Cooling fin damage - can it be glued?

Sounds like a job for "JB Weld". It's the toughest glue around. It claims it can seal holes in engine blocks. Sold at most FLAPS

If you do glue it back on, you need to make sure the glue you use transfers heat well. Otherwise, you're wasting time gluing the thing back on 'cause it won't be doing much. Tom Wilson's book (I think) has a blurb about some amount of fin breakage being acceptable. How much did you break off?

-Chip

About 2 long, narrow pieces where the cylinder head meets the, well, cylinder I guess:) Plus a small piece about an inch square from one of the cylinders as well:( There might even be more breakage that I don't know about yet cuz I haven't examined them closely yet...who knows what cracks may be uncovered when I try to clean them:( At least now I know that glue is possible...just have to find that glue now:)

Neil

I say nothing short of aluminum weldinig will work.

But then again, if it wasn't full lenght fin, don't worry about it. I don't think it will ever notice.

Jan

JB Weld is great for some stuff but a cooling fin needs to conduct heat, and I suspect it wouldn't do that too well.

This is a common beginners mistake, so there are a lot of heads running around with broken fins. If you haven't broken off much, it's probably going to be fine, especially since this is only a 1200.

If you really want them fixed, get them welded.

----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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I advise strongly _against_ trying gluing, even for the wonderful JB Weld (which I use myself frequently for other stuff). reasons being: I doubt the glue is able to stand up to the termeratures involved (and will "melt fail"), causing said glued fin (or fins) to fall off loose inside the cooling tin, and there blocking (or clogging) airflow to the "balance" of the reamining fins...I'm =definitely= with the guy that advised "welding ONLY" as a repair to this one...

good luck :-)

Don't waste your time with J.B. Weld or any other glue.

Get it welded or just leave it.

A couple of broken off fins won't hurt.

But if you're paranoid, oh I mean really cautious about something like this, you might try the super cooling tin that fits under neath the cylinders. They are supposed to provide more even cooling. I tried them. Maybe that is why it runs too cool or possibly because I usually make just short 3.5 mile trips to the grocery.