The rods require a ton of heat to melt. They are not like solder at all. If you have access to a acetylene torch set it will not be bad but if you dont it will be hard to get that thick metal hot enough. If you like the setup you have that much repair it. If not, and your going to go through the trouble of pulling the head to have it repaired..... just buy another head from someone and mill the shit out of it get'r done. If you don't car at all and just need to get it fixed billed a dam (lol) and poor the JB weld in there. There is also a Aluminum 2 part putty in a roll that works really well if your going that route. You Knead it together in your fingers to mix the 2 components and then its like modeling clay... just build it up and sand it down. good luck