Right Carb Cover - Fixable?

[moonpup]

but as soon you apply force to the cold lever to straighten it,.... SSSNAPPPP!!

Graham

You're absolutely right about that, happened to me when I was experimenting with a brake lever that already had the "ball" tip broken off and was bent as well.  SSSNAPPPP!!    However, cold hammering the cover worked for me.... go figure. 

On a side note, has anyone ever tried using this stuff to repair holes/gaps/cracks on their covers? Looks like it'd work to fill things in, but I wonder how close a match it'll be once polished out.

http://www.durafix.com/     (there's lots of videos on youtube that you can check out)

[Bikenstein]

Moonpup, I wouldn't braze that cover of yours. For any effect you would have to open up the crack. It's doubtful that it would match the polished cover. I'd try it on a scrap part first. A severe bend like levers undergo, requires heat to successfully straighten because they are bent past 90 degrees. If they are only bent a few degrees like the covers, you can still cold bend them without the risk of cracking

[moonpup]

It's doubtful that it would match the polished cover.

That's what I was wondering about and why I was asking if anyone had tried the Durafix stuff. 

I'd try it on a scrap part first.

That's the way to go. Now, who's going to be the first to experiment? 

[Bikenstein]

I think you should go ahead and try it on your cover since it has that awful lookin crack in it

[OldSwartout]

Aluminum brazing material has been around since the 60's, at least.  I've not had great luck with it, but if you get the heat right, it will fill a gap.  It was a little difficult to keep from getting bubbles, etc. for me.  No telling what the color match will be, but it has to be better than a big crack or gouge, plus in the location behind the brake pedal, it is not very obvious.  Most people have had difficulty with color match even with TIG or MIG, so it may be worth a try.

[hixon31272]

Why not just weld it from the backside and grind it down? I wouldn't think the crack is that noticeable from the outside.

[moonpup]

Why not just weld it from the backside and grind it down? I wouldn't think the crack is that noticeable from the outside.

When I started this thread, I was more worried about getting the dent out than anything else. Now that that's been accomplished, the crack is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. I'll just slap a little JB weld on the back and be done with it. 

[hixon31272]

I think that might be the best route to go.

[moonpup]

Hey guys, I got so pumped getting the dent out of the other cover, I went and started on another one before I've finished the first! 

This cover had a dent similar to the first one as well as a fairly deep gouge left by the brake pedal. In addition, the raised area on the right side suffered a good amount of road rash. Wish I'd taken some "before" pic's but I guess I spaced out on that.

Because of the deep gouge & rash, I tackled this one a little differently than the first one and so far it's worked out great. After I pounded the dent out, I used a file holding it flat to the surface and slowly took layer by layer off till most of the blemishes were gone. That's where it stands now and I'm more than happy with the results. The file saved me a ton of time that I would have spent on sanding in order to get to this point.

The first pic highlights the problem areas and the second one is with the file I used. The third pic shows another hairline crack, but this time it's on the underside of the cover and once sanded & polished should all but disappear.

[Mike Anderson]

Pup,
Cover work looks pretty good. You might want to go into the cover repair business. Seems like you are having as much success as anyone else I have seen. Good luck,
Later Mike

[moonpup]

Thanks Mike. Have you started on your heavily pitted one yet? If so, how's it going?

[Mike Anderson]

Nope,

Haven't had time to work on it yet. Putting things together on my original gold gto and getting ready to reinstall the body on my 56 corvette today. Yahoo, been a long time.
Later Mike

[moonpup]

Hey gang, here's a 3rd. cover I attacked today. Luckily there were no cracks in this one, but it did have 2 small dents with fairly deep scratches and an indented area on the bottom edge. Here are the before & after pic's....

[Jeff Bar]

Good job looks really nice Jeff bar

[moonpup]

Good job looks really nice Jeff bar

Thanks Jeff. I'm still amazed at how easy it is to pound out the dents. Before Bikenstein convinced me to give it a go, I was sure any attempt would end in disaster. 

After doing 3 of these now, I've found out I would rather tackle dents and scratches over oxidation any day. The problem with oxidation is that it usually covers the entire cover and that means you have to remove quite a bit of material which is a whole lot more work.

[slawsonb]

What material is the surface you are pounding against?
...bert

[moonpup]

Bert, I'm using the flat pounding surface (anvil) on the back of my bench vise.

Making sure the outside surface of the cover is laying perfectly flat, I use a large bolt that's approx. 1 3/4" long with about an 18mm head to beat it out. I usually start at the highest point and then fan out until the dent is gone.

For larger dents, I start with a block of hard wood and then switch over to the bolt. So far, this is what's worked for me.  

BTW: I also picked a bolt with a head that curves down a little towards the threads on the outside edge , so that there's less chance of the edge cutting into the aluminum. I also sanded the surface of the head to remove any imperfections and to make sure it was flat.

[Steve S.]

Amazing results!  Should look good as new after polishing.

Steve S.

[slawsonb]

Moonpup, I would not have guessed your answer. Expected something more compliant, but the results don't lie.
To echo what Steve S. said, Nice work!
Yet another new trick to try! I love this place...Thanks alot...
...bert

[reed]

Moonpup,
Nice job well done!!
Thanks.
Steve.