This intake port had a hole in it (some aluminum LT1 castings which turned out this one had some core shift and problems with thin areas which keep popping up and leaking), I welded the hole shut but in the process blew away about 1/8" square corner of the valve guide. I'm debating just cleaning it up as best as I can and running it like it is instead of having the guide punched out and a new one installed.


Reshaped welded port, circled is the missing bit of valve guide. This is before final finishing with tootsie rolls...

 

And for those of you wondering why even consider it, the local automotive machine shops have all closed so getting a shop to do it means a 2-hour drive and 2+ week turnaround time.

 

I'm sure you are well versed in your welding abilities, and I respect that.

I look at things at my age and say "do I want to take it apart and do....."

Don't ask for confirmation on your fix if you think it is good, if you wonder how good you did, find another head.

That said, in the past I have put some engines (not performance) together with some real shady stuff I look back on and go "hmmph"

So, if you look at my latest thread, guess I was looking for confirmation...thinking about it, eff that. I don't really need someone to tell me if I what I did is good or not, thing is, I get to take it apart and fix it if it's not right.

Are you willing to take it apart and fix it if it fails?

 

Pretend you didn't see it and run it!

That's what I'd do anyway. 65% of the time it works every time.

 

Not worried about this weld repair, I used to do weld repairs for a local machine shop back in the day, and this LT1 head swap required a lot of welding and moving things around. The problem is that this head is basically junk with too much core shift and I've had to weld holes/thin spots in 3 other ports now, I've got that part down, and if I had any sense I would have just ported and converted another (set of?) head(s).

Yea, the funny thing is that the really shady stuff seemed to always work. It's when I start trying to get things perfect that I seem to run into problems.

LOL, you got me looking and commenting in your old threads.

I don't really care if someone thinks that leaving a chunk missing out of the valve guide is good or not, I just care about if I'll get away with it if I do, at this point from the crazy humidity in this area I'll probably be bolting it back on a block with surface rust on the bores, and I know the other bank has a spot in #5 that looks like there's a crack in the cylinder wall. I know it's a turd, but will it run OK?

Willing? Do I have a choice in the matter? Break, fix, repeat... Break, fix, repeat... Break, fix, repeat... Break, fix, repeat... Break, fix, repeat...

 

I assume that is a .500" OD cast iron guide in there already?
If so, then run it. No problem.

 

Eh send it.

 

I'd run em long as it wasn't a crack, sometimes people cut/grind the bosses all the way down(not that I recommend that). A set of Blem Blueprint heads that I got off ebay had cracks on several of the bosses prob from the bronze guides being pressed(not what the merchant said they were blemished for). Could of ground the cracks out but no telling how deep they went. Here's a pic on my Instagram of one crack A head guy I know suggested to maybe use some green loctite but since the vendor took em back for a full refund there was no point in trying. One of the reasons I like buying stuff on ebay, easy returns for defective stuff.