Skillz

[Feedman]

Well I am feeling somewhat confident about my welding abilities. I have been practicing almost every night. Welding alot of exhuast metal. It isn't exactly the hardest thing to do, but I feel I have basically conquered it. Welds look good, great penetration and strenght.

Once I get my car on the road...and thats outta my hair, I am going to make myself an equal lenght manifold. It seems a nice one can't be had for less than $500 bucks. I aim to change that. It may not be tig welded and look as pretty, but I gurantee it will flow just as well....

Stay tuned....... 8)

[RobbieNelson]

Once I get my car on the road...and thats outta my hair, I am going to make myself an equal lenght manifold. It seems a nice one can't be had for less than $500 bucks. I aim to change that. It may not be tig welded and look as pretty, but I gurantee it will flow just as well....

Stay tuned....... 8)

Good to hear that the welding skills are coming along. I wish you luck with the header. I imagine the high cost is associated with the fact that making one that won't get cracks along the welds, is hard to do. I guess by making it yourself, if it cracks, you can just weld it back up. Are you going to buy pre-bent tubing?

You are talking about he exhaust manifold, aren't you?

for Adam ---> 8)

[kmfdmk]

TIG WELDER.... can be rented, so can a wire-feed welder... and they're not expensive (too expensive that is).

[Feedman]

TIG WELDER.... can be rented, so can a wire-feed welder... and they're not expensive (too expensive that is).

True, but I don't care about looks, as long as its strong.



Robbie:

My old manifold wouldn't have cracked if I had a flex pipe. That alone caused it to absorb more vibration than it should have and cracked.

When I build my new manifold, I will buy mandrel bent pipes. In different assortments. Jc whitney, summit, jegs, ebay, etc.

I will also brace it accordingly so it won't crack.....

Regardless, if it does, nothing some more welds and a grinder won't fix!!!

8)

[RobbieNelson]

My old manifold wouldn't have cracked if I had a flex pipe. That alone caused it to absorb more vibration than it should have and cracked.

What kind of manifold cracked? I didn't know you had one crack on you.

[Feedman]

My old manifold wouldn't have cracked if I had a flex pipe. That alone caused it to absorb more vibration than it should have and cracked.

What kind of manifold cracked? I didn't know you had one crack on you.


You knew..just forgot. The whole reason my car died an early death was the cause of the manifold cracking....or better known as MIDAS.....

It was a log style manifold I purchased online, he built it, tig welded, flanged for a dsm turbo....which you don't ever see...can't buy a manufactured one....

See...I visited Midas on several different occassions to have my exhuast/and downpipes made. Each time asking for a flex pipe. Well they were always busy and said next time, so I was stupid and let it go. Well b/c of no flex pipe, the entire weight of my exhaust was basiclly supported by my manifold, including the turbo. So this caused stress points and in turn cracked.

Sidenote: after spending ~$500 bucks with them on subpar work, I got my own welder...no more someone doing something I can do....even better now.....

With the manifold cracked, it wasn't letting my turbo spool as quick as it should for one...

Second'y and MOST importantly, when it was tuned. The tuner said and I guote" this is a best as tune". Meaning this: When the manifold cracked, it was allowing oxygen to be sucked in on the downward stroke of the piston, causing it to read richer on the wideband than it really was. Well he tuned my car for a 14:1 ratio. Everyone knows that low 12's or even high 11's for a turbo car. He felt that it was actually reading more lean, so he tried to "compensate for it". Wrong....it wasn't as bad as he felt and after a few hard pulls on the interstate....Voila...cracked ringlands.....

I should post up a few pics of my old pistons, they actually have hot spots on them. If it had went anymore, I think the pistons would have started to detiorate @ the very tops where the spark is. I hope this clears up some of the mystery.....

Many poeple have commented on my car running rich, I never adjusted that, b/c rich was better than lean any day.....he was the only one ever to tune the fuel down......

He is a very smart guy, but as a few different people can attest, he was in a hurry with my car....and pushed me through...

He spent over 4 hrs on Jason's and tuned mine in less than 1 hour.....

So Colletti's gets a big :thumbdown: from me....

Any questions..... 8)

[RobbieNelson]

Any questions..... 8)

Yeah. Where was the wideband sensor located during the tuning session? I'm a little confused as to how a pressurized manifold can suck in air/o2. Maybe I'm missing something.

[Feedman]

Any questions..... 8)

Yeah. Where was the wideband sensor located during the tuning session? I'm a little confused as to how a pressurized manifold can suck in air/o2. Maybe I'm missing something.


Its not pressurized if it has a crack on it.....

The o2 bung is located @ the end of the downpipe...were the cat would start on your car....so as it expells exhuast gas, it was also sucking in air through the crack and causing me to show lean, when in fact I wasn't...... 8)