ok so this has been an issue for a while, the brackets where the brake pads sit have grooves worn into them due to lack of lubrication for probably most of its life prior to me owning it (it was my mothers since 95 and ive had it since 07 and lets just say the guys she had working on it for her wern't exactly ASE cerftified lol) this is causing alot of uneven wear across the pads and not allowing the calipers to seat fully. now my question is can i fill in the grooves with weld then grind it back down flush? now i have read that welding cast iron (which i believe they are) is a delicate task and probably cant be done with anything short of a huge Lincoln or miller stick welder. now i do work at a heavy duty truck repair shop so a welder is no problem, but does anybody have any input on if this would work?
Chris

 

I think you would do better if you just found some nice replacements in a wrecking yard. With a 93, 2wd they should be pretty easy to find.

I've never had a bit of luck with welding cast iron, btw. I have a mig, and at the highest power, the stuff just won't stick.

If you do decide to weld some new metal on, take it to a good machine shop or welding shop and let an expert give it a try.

 

i have welded numerous amounts of them on jeeps and the dodges just with a mig welder and then grind them down and it will be fine !

 

Welding cast iron is not as difficult as it's sometimes portrayed and if you work at a large truck facility, the welders there should know what they're doing. If they use the proper stick and heat, you shouldn't have a problem with the bonding, so the biggest thing to worry about at the welding stage would be warping & with the proper clamping and experience, the welder shouldn't have a problem. Once that's done, you will probably need to rebuild the calipers & from experience, I've found that the rebuild parts add up to more than getting rebuilt calipers - after I did the math, I quit struggling with old brake parts and went for the re-manufactured ones.

 

the calipers themselves are in working order, its just the brackets causing the issue, i bought reman'ed calipers for both sides about a year ago because i couldnt open the bleeder valvesjust about everything on this trucks braking system is new except the lines and wheel cylinders, im actually going to be ditching the cheap fenco reman master and going with an OEM Bendix NEW master cylinder because of repeated failures of replacement masters. i just replaced the thing less than a month ago and im already having issues with pedal travel that just wasnt there 4 days ago.
Chris

 

You cannot weld cast iron. You can only braze it. If you think you have you are mistaken. Whatever you welded the metal may have been cast, but it was steel not iron.

 

Yes, you can weld it. People do it all the time. There are a few extra steps that need to be taken, and you need to use the right material and process, but cast iron can certainly be welded.

Lincoln Electric agrees

 

In the most literal sense you can weld cast iron, though it is difficult. I should have been more clear.
My assertion that you can't weld it is based on the fact that you cannot rely on the casting to remain intact afterwards. Even if you are in a shop with ovens and all the necessary heat treating equipment you cannot be sure of the casting not cracking, usually very close to the weld. That crack may or may not lead to problems for usage.
I can see where tiny cracks might not matter. I was posting because the subject was brakes and I think most would consider that too important a part to risk failure. In my training we were taught that the only process that would give a properly bonded crack free metal to metal weld was brazing. The temperature for brazing is much lower than welding and is not high enough to cause problematic carbon migration.
I've heard legends about cast iron specific electrodes but the fact is the heat of a weld that melts cast iron (arcs that melt steel or iron are usually 2700 degrees F+) attracts the carbon in the casting to it and it is already a very high carbon thus brittle metal. This makes the metal around the weld even more brittle.
If the weld is good enough for your purposes then my added information does not affect what you are doing.