There is definitely an art to pipe fitting. Looks good so far. Are you going to mill the flange flat?

 

Not sure. If I can get it in the mill at work and clamp it well then yeah. Otherwise I'll go the sander route.

 

Yes he is going to mill it flat.

 

Still working on it. I'm starting to get the hang of this welding thing. Also mounted the intercooler. This mount works well but I'm gonna go grab some longer bolts to lower it down a bit.

 

It may be stated in an earlier thread but what type of welder are you using?

 

Tig welder

 

how are those back braces coming?

 

Haven't gotten to them yet :( probably won't for a while. Been too busy doing...

THIS. Engine side fully welded:



Root pass:



Filled pass:



My version of weld ****....lol

 

SUCCESS!!!!!!!

 

Down pipe tubing:

 

Figuring out oil feed routing.

Can I route under the manifold or will that be too hot. Should I route over the downpipe and around?

I really like the under the manifold routing, it would be super clean and out of the way. Maybe some heat shielding on the line? I will be using braided stainless lines, but I don't know how heat resistant they are.

 

Here's the progress at the end of the day. I had a bit of a crisis with the oil drain being too long but I switched to pushlock fittings (I know its not ideal but its the only way it will work) and now it might end up ok.

Here are some pictures of the current setup.

 

Looks pretty darn good for a first attempt at a manifold. This is your first attempt right?

 

Yeah, almost had to start a second today though. 3rd time ever TIG welding too lol.

You ever gonna come grab that impact wrench? I have no use for it until I go home.

 

Anyone know where I can get a 2.25 inch cone filter in a brick and mortar store?

 

I'll hopefully be able to come by tomorrow... Didn't get home from work til 9 tonight. I did manage to sneak away during the day and pick up that tool from HF though.

Anyway I'll let you know. I typically have very little time during the week.

Edit to add: would one of those Spectre filters from vatozone with the little adapter rings work?

 

Sounds good. I have to quit working around 9-930. Cutting metal makes the neighbors mad. So anytime before that works.

 

I know autozone sells K&N, I'm not sure if they sell cones though.

Honestly though, it's a $60 filter you're going to use for the rest of the setup, order the exact one you want and put a sock over it until then.

 

It runs! Still need intercooler piping.

 

Been way to busy working to update but now I'm on a bus from Seattle and have some time. Couple big issues that I thought were going to be deal breakers but some really helpful people worked with me and found solutions.

First big crisis I had was the oil drain line. Curly actually warned me of this early on, how big AN fittings are. I thought that my low mount would work but it was too low. I actually ended up cutting it and re-clocking the turbo some. But even that didn't fix it. So I had to switch to push lock fittings instead of the stainless fittings. The fittings are about half an inch shorter and 2 45s worked perfect for me.







Next big issue was how much the head flange warped. When I first welded it up I didn't bolt/tack it down to a large piece of metal and it warped almost an 1/8th of an inch. When I first welded it I tried to do short passes and I let it cool a lot but it wasn't enough. Tried a machine shop in Portland (Griffiths Machine shop) and he said milling it would make it too thin in the middle. I thought I was going to have to scrap the manifold. But then he came up with the idea to cut the manifold and then flatten it, and re-weld. He threw it in a band saw, put it in his press, and then even found me some 1/8th inch filler rod to help fill the larger gaps. When I tried to go pay he wouldn't take any money and said "If I can help get a young man into hot rodding thats enough payment for me". Really nice guy, and really knowledgeable.

So I went out and got a piece of really thick C-channel and welded it back up.



Lots of small welds, tried to keep the heat out.



Fully welded:



Once that got figured out I took it to Clackamas auto store in Oregon City (thanks again Curly) and they sanded both flanges flat and once again were amazingly helpful and awesome guys. They had just finished an engine for Curly and got my stuff done in no time.

Up next was the downpipe. I went with 3 inch pipe, but wish I had gone with 2.5. Its a really tight fit and has some contact points I'm a bit worried with. But I think it will work out ok.





Intercooler piping. Got all my stuff from silicone intakes. Ended up with a 2.25-2.5 reducer 90. A 45 pipe to the intercooler with a straight coupler in the middle. Then a 90 coupler on each side of the intercooler and a 45 back to under the intake. BOV pipe plus a straight coupler up to the intake and it was done. Going to set up the mig and put a bead around the edge of the straight pipes I cut to give the t-bolt clamps something to hold on to. Overall I am happy with it and I hope it works out well.





Wastegate remounting.

Decided I wanted to weld to the compressor housing for the wastegate mounting. The tig was just not working. I'm not sure if it was user error but the round that I was welding to the compressor housing was blowing out, and the cast aluminum was totally contaminated no matter how much I cleaned it. I almost gave up before my buddy goes, you know I have some aluminum rod for my stick welder. Worked perfectly. A bit ugly but its not going anywhere.





I took a break to visit some friend in Seattle but tomorrow all I have left to do is cut the downpipe to match the exhaust and throw some beads on the intercooler piping. I also have to mount up the undertray and try out some plastic weld stuff.

Long post but thats where I am now. Critique/Hate/Love welcome.