Morris Minor Owners Club

Anyone know of the advances in welding iron cylinder heads nowadays, please?

Waste of time matey - won't last. What head is it? And what needs welding?

Thought as much, if things had moved on I would have advertised it as cracked and hoped someone would be happy to repair.
It's an old cooper s head that I've hung on to for years. Most of them cracked in service, water in the bores.

Where is it cracked?
I had an Oselli modified 940 11 stud head with a cracked valve seat and the machine shop machined out the seat to below the crack then fitted a hardened valve seat and it worked perfectly and continued to be used on my 1400cc 'A' series until changed for the 7 port head.
If it is an old 11 stud Cooper 'S' head even cracked I would be reluctant to weigh it in for scrap.
See http://www.castironweldingrepairs.co.uk Sinden Services Ltd for example of what can be done these days.

Yes it is possible to weld cast iron heads . This can be done but you will need to weigh up cost of repair versus replacement.

I would have advertised it as cracked

The Oselli big valve 11-stud 12G940 head that had been on the Minor for around 14 years developed a crack between the unleaded exhaust seat and the inlet seat on No. 1 cylinder about 18 months ago.

I cleaned it up to remove all the combustion deposits and to show off the rather nice porting, and put it on eBay, with pictures showing the crack, and lots of words in bold and underlined about the crack and it sold for £69 plus postage, with guides, but no valves, rocker shaft etc.

Better than scrap value, and the buyer said he was delighted with it!

Definitely worth trying eBay, especially if it is a 'Genuine S Head'.

Well that's what I thought might happen if I made clear it was cracked. I don't know exactly where the crack is though, it was a long time ago but I think water was getting into the bores. At the time I tried to get a replacement but couldn't, It had been superseded by the 11 stud 940 head with more space between the valve seats. Probably best to get it tested.

If it's between the valves on an S head - it's very unlikely to hold up. I know of a v good Downton head where they tried and tried to fix a crack - but it would never hold. And the valves on an S head are so close together there really is no room to fit a seat. I suppose it may just be possible to try fitting a seat for a slightly smaller exhaust valve - and off setting it slightly away from the inlet valve - obviously the guide would need to be moved over by the same offset, and the rocker to suit.

I wouldn't go to that length, as it probably is between the valves. I have no need for the head really, it's just been with me all these years and I'm having a bit of a clearout. Seeing my S days are behind me now, just be nice to get a few bob for it, if it was a feasible repair for someone but maybe it's not going to happen. I just wish I could recall the exact symptoms that made me replace it. Anyhow thanks for all the thoughts.

Most ebay sellers would just advertise it as 'untested'.......for 'spares or repairs'.... If it has the special nimonic S valves and cotters - they have a good value in themselves!

Yes thats a thought Roy. Must be worth more than the 99p starting price, with valves.

Very much so - these were always expensive and possibly unobtainable now! They are shorter than 940 valves - with different cotter groove (and cotters, of course). Different springs too - although whether any good now is perhaps debatable ! Don't see ANY on ebay!

Did you see the aeg 163 head that sold? It went for £211----probably not cracked !!

I sold mine for £170 a couple of years ago.

You did well then.

Some sell for a lot more! Just depends on who's looking at any point in time.

I'm too idle to go searching for summat I don't want, but I assume by now you have taken some piccies, written a ruthlessly honest description and posted it on ebay? Oh, silly me, no, you'll be waiting for a freeby ad. Let us know how much it makes, though! Good luck !

Steady on, I'm still at the thinking stage! Act in haste repent at leisure. btw when is the next free listings?

les wrote:Steady on, I'm still at the thinking stage! Act in haste repent at leisure. btw when is the next free listings?

think quickly..its free listing weekend this weekend 22/23 feb.
however they do seem to be doing lots of them around this time of year.