British-Cars.org

Welcome to the DMR Site for British Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - TIG guys..can the radiator shell, be TIG welded?

My TD's radiator shell has a crack on the top....
Before getting it re-chromed, I want to repair it...
I have done a lot of brass work, but usually only silver-brazing, or lead soldering....
This crack would show if silver brazed, (won't fill the crack), and lead will not work with chrome....
So , can this be TIG welded? Or, is there a gas-brazing rod that will repair the crack, and allow proper filling of the crevice?
Thanks.
Edward
E.B. Wesson

Hi Ed.

Yes. Use silicon bronze rod and argon shielding gas.
Here is a link to Miller Welders site with some information on this.

I have not done it on a radiator shell, but have done some on a material just a little thicker. Recommend picking up a piece of brass of similar thickness to practice on.

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/archive/index.php/t-10581.html
Bruce Cunha

Ed,
Definitely talk to the plater and maybe leave it to him. He'll probably want to do some very discrete silver brazing, mainly on the backside and maybe copper plating to build up a sandable surface afterwards.

I made the mistake once of brazing up gouges in a cylinder rod- plater said that would make replating difficult as the brass would not "hard chrome" right.

You may even want to pass it by a good jeweler for a delicate touch up.

The likelihood of anyone TIG welding the thin brass shell, and having it look decent afterwards, is pretty close to zilch. Distortion is unavoidable and the weld will be visible and subsequent attempts to smooth and polish will be disappointing.

Even overheating with a torch for soldering can produce permanent distortion.

The real artist with brass are those that make brass musical instruments. I'm amazed at the craftsmanship.

Jim
Welding Engineer
Jim Northrup

Ed, the top center section where the bonnet hinge-strip cover bolts on was totally missing on my radiator shell, probably around an inch. I don't know how they did it but the guys that did my body work used brass to braze a new section in. We use to have a body guy in our neighborhood years ago that could take a small torch and weld/braze the thinest of metals.
Richard Taylor TD3983

My advise would be to send it to Nu-Chrome in Fall River, MA. <http://nu-chrome.com/>. They did an excellent job on both grills on my TF and MGA. Chrome plating is not cheep anyway might as well have it done right.
David Werblow

I would let the plater do it. You want to make sure whatever metal you use is compatible with the plating. Jim's concerns are very valid as well. Paul's repaired some cracks and an extra hole in some door lock covers for me and the repairs are invisible. Minimal extra charge for that. George
George Butz

My plater will not repair the crack, and I am hesitant to send the shell away, as loosing the thing in the mail would be a nightmare....
I do not have a TIG, but there is a professional welding shop near my home....
I did jewelry repair for years, and I can silver braze, but silver will not fill the crevice, and I was hoping that there was a TIG rod that the welder could do it with....(that could be chromed)....
Is there a plating over the brass, before the chrome?
Edward
E.B. Wesson

Lots before the chrome. The parts are stripped to the bare base metal, and all possible metal finishing and repaing is done. Then a thick layer of copper is layed down, then this is sanded/buffed and mirror polished smooth to remove any imperfections. I think more copper is applied if any imperfections, etc. Then nickel and last the chrome. I just sent a spare shell to Paul's this week, shipping and a lot of insurance was less than $50. Belive it or not, there are a lot of decent shells floating around out there. George
George Butz

This thread was discussed on 23/11/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join this live forum now