Seven S-2 thrown rod through block

[Klasik-69]

I've nickel welded cast iron with great success. Most of it was with high pressure two-stage centrifugal pump housings that had impellers blow apart and grenade through the housing. The trick to welding cast iron is metal preparation. Block would have to be heated to over 500 degrees before the nickel rods are able to bond. Once it's done, it's good forever. The nickel material is very hard and much more durable than the surrounding cast iron. If your rod went thru a water jacket and the exterior of the block, you can forget welding that. Of the the roughly 50 or 60 water pumps I welded, not one failure. They were used on fire fighting equipment and industrial sprayers running at upwards of 225 psi. Firemen would over-rev them to get 250 to 275 psi. Pumps cost over $2K for just the housing so welding was cost effective.