Cast iron is very difficult to weld. The welder doing it needs to be very experianced.
They CAN be welded, I know a shop around here in Rogers, MN that does it, but do to the slow expansion rate of cast iron, the heads should be baked in an oven to heat them up before the welding is done, otherwise the welds will crack right down the middle, or right on the sides. This happens because the cast iron doesn't contract as much as the welding material as it cools. It literally tears the weld apart.
All the extra pain involved in welding iron heads usually comes out of the pocketbook.
I cannot advise you on any performance, or reliability issues on this, sorry.
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