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newaccorddriver
06-04-2006, 01:25 PM
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/newaccorddriver/Turbo%20related%20stuff/getmsg.jpg


the guy just finished making it. why the pictures in black and white im not sure. im just waiting for him to sand blast it, port it, and then ceramic coat it and ship it to me. cost me $400USD which isnt bad considering it looks kinda equal length.


thats proof that im not bullshitting when i say im boosting. ive already yanked out my current engine and i just need to take it apart to get measurements fora rebuild kit. after that its just a matter of hooking it all up, breaking the engine in. installing the turbo stuff and then have fun with megasquirt.(just bought megasquirt for the turbo setup)

reanimator420
06-04-2006, 01:39 PM
prob black and white to hide the burns and mistakes depending on how good the welder is. looks decent though
i would ask for him to take 250 or 275 on them they dont look clean at all on the seams and lots of un even spots

well i would not sheit that money for those in my op, but whatever floats your boat.just looks like it was thrown together in like 30min. have you seen color pics yet that would prob make you think differently about price, just seems pricey for poor work

Hash_man_Se_i
06-04-2006, 02:27 PM
Some of those welds don't look very good, but thats not bad. Probably could have got a better one done here in Calgary for about the same price.

Legend_master
06-04-2006, 02:29 PM
did they use the factory exhaust manifold flange?

newaccorddriver
06-04-2006, 04:26 PM
did they use the factory exhaust manifold flange?
ya, i had to get a flange just for the manifold.

i would ask for him to take 250 or 275 on them they dont look clean at all on the seams and lots of un even spots
$400 for whats basically an equal length isnt too bad. i think he did a pretty good job considering this is the very first time hes ever made a manifold for an A series engine before.
he made a manifold for my friends H series engine and the welds themselves look pretty decent.
all the faults are really cosmetic, but for the price you cant really go wrong i guess. even then, cosmetic junk inside an engine bay shouldnt really matter as its all hidden from regular view

Some of those welds don't look very good, but thats not bad. Probably could have got a better one done here in Calgary for about the same price.
as long as the welds actually hold together good it should be alright. i would have gotten a manifold made locally, but elijah gave me the impression that his manifold costs upwards of $1200. he later told me that a local place would have made it for around $400 as well, but not equal length like mine. the place he recommended had a really good welder there, but why would anything cosmetic make a difference unless i plan to enter shows?


well i would not sheit that money for those in my op, but whatever floats your boat.just looks like it was thrown together in like 30min. have you seen color pics yet that would prob make you think differently about price, just seems pricey for poor work
ive seen this guys work and the H22 manifold he made for my friend looks very good. the main difference is he salvaged my flange and ordered a flange for his. it probably looks worse then any other manifold cause he salvaged the factory flange, otherwise it probably would have looked as good as my friends manifold

snoopyloopy
06-04-2006, 05:20 PM
you can order an a20 flange from a site. i forgot which one it is, though. i think sq is the squad ordered one. so if you ever need another one, have him use one of those instead. and it doesn't look bad. i almost thought it was just a weird design for a regular header at first, though. :lol: and it might not be a b&w picture. steel and concrete aren't very colorful items in the first place.

slow2point0
06-04-2006, 06:54 PM
At least he has a turbo manifold... he's a lot further along than I am, I still don't know why my car doesn't run

Legend_master
06-04-2006, 07:23 PM
you can order an a20 flange from a site. i forgot which one it is, though. i think sq is the squad ordered one. so if you ever need another one, have him use one of those instead. and it doesn't look bad. i almost thought it was just a weird design for a regular header at first, though. :lol: and it might not be a b&w picture. steel and concrete aren't very colorful items in the first place.

I think SQ in the Squad got the last flange available.

AccordEpicenter
06-04-2006, 07:30 PM
looks good, im not sure if i would have used the factory flange though, but is 1000% better than a log mani, a basic 4 into 1. Looks alot like mine too. What material was it made of? Mild steel? What thickness/size (what schedule?)

snoopyloopy
06-04-2006, 07:42 PM
I think SQ in the Squad got the last flange available.
damnit....and they're not going to make any more? that kinda sux. i say sq should get that thing scanned or something and someone can get a couple made for future use.

newaccorddriver
06-04-2006, 08:14 PM
and it might not be a b&w picture. steel and concrete aren't very colorful items in the first place.
:slap: i should have thought about that before i came to the conclusion that it was a black and white photo


looks good, im not sure if i would have used the factory flange though, but is 1000% better than a log mani, a basic 4 into 1. Looks alot like mine too. What material was it made of? Mild steel? What thickness/size (what schedule?)

what makes a 4 into 1 so much better then a log style manifold anyways? i should have asked him to make me a side mount turbo manifold like the other guy has on the boards here :)


im pretty sure it was made out of mild steel. as for the thickness/size of the piping, im not quite sure. probably somewhere around 16 gauge maybe? runners are probably 1.25-1.5".

what do you mean by schedule though? if its referring to time, then hes had it for almost 2 months cause he got interrupted by several other customers. i told him to take his time as i wouldnt be needing it for a bit anyways, and it gave me a bit of time to save up more cash to save on shipping through his site. he sent me that picture not too long ago and also told me i might have to wait a week as his air compressor and such failed on him. atleast i got to see some progress along the way which i doubt many people usually see. i told him to move the flange outwards a bit so the turbo wont hit the block. the worst case scenario is i would have to run a T3 instead of a T3/T4.


Holy boogerville batman.
I'd hate to see the insides of the welds!
dont worry, if i remember, ill take pictures for everyone

ZackieDarko
06-04-2006, 08:56 PM
equal lengeth = all exhaust gases hiting the compressor at the same time

log style = exhaust gases hiting the compressor at different times

equal lengeth will spool the turbo faster and more efficently

87preludeA20A3
06-05-2006, 01:46 AM
That manifold looks good, but i took a few wlding classes at my college and i could probably do better than that if i took my time. not that i'm saying its not worth it, anything is worth a boosted A20...

reanimator420
06-05-2006, 02:26 AM
yeah i could do better but he bought and is "proud" of them so lets see

newaccorddriver
06-05-2006, 03:33 PM
yeah i could do better but he bought and is "proud" of them so lets see


i probably could have gotten a better shop to weld up my manifold, but what difference does cosmetics make on a manifold if it does its job well enough?

reanimator420
06-05-2006, 04:13 PM
well that is y i said "lets see" b/c those look like holes to me lol

AccordEpicenter
06-05-2006, 04:36 PM
i hope its at least schedule 40, if its 16 gauge itd probably melt lol. The presence of a collector, and separated runners make the difference between a log mani and a common runner log manifold. I saw a comparison one time where they took a log manifold and ran it on this turbo b series civic, he made 240whp or so, then the only change they made was to a tubular 4 into 1... like a ramhorn equal lenght i believe, then he made like 300whp. Youre gonna be a hella lot more efficient with a 4 into 1 even if it isnt equal length vs a log mani, but log manis are cheap and easy to make. Its a trade off

stat1K
06-22-2006, 09:15 PM
i like all these people saying they could make a better one. if you can... do it. don't just squash this guys thread by talking smack. i think it looks pretty decent myself and would be worth the 400 bucks just not to have to do it yourself. also if it melts you have some recourse. but if you built one and it melted you'd be SOL. gl with your boost i hope it all goes well for you.

Hash_man_Se_i
06-23-2006, 02:23 PM
^^ I definately couldn't do better myself, however for that kind of money I could get a much nicer one made, and locally too, which is 3 hours away from him/.

stat1K
06-23-2006, 04:22 PM
well see that kind of information is a lot more helpful than the " i could have made a better one"... local meaning calgary i gather from your previous posts? and what kind of price range are you talking about for a better price?

so you get any more pics or even get the finished product yet?

newaccorddriver
06-23-2006, 04:33 PM
i spent $400USD on this and it wasnt local or anything, but the only local place that makes manifolds cant make one like mine for that price. they would likely charge upwards of $700USD for one like mine. its currently at the post office, i just gotta pick it up.
if i had known that i could have had one made in calgary, i would drive the 3 hours for it, although at the time this place was all i knew about along with one other place. i have seen this guys work as my friend bought a manifold off him and the welds and such were fairly nice, so i decided to give him a try. since the place in calgary would have probably gotten it done within a week or so, that would mean id be losing a big chunk of change in the meantime which at the time meant alot. the guy i bought it from took 2 separate payments which made it easier on myself.


so you get any more pics or even get the finished product yet?
finished product is in my hands, camera just isnt working. ill try and borrow my friends camera tonight and post more pictures up

due to popular demand by TWO PEOPLE, heres pictures of my manifolds in the link below:)
http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/newaccorddriver/Turbo%20related%20stuff/
i measured out all the runners, the outer 2 are equal length, and the 2 in the middle are off by about 3-5cm compared to the outer 2. the welds inside the manifold penetrated conpletely through, but i cant take a good picture of it so i didnt bother. i tried painting it with BBQ paint, but a little degreaser accident killed my efforts.
feel free to comment on the manifold, the kleenex is on the side:)

crazykamper
06-29-2006, 03:39 PM
get pics up asap!! i wanna see!!!

mkymonkey
06-29-2006, 10:25 PM
looks good. but that pipe being like that would bother me. just cuz its off by a bit. what turbo are you going to be running? sorry i didnt read the rest of the thread if you already mentioned it

Ichiban
06-29-2006, 10:44 PM
Pretty doesn't count. A (close to) equal length manifold is worth it, I'm just worried about how they welded steel to cast. If you can get an exhaust gasket, you can easily flame cut a flange, and finish it with a die grinder and drill press.

BTW how much do you guys wanna pay for flanges, I'll make em!

mkymonkey
06-29-2006, 10:46 PM
$80? :d

Ichiban
06-29-2006, 11:03 PM
If you want flanges made, pm me.
Won't happen till fall sometime though.

newaccorddriver
06-30-2006, 02:12 PM
looks good. but that pipe being like that would bother me. just cuz its off by a bit. what turbo are you going to be running? sorry i didnt read the rest of the thread if you already mentioned it
which pipe are you talking about?
i originally planned to run a T3/T04e, but my friends didnt clear the block cause it was an inch off. i might try and run a T3/T04b cause its a bit smaller, but i need to find one to test fit first though. worst case scenario is i would run a T3 60 trim which would ironically be better for the car anyways.


Pretty doesn't count. A (close to) equal length manifold is worth it, I'm just worried about how they welded steel to cast. If you can get an exhaust gasket, you can easily flame cut a flange, and finish it with a die grinder and drill press.
BTW how much do you guys wanna pay for flanges, I'll make em!


the problem with our gaskets is its 3 pieces, so its not easy to make flanges like that without tracing a flange.


im not sure how he welded the steel to cast iron, but he told me my friends H22 manifold was using the cast flange as well. his manifolds holding up pretty good too as hes constantly in boost.


i guess for the price i paid, i cant do much better anyways cause most equal lengths are 600usd or so

Ichiban
06-30-2006, 03:35 PM
Then I'll do an impression of the exhaust manifold itself and copy it exactly. I have an A20 sitting right there so I'll be able to test fit and port match it.

Justin86
06-30-2006, 04:20 PM
As for welding guys it is harder then it looks. Welding think steel plate in your class is far different then doing 16gauge tubing. I can do beautiful butt and corner welds on thincker steel all day long. Working with tubing esp on thinner material is totaly different. Plus the biggest part of having a great looking and strong welds is all dependend on your fab work. If your parts don't align up perfect, you will have to fill it with weld, won't look as good nor be as strong.
I think is it pretty good for a local fab guy, clearly he doesn't build headers for a living, but it should work just fine.

newaccorddriver
06-30-2006, 04:46 PM
its not a local fab work guy. this guy makes and sells turbo stuff on his website and the H22 manifold he made looked alot better then my manifold. then again the H22 manifold was also double the price and this is his first A series manifold

stat1K
07-07-2006, 05:46 PM
i think it looks decent, should definitely get the job done.

A20A1
07-07-2006, 05:55 PM
I also welded to cast iron before with no problems yet to speak of but this is N/A and not turbo.
The factory flange ate my grinder when I tried to flatten it out... that stuff is tuff. :) Anyways nice work there.


the problem with our gaskets is its 3 pieces, so its not easy to make flanges like that without tracing a flange.
im not sure how he welded the steel to cast iron, but he told me my friends H22 manifold was using the cast flange as well. his manifolds holding up pretty good too as hes constantly in boost.

I have a tracing of a single piece A20 gasket, only some gaskets come in the 3 pieces.

The original image is 12" wide so scale it appropriately before printing it out. It was is 300px/in but I made it 72px/in so the file size would be smaller.

The extra outlined white circle in the image is just the size of the F series ports turned 90*.
When tracing use the smaller inner whole circles as the A20 ports.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/Wendy_girl/exh_a20.jpg

A20A1
07-08-2006, 12:51 AM
i measured out all the runners, the outer 2 are equal length, and the 2 in the middle are off by about 3-5cm compared to the outer 2.


equal lengeth = all exhaust gases hiting the compressor at the same time
log style = exhaust gases hiting the compressor at different times
equal lengeth will spool the turbo faster and more efficently


Well it's considered equal length even with a 1.5" difference in tube lenghts.
Less restrictive bends are more important then having more bends just to reach an equal lenght.
Near Equal Lenght with minimal bends and smooth transitions are the best.
Slightly unequal lengths could aide in broadening the bowerband... it works for N/A.

Its not because a log style is not equal length that it is such a poor design, its a poor design because:
1) It makes no effort to seperate the flow of each cylinder and merge them together in a smooth transition.
2) It has relatively sharp turns from the exhaust ports and also into the turbo.
3) It also has cylinder #1 & #4 flowing in opposition of eachother.


the welds inside the manifold penetrated conpletely through, but i cant take a good picture of it so i didnt bother. i tried painting it with BBQ paint, but a little degreaser accident killed my efforts.
feel free to comment on the manifold, the kleenex is on the side:)

Looks good to me.

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Ichiban
08-04-2006, 01:01 PM
I'm gonna make a run of exhaust flanges once I get to school this fall. I was thinking about doing maybe 10 or 15, and i'll be able to machine a true surface on the gasket side. I was thinking 1/4'' or 3/8'' flat bar should be sufficient. Suggestions? Offers?

A20A1
08-04-2006, 01:10 PM
3/8 might work but turbo flanges tend to be .50" thick

I might take a 3/8" for a header.
Depends what material it is also, I'd perfer stainless.

Ichiban
08-05-2006, 05:40 PM
..it all depends on what the college won't notice going missing, I have a pile of steel but none of it is stainless. Stainless is a bitch to work with and weld, as well, maybe I can set up a CNC program to do it all for me:)

wrxdriver99
08-26-2006, 09:31 PM
screw the haters, custom is custom. I think its a damn good try. and besides, no one can tell you whether or not you got vaue for your money but you. good on you for playin the game.
P.S. no-one in my city will even touch the idea of making a custom turbo mani, of any style. I will make my own.