Cracked fan shroud

[groovydude]

Replaced my voltage regulator today and discovered this:



The part is not cheap. Is there a way to repair this? Some kind of metal/epoxy putty? Take it to a shop for welding?

[RAW911]

Pictures are the cracked fan shroud from my 84. Suggest you just bite the bullet and purchase a new cast aluminum unit from our host. It was easy to replace and no future worries.

[juanbenae]

ive used JB weld in other places on the housing with pretty good success. as I recall that affixes the hood at the fan shroud? is the crack all the way into the threaded portion of the housing? if not give it a shot.

I try to do the 1st application of JB with gloved fingers and try to force it into the crack as best as I can. let that cure. then do some neat globbing to fortify over the crack spanning it. it can be shaped some with a gloved finger if you get it applied and work it quickly enough. if it's cracked all the way into the threaded portion that will get tricky to not pollute the threads with JB.

JB also likes it warm. the cool weather makes it workable for a lil longer, but you will need it inside to cure over night if it's cool there like here.

[Porscher]

I've just had mine welded by a guy who was familiar with magnesium, mine hade a chip that had come off on the housing which should be harder to weld then your crack cause he couldn't just weld the chip back, he had to build it up again using the weld and his artistic skills, then I took over with alot of elbow grease, not done yet but pretty close.

[Pehlen]

After reading a ton, on this site and others, I eschewed repairs and went with a new one. I bought the new magnesium part out of Germany - CarPoint I think. Great fit and it came with gummy bears.

Although, I've seen one or two pictures on this site where someone (I forget the name, someone will chime in with it though) is doing some great work repairing and refurbishing them.

[Pehlen]

In fact, I turned the old one into a clock.

[sugarwood]

Looks like it's sold out at Pelican

I see the carPoint shroud on Ebay for about $500 shipped.

[sugarwood]

On a related note, it's great to see $300 aftermarket options for the fan itself.
I don't think this was around 3 years ago. I only recall Vertex

[wrxnofx]

The aluminum housing from Vertex was $500 last year. No it's $950!

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Juanbenae (Mr. "Tiny Piston" ) mentioned JB Weld, and I too can vouch for the fact that it works very well on housing cracks - stop drill the crack(s) where they haven't already propagated to and outer edge (drill all the way through), apply the JB in an appropriate manner, and you will have a repair that is very long lasting if you don't over-torque the various housings fasteners (like the hold down strap). The repair will even look good, too, if you take the time to work and blend the JB to suit.

[DRACO A5OG]

or Send it to Vellios, speak to Harry, they really don't like working with magnesium and especially our shrouds because "they are dirty casts" but mine came out pretty good for $75




The typical patina comes back over time.

[mb911]

I repair these all the time for guys. I have about 9 of them sitting on my bench for repair now..

I typically charge any where from 75 to 150 to repair them

26236474twosix if you want to talk about it

[G450X]

Originally Posted by Pehlen

After reading a ton, on this site and others, I eschewed repairs and went with a new one. I bought the new magnesium part out of Germany - CarPoint I think. Great fit and it came with gummy bears.

Although, I've seen one or two pictures on this site where someone (I forget the name, someone will chime in with it though) is doing some great work repairing and refurbishing them.

Is this mag housing actually manufactured in Germany? Does it seem to be reinforced in any of the crack prone areas? Does it appear to be a better casting than the original?

This seems like an alternative at a fair price point since the aluminum V version has near doubled in cost recently...

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by mb911

I repair these all the time for guys. I have about 9 of them sitting on my bench for repair now..

I typically charge any where from 75 to 150 to repair them

26236474twosix if you want to talk about it

9? What's your turn around time?

[Pehlen]

Originally Posted by G450X

Is this mag housing actually manufactured in Germany? Does it seem to be reinforced in any of the crack prone areas? Does it appear to be a better casting than the original?

This seems like an alternative at a fair price point since the aluminum V version has near doubled in cost recently...

It is new, manufactured in Germany. I'm no expert, but the housing seems to be a higher quality cast. There is no observable improvements to any of the design.

I have just gotten it, so no experience to report yet either.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

Juanbenae (Mr. "Tiny Piston" ) mentioned JB Weld, and I too can vouch for the fact that it works very well on housing cracks - stop drill the crack(s) where they haven't already propagated to and outer edge (drill all the way through), apply the JB in an appropriate manner, and you will have a repair that is very long lasting if you don't over-torque the various housings fasteners (like the hold down strap). The repair will even look good, too, if you take the time to work and blend the JB to suit.

dam, raw is riding me like a rented mule!


still think the JB weld, not JB tiny piston is a sound repair in most instances. the OP crack location adds some concern over the opportunity for a visual flaw due to where it's located. mine have been cracked further back in the deflector rudder pieces where they attach to the round shroud. both ive done you could notice the repair if you looked very close for it when installed, but could not be seen otherwise. I monitored both the years after the repair and did not ever see the JB let go.

to each his own, but why not try it to see if it works before buying the new unit? I understand if you have more money than time, or require a shop to this sort of work doing it a second time may not be appealing. if the project is only a cracked fan shroud, both of mine have been repaired during motor rebuilds so saving $500 is highly desirable..

[groovydude]

I found a local welder to do the repair at a reasonable cost. I'll post a pic when I get it back from the shop.