My Father's Oldsmobile

[500/600]

Keep going. It’ll work out. Is that the brazing rod stuff, MIG, TIG, JB?

 

[Texas82GP]

I was on to big things, then, just like everything else, I dicked it all up. These are the before and during; it's cooling off after a trip through the blast cabinet and a real good fvcking up on the bottom. I'll post my shame once I recover.
View attachment 166031View attachment 166032View attachment 166033

 

[DRIVEN]

Just giving you a hard time, man. I wouldn't have had the balls to dive in like that.

 

[fleming442]

It's all good. Those brazing rods aren't as forgiving as they initially appear. There's a magic work window i missed, not too hot, not too cold. I think my filler material is too thin, too. I may poke around the neighbor's junk piles for some cast scrap, like an old gas grill.
Of course, there's that nagging urge to buy a welder, maybe with an aluminum spool gun? I really want EFI on this thing, but I could use the ability to melt metal together much more......

 

[500/600]

I have TIG and MIG and weld aluminum with both. Recently I welded on a utility trailer with aluminum stick rods and it was phenomenal. Way better than expected. Preheat the starting point with a propane torch and weld. Highly recommended.

 

[superbon54]

It's all good. Those brazing rods aren't as forgiving as they initially appear. There's a magic work window i missed, not too hot, not too cold. I think my filler material is too thin, too. I may poke around the neighbor's junk piles for some cast scrap, like an old gas grill.
Of course, there's that nagging urge to buy a welder, maybe with an aluminum spool gun? I really want EFI on this thing, but I could use the ability to melt metal together much more......

You can tune a carbureted engine..... or at least you sound like it on the internet. If you buy a good one, a welder is the gift that keeps on giving for the rest of your life. My vote is for a welder.

 

[fleming442]

By the time I'm done with this, I probably could have gone full Ding How copy, and sand cast a new one to my specs!

 

[axisg]

FWIW we use a spool gun at work for making aluminum sign bases and frames. It's mostly all new extruded aluminum we use. The spool is basically a hot snot machine and although the welds hold they are sooty black and ugly no matter how much the settings are tweaked. It required different gas in the mig to weld the aluminum as well. Anything anyone will see then the Tig gets pulled down off the rack and fired up.

 

[Texas82GP]

By the time I'm done with this, I probably could have gone full Ding How copy, and sand cast a new one to my specs!

Yeah but why would you want Ding How equipment on your Oldsmobile? China sucks. Stay with it!

 

[500/600]

I just saw that they make a 2810 Victor for the 455. Saweeeet. At $525 it looks mighty affordable compared to my intake. Sad but true.

I would lay out all of your panels on your intake and take it to someone who can TIG like a mother and pay them. Shouldn't cost $100 if everything is clean and fits right. The Torker is still the best looking intake hands down.