Guido Pfister No Comments

1921 Duesenberg Model A

We do a lot of in-situ work. We routinely carry out machining and metal stitching work, among others, on components that are too large to be moved to a workshop or where dismantling work is too time consuming or costly. But repairing a an antique car engine block, in the chassis, in a museum, is still quite special. Even for us.

The engine in question is an in-line, eight cylinder one with a bore of 72 mm and a stroke of 125 mm (2.875″ x 5″). With a swept volume of 4’256 cc, or 260 cubic inches, this early Duesenberg Model A engine is capable of producing up to 88 hp (66 kW) of power.

Repair in progress. The engine remained in the chassis, only the cylinder head was removed.
Repair in progress. The engine remained in the chassis, only the cylinder head was removed.

We got the opportunity to work on this engine as cracks had began to show at the corners of the engine block. The cracks originated from the threaded bores housing the cylinder head studs. They extended towards the outside of the engine block on one side and into the cooling water passage on the other.

The fact that the engine was left inside the chassis made the repair a little more challenging than usual. Our metal stitching expert had to use a mirror for much of the repair work. Without it he could not see, let alone repair the cracks at the rear end of the engine block. In addition to sealing the cracks with stitching pins, our expert also installed Full Torque™ thread inserts at the threaded bores. Unlike conventional thread repair inserts, Full Torque™ inserts do not create spreading forces. They are therefore the perfect solution for cases like this one, where threaded bores close to an edge have to be repaired.

Cracks extending from the cylinder head stud bores to the outside and to the cooling water space
Cracks extending from the cylinder head stud bores to the outside and to the cooling water space
Installation of Castmaster stitching pins.
Installation of Castmaster stitching pins. They are the strongest and most advanced stitching pins on the market today.
Ultrasonic inspection of the casting
Ultrasonic inspection of the casting to determine the wall thickness
Metal stitching in progress. Due to the location of the crack a mirror was used.
Metal stitching in progress. Due to the location of the crack a mirror was used.
The completed repair. Cracks stitched and Full Torque thread inserts installed.
The completed repair. Cracks stitched and Full Torque thread inserts installed.

Links

Metal Stitching

Metal stitching is a very well-established repair method. It is applicable to a wide variety of materials such as cast iron, cast steel and many non-ferrous metals.

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Thread Repair

The repair inserts that we use to repair damaged threads are super strong and do not create spreading forces. They are ideal for high-load applications.

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