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Welding cast aluminum?

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  IronBull 
#1 ·
So I've decided that the next set of beadlocks I'm going to build will be based on cast aluminum wheels. I will have a shop do the aluminum welding as I am not set up for such, but I am left with the question of whether cast aluminum can be welded at all? The plan is to mill the inner rings out of 6061 aluminum and weld them to the wheels, but I'm not sure if this is feasible. Any insight on this matter would be great.

Oh btw, before anyone tells me to go out and buy some ready made cast aluminum beadlocks, this is going on an ATV, so there is no such beast. Furthermore, the beadlocks that are available for ATV's are intended for race applications, so they are definitely not up to my specs for 'crawling.

Thanks for any info.
 
#2 · (Edited)
The japanese big 4 seem to like to put a lot of magnesium in some of their "aluminum" castings so I'd recommend verifying it is indeed "aluminum" before you consider welding it. In the books high magnesium content alloys are listed as weldable - in practice they aren't always weldable.Read this first. See part 7 re: silicon content.

EDIT- "Read this first" meant click on that link and read that whole article first! It was for two reasons
1)He's making the rings out of 6061
2)Lincoln says 5000 (magnesium is major alloying element) series is actually most weldable, but I've run into problems with honda parts in the past having such high magnesium content that they were a nightmare to weld. -EDIT OVER

Expensive options:
1)You can send a sliver to a lab and they'll tell you if it's a weldable alloy with a mass spectrometer, or you can buy a chemical test kit for aluminum alloy ID which costs about $400
2)Spend tons-o-$$$ carefully machining it and aluminum brazing rings on to it.
3) Try welding them and if they come out a mess or they crack afterward, just buy new ones

Cheap options:
1) see if you can get steel wheels that will work.
2)Use bead cement to glue them to the wheels.
3)Use sheet metal screws.
4)Write Honda a letter and wait a few years for a letter back from Japan telling you what they make them out of.
 
#6 ·
Ok, well let me clarify what I'm doing a little better. I will be using ITP C-series rims or one of the other cast aluminum ATV aftermarket rims. I assume they have a similar alloy composition as the cast wheels we run on our trucks. With that being said I could make the rings out of 5052 if it would weld better.

I already have a set of 11" steel beadlocks that I'm running on there now, so I'm wanting to step it up a notch and build some 12" beadlocks out of aluminum.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I've welded 6061 to cast.
Just going off my memory, which isn't the most reliable, I believe 7000 series Al is a different blend of Al and the suffix is the heat treat, (ie. T5 or T6).

EDIT - I should also add that all of the higher series Aluminums are lightly clear anodized for shelf life, sheet and bar stock. The joining edges need to be cleaned of the anodizing.
 
#11 ·
JeepinDoug said:
I've welded 6061 to cast.
Just going off my memory, which isn't the most reliable, I believe 7000 series Al is a different blend of Al and the suffix is the heat treat, (ie. T5 or T6).
You're right the "Tx" designates the heat treatment, but because the 7000 series responds well to heat treatment it is usually treated. To not heat treat it would be like not heat treating 4340 shafts which would make them no stronger than ordinary steel.
 
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