Thermostat housing repair???

[Justin1967gt500]

Anyone know of someone that may be able to repair my mistake 🤦�♂️🤦�♂️🤦�♂️

[pbf777]

      If brought into our shop my statement would be "maybe"; this based much on that which we have little control, particularly the metal alloy makeup and pollution content. 

      The alloy issue is that these along with much of every thing else like this water neck are not actually cast of "aluminum", rather an aluminum alloyed with "other" stuff, and that's where the problems arise in the welding repair; sometimes it welds readily, other times it burns and collapses. 

      The contamination issue is mostly the minerals in the water and anti-freeze which over time coupled with pressure and heating cycles manages to infiltrate the metal presenting the same resultant effect in the welding challenges of pitting and splattering as that of the pot metal. 

      So sometimes it welds-up nicely, but other times you spend excessive sums of time trying to float garbage out of the weld-pool, grinding it away and going at it again, until then sometimes one just says enough is enough, and throws the object across the room, declaring that it just wasn't going to happen! 

      Scott.

 

[Bob Gaines]

Ouch. As has been stated diecast parts like that are problematic to weld successfully. The alignment of the parts before welding is critical. After the welding you have to mill the mating surface to confirm flatness otherwise expect leaking. With all that done trying to disguise the repair seen from the outside will be a trick in itself. The odds of accomplishing the welded repair along fixing to a presentable outside appearance are long. I also see many hours fixing the part and making it presentable and depending on the hourly rate can easily exceed the cost of replacement even at the elevated 3-500.00 these parts command. With all that said you might beat the bushes to see what is out there. Just this weekend I saw where a owner had found one of the older 67 repro FE water necks to provide to the restorer hosting a meeting I was at.  FYI the older repros are excellent with the exception of the C7-A engineering number that looks repro would need to be ground off. If you beat the odds leave enough money to buy a few Lottery tickets.   I would not try to repair unless as a last resort and even then do not have high expectations. Best of luck. 

[68stangcjfb]

I fixed a C8 housing around 10 years ago broken the same way with JB weld on a friends Torino 390. Still good to this day. At least the break is on the lower side. His was on the upper side. The way I see it, you have nothing to lose trying.
Oh. I forgot to mention that he has put over 25000 miles on it since I repaired it.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

There are new 68 repops now. Yours was a 66-7 BB Fairlane and 67 BB Mustang only.
You can use the 68 one until you save up about 400 bucks for a used 67 one.

This one is not drilled - you could grind off the boss and have one that looks right
https://www.cjponyparts.com/scott-drake-thermostat-housing-without-smog-port-aluminum-mustang-390-428-1967-1970/p/TH19/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP-6BhDyARIsAJ3uv7aorN-uZhFdEFN7hwl-6qc0pMF_Ie8D3Y6YcVpM4Jx8K50l-U471DwaAjK3EALw_wcB

[shelbydoug]

My own perspective on repairing these housing by welding them is a negative one.

These things were made like this for a reason. They were nickle and dime items new. Probably less the $10 as a service part.

Because of the type of metal they were made from, never intended to be repaired.

Now it the thing is that delicate to just break like that under very little duress, how stable is it going to be after you weld it up? Maybe it will be ok for just a show car that gets basically backed out of the garage to put on a trailer to go to a show and just backed off of the trailer at the show again, but I'm not going to feel comfortable and confident enough to drive around with something that has the potential to self destruct at any moment.

To me, that housing is done. Dead and buried. Put a head stone over it and maybe some flowers a couple of times a year?

[Coralsnake]

I think that one is now an "educational expense"

[Bob Gaines]

There are new 68 repops now. Yours was a 66-7 BB Fairlane and 67 BB Mustang only.
You can use the 68 one until you save up about 400 bucks for a used 67 one.

This one is not drilled - you could grind off the boss and have one that looks right
https://www.cjponyparts.com/scott-drake-thermostat-housing-without-smog-port-aluminum-mustang-390-428-1967-1970/p/TH19/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP-6BhDyARIsAJ3uv7aorN-uZhFdEFN7hwl-6qc0pMF_Ie8D3Y6YcVpM4Jx8K50l-U471DwaAjK3EALw_wcB

For a short period of time Scott Drake made and sold the 67 only FE thermostat housing.I don't know why they stopped.