section of the ring gear off the other flexplate and weld it on as a temporary repair until i can remove the trans to install my new sfi flexplate

or instead of cutting a section of the ring gear off my other factory flexplate i could buy just the ring gear from napa for about 10-15 bucks which i could cut a section out of to weld on


the flexplate that in the car along with my spare, the ring gear is stitch welded every few inches on one side only so i figure removing just asection wont be that hard


and again i know this isnt the proper way to fix it, but i have to do whatever i can to get some sort of solution for the time being, untill i can remove the flexplate and replace it with a new unit.


any ideas on which method would be best, or any other ideas on some sort of temporary fix would be greatly apreciated

TwinTurboROC

Hey Dave, in a pinch you can cut a piece of and re weld it to the missing piece. Bevel the edges to be welded so you can get full penetration. You gonna be Flux welding that?

project89

iTrader: (1)

i figured i could cut the piece off and reweld on a new piece but just to be sure i figured id ask first, that im thinking it would be simpler then welding the teeth back up and grinding/filing in the confined space.

yeah i hate to do it but when i moved i have no room to store some of my equipment so i had to sell my standard mig and tig welders.so i will have to use the flux cored machine on it.

it should weld it no problem though its a 100 amp machine

TwinTurboROC

Shouldn't be that bad. Just make sure its straight and level, if not you'll get a small starter grind on those few teeth. You can also place A few small stiches on the Flex plate if its not a gapped area that the teeth broke off. Remember your bevels. That will help you get the penetration. That area on the initial goes through some hellish stress.

Damon

It might be easier to find a new friend in the area and borrow the use of his garage for a weekend. I've tried some crazy repairs in my day, but I've never tired (or even heard of) welding up the flexplate teeth. I am imagining what the neighbors would say with the front end jacked up and welder sitting next to it. Probably abuot the same thing they would say about the car sitting jacked up with a transmission laying next to it.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Probably take longer to do all that than to just change it out.

Often it turns out that it takes more work to get out of doing something the right way, than just doing it the right way. This might be one of those times.

Edwardgp

It is a temporary repair, welding the piece off of the ring gear to the damaged area of the ring gear sounds like it should work.

project89

iTrader: (1)

it is deffinatly temporary as i need to install an sfi aproved flexplate anyways, not to mention i am swaping the 700r4 for an 4l80.

but like i said were i am living at now i cant do the trans swap, ill be moving again soon and ill be able to do it, just waiting for the house im moving into to be finished

Edwardgp

Alright I believe if it is lined up properly it will work. Let us know if it works and you should get a prize for the ultimate back yard street repair. Don't get ran over out there.

project89

iTrader: (1)

instead of cutting out the bad section of teeth i just built them up with my mig welder, now alls i need to do is reshape the teeth with a file/mini grinder and it will be done. should deffinatly hold long enough till i move into my new house and can replace it

TwinTurboROC

haha took the fabricators repair method i see.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

I wouldn't cut it, wait and do the repair correctly. Welding teeth shouldnt be too bad..

Vader

The bigger question is now that you have nice, soft steel stuck to your flexplate ring, how many starts will you get from it before the new metal just gets plowed out of the way by the starter pinion (also soft). The original teeth were induction hardened, and even if you oil or water quenched the weld after finishing it the surface hardness is probably not adequate. If you can't touch the repair with a file it probably has a 50-ish Rc or better, but once the teeth are re-formed the likely softer core would be exposed. I hope it works out for you, but the ultimate fix is a new flexplate.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but you need to understand what you might expect from this temporary fix. I've done the same kind of thing on irreplaceable gears, but usually on a bench, and usually with a TIG and hardfacing filler material, followed by a trip to the furnace.

project89

iTrader: (1)

file wouldnt touch them had to use a grinder and a cutoff wheel.

they will deffinatl hold for the time i need them to though, my new house is almost done prolly another month and then i can change out the flexplate and transmission for the 4l80 i bought

th only reason it wore the teeth in the first place was the person who originally installed the engine threw away the starter brace,and used the incorect starter bolts since i have fixed those 2 issues i dont expect any more issues with the starter

TwinTurboROC

Right, but people seem to miss the point that its a temp fix.

Edwardgp

I believe project89 needs to get the backyard mechanical repair[temp. repair] of the month award. Take a nice pat on your own back bro.