Cut Aluminum Cylinder Head Air Cooled

[racecar builder]

Need to make two cuts zig zag through the head.

To get 3 separate cylinder heads single cylinder.It is a Corvair head.Junk one in one cylinder.

Mostly cutting through stacks of fins but a little solid.

Cutting it the short way across.Not length wise.

Have to cut the intake manifold off and a 'tray'.So.Lots of different cuts maybe.

How do we do this please?

Here is pic of a Corvair head.Cut one will be different one but cutting situation will be about the same.

We have a stick welder.Can that be used somehow?

 

[T Bredehoft]

Is yiour intent to salvage and use one cylinder head for a single cylinder engine?

 

[Shootymacshootface]

My first choice would be a band saw. No heat and a fairly accurate cut.

 

[Shootymacshootface]

I see the zig zag cut you would need to make. You could still band saw it, but the adjacent cylinder would be sacrificed.

 

[racecar builder]

'salvage and use one cylinder head for a single cylinder engine?

Yes.Thank you for reminding me.

We should leave the deck for that one cylinder.

Was thinking to cut one of the other ones down all the way to the runners and valve guide structure. To study it.

The extra cylinder probably just study it whole but easy to handle and turn around to look at.

'still band saw it, but the adjacent cylinder would be sacrificed.'

Dodged a bullet the other day.Had it dropped off at metal supply shop to get it cut on lines there.

They begged off of cutting it.

If they had cut it on those lines it would have cut right through one passage on adjacent head like your saying.

Looks like it will take different kinds of cutting multiple and a little time and patience.

 

[JimDawson]

Wire EDM maybe?

 

[racecar builder]

Thank you Jim

Looks like it will be whatever we can do with our Sears Craftsman benchtop power tools.

Have full set of the entry level ones.

We will have our Mickey Mouse ears on but will definitely keep it safe.

Tools like this.

Sears.com

Looks like Sears had a real falling out with Craftsman!

This General International brand is what they sell now.

Our 10 year old (hardly used) Craftsman one is like this.

 

[racecar builder]

Going to take it by metal supply and see what cuts they can do for us.

Have figured out what cuts to make.

Might find out it will need a few more.

Just need to get some of the cuts done first.

 

[C-Bag]

I think I understand what you're trying to do. Berg made separate heads like an aircraft engine for the VW for a short time in the '80s. They were beautiful but like $1,000 a head so they didn't really catch on Like you say it looks like a zigzag cut would possibly give you three separate heads. If there was a practice head I would use my table saw with a good sharp carbide blade for the first part of the zigzag being careful to set the depth of cut to just past the fins around cylinder below the exhaust outlet. Then flip the head over, reset the depth of cut and do the zag. I've cut big chunks off a 4x8" block of aluminum on my table saw and if your VERY careful it works good. Don't push the feed hard. I used my miter gauge to keep the work from cocking and getting stuck. A little WD40 on the blade too to keep the aluminum from sticking. Same with the bandsaw.

 

[NortonDommi]

Get an apprentice and hand them a hacksaw.