RadekSkylark

Ok, here goes my second attempt starting RG Race fab thread

Got some news... Got my first customer! yeah, whoohooo :D

The guy want's stainless steel 4-2-1 header and exhaust system for his Mitsubishi Galant 1998 4G63 N/A... Wednesday he will be taking his car over, and I'll be slowly starting the build.

As the car has auto trans (I think I dont need to say that the guy is a bit crazy...), I'll be focusing on gaining mid range power, so the plan is making the same ID primary pipes just making them longer, secondary pipes stays the same, maybe a little drop in ID, and making tailpipe bit bigger ID then stock. I think that I'll be leaving header design pretty much same as stock header, will see though... I think I'll be using 17ga tube, as thats what I'll be able to get, and also in this build I'll be using 304 SS flanges as the customer requested.

I'll be posting as many pictures as I can of course. The plan is on making JIG for header and then working from there, and just checking for fitment on the car.

Also tomorow I'll be purchasing large gas lens kit and shade 9 gold lens from weldfabulous.com, hope they'll arrive fast.

Just couldn't pass this customer (and hope I won't have to pass any other customer) when saw those pictures (this is one of other companies who makes headers,manifold and such, here in Latvia):





So, if anyone has any advices, please, let me know

EDIT: Also there was a guy who was interested in me welding up his charge pipes, he contacted me today and said that this week he'll be taking those pipes over for 5-6 autogenous weld joints...

RadekSkylark

Just purchased that gold lens, and as far as I know everything I need to run large gas lens setup, please correct me ASAP if something is missing from the list:

- large gas lens stubby
- large gas lens insulator
- large gas lens collet
- large gas lens nozzle #12

Thanks!

RadekSkylark

Today my first customer arrived

Here are few pictures:





As customer wanted I'll be using MagnaFlow resonators, end tip, and also catalyst.

After measuring stock tubes I decided to go: 1.46" ID primary tubes, 1.54" ID secondary tubes, and 2" ID taipipe tube, also exhaust will be 2" ID...

Everything will be made out of 17ga wall, besides exhaust, it will be ~.078" wall as I'm unable to find thinner tube so that the ID remains 2"... its Latvia... But who know, tomorow I'm still out for tubes, maybe I'll get lucky and find some

Will try to make a lot of pictures, but who know how it goes

Thanks

vtec8200

Isn't 2 inches the size of the original exhaust on those cars?

RadekSkylark

it is, but it is OD, I'll be making 2" ID.

EDIT: As couldn't find secondary elbow in our country we went with 4-1 design... primarys stays the same, exhaust too.

for my surprise MagnaFlow mufflers and such are mild steel.... whooow... I realy thought that for that price they'll be SS, but whooow... OK... but we'll go with them anyway!

Here goes one problem: I can't find flex... How bad is it to make header and exhaust without a flex....? I know its not good, but if you'll say that really bad I'll you have to take mild flex and weld it in exhaust as there will be mild mufflers already... so that the header really is SS!!!

Also I've gathered pretty much all materials needed

Thnaks

RO_SUNNY

-2 '' I.D. is kinda small performance wise.
-If the exhaust will be without a flex section it will most probably snap a bolt or crack the exhaust manifold.

RadekSkylark

Ok, here's a little story:

Yesterday went to local store "AD Parts" where I bought those mufflers, and there it was:



it was there, cause it was made for their Pro Drift E36 M54B30...

Unfortunatelty I didn't have my camera with me, but I have my phone, so I took few shots...

At that point I was really happy, cause those are one of ~3 companies which makes manifold and such, and they have customers cause there are "ok/good"(who knows...), when I saw this I was like: Awhhh... what that? :D




I dont want to be an ***, I know that in USA and such I would be considered a newbie fabrication, but judging from these guys I'm pro in Latvia :D

Also this manifold was made out of 17ga tubes - are you kiding me?????? wtf... and tig welded like that... I think they'll need new header after one season for sure

P.S. I really don't think that someone could really weld it worse... From the looks of it, it has been welded as bad as possible...

RadekSkylark

Remember that it has a stock engine + automatic tranny which only goes to 5k rpm, so I want powerband to start as low as possible... I really dont need power after 5k rpm...

P.S. yeah I thought so, I think I'll be purchasing that mild flex...

vtec_lude

That manifold looks terrible.

I guess 2" is fine if the customer isn't looking for any power increase.

RadekSkylark

He is looking for power increase :D just not for top end power, he's looking only for low to mid range power...

HellaFab

2" is quite small still... a bump to 2.25" wouldnt make it any louder really, but will flow something like 30% more.

vtec_lude

i second that. I'd definitely bump it up to 2.25". Keep an open mind, some people here have made a lot of systems.

RadekSkylark

I have to qoute this... yes it will flow 30% more, but not in 2.5k rpm range, right? this increase in diameter will move powerband up by ~600-800rpms, as far as I know.

As I've already bought those tubes, I really can't change anything now, and I don't think I would change even if possible...

Also I've increased exhaust ID 5/32" bigger then stock and primary ID also 5/64" bigger, I don't feel like going bigger... and I do have to remind that it has an automatic tranny which goes only to about 5k rpms... and customer wants better powerband from 2,5k-5k... so thats what I'm aiming for!

But thanks for inputs!

RadekSkylark

Wanted to ask for toughts...

would this one be good for fabrication? 6"x79" belt, 1.5hp.

http://www.wgm-maschinen.de/product_...ge-sander.html

Thanks

RadekSkylark

Haven't done anything much to the build, yesterday finished merge collector which was a big pain in the *** with my chop saw... that got me really thinking about band saw, more about it later

Tubes used are 1.575" OD, 17ga, so for that small OD + 17ga wall I had big troubles with cutting + wrong degree turn for second cut... to not waste hourse and material, I kinda made it fit, definetly not near a good fitup, but will work in this build for sure after some porting on inside and welding inside 4" long tubes used...

here's a pic (start of the weld isnt that good but everything else will suffice I think also, I havent welded the center of it, as it's pretty deep there and I cant get away with my #8 cup and standart gas lens...




I didnt backpurge it cause I really had no clue how to do it right, so will just port out inside, and autogenously weld it.



Also everything will be made in the same finish as you can see in tackwelded collector picture.




And............ bought two new tools today with one of them I'm superhappy

Here goes first: Bench grinder - Nutool - Polish company, payed 50$ for it, 150w, seems that it'll work flawless for my SS sanding application (I'm doing sanding with that skotch brite wheel on the right)... Also behind it you can see a big mild steel block, idea came from Markku (Agtronic Motorsports), bought it, will try that for bolting down flanges



And...............

Yesterday after understanding that I'll want to invest in bandsaw I again found the same one I found few months ago - pretty much the "harbor freight" one, which was 480$ here in Latvia... that was the cheapest I could find...

today went to few stores, checked on few tools, checked drill press I think I'll be buying eventually, in aspect of quality I think its something like harbor freight, it has 12speeds, 650W, bigest drill of .63", height around 39.5", weight around 85lb. This one:



understood that I'm close to that store, where I bought my die grinder, and thought I should go and check what they have for sell...

there it was, with price tag 400$... it looked that it had been there for a while, but I tought, oh well, I'll take a closer look... when salesman came to me and said: Hi, I'll give you this one for 210$, cause it's been sitting here for a while (actually made in 2002 :D), I was like whooow......

I checked everything, everything worked, everythings ok, and bought it :D I was like whoow... from idea of saving up 480$ for 4"x6" "harbor freight" bandsaw, to actualy getting lucky and getting it for 210$ it was like heaven... I just thought thats sign from up above... I'm in USA today :D Harbor Freight :D Impossible... Took it home, works charm





My new band saw test on left, my chop saw on right:



then I actually sold my chopsaw for 140$

P.S. do you back purge your merge collectors?

Thanks

RadekSkylark

Also wanted to ask for advice on drill presses...

I don't have much in my mind what I'll need to drill, I think it mostly could be some plates, but one of the things is definetly that mild steel block in the post above... driling 3/5" deep holes in it and then screwing threads in there...

So, I'm not sure which drill to get...:

1) 200$ - 650W, 12 speeds, up to 16mm (.63") drill bit, height 39.5", weight ~85lb.



2) 120$ - 500W, 9 speeds (280/450/540/620/720/870/1550/1700/2350 rpm), up to 16mm (.63") drill bit, height 24", weight 45.2lb.



Please, help me make my mind

P.S. also any thoughts on that belt sander posted above?

Thanks

HellaFab

for the price difference on the drill, its worthwhile just to get the better constructed one.

RadekSkylark

Just came home from store where I bought that 200$ drill press

I'm pretty excited on trying it, as I've never worked with one before



You can see it actually says 1650W... salesman stated 650W, cause he thinks that it actually has only 650W... but if thats the case, its ok for me



As I said its pretty big



Here is a quick picture of my work area... Nothing fancy, just a way to take first steps at my own place...

RadekSkylark

Wanted to ask for advice on where to buy 64.5" bi metal bandsaw blades with international shipping? Are consitant pitch better then variable pitch? If variable pitch, which is better for what, which is all purpose?

Also what do you think of this upgrade for harbor freight bandsaw?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-ZkJ...eature=related

Thanks

P.S. it seems that H-T welding forums has gotten much more quieter

.RTErnie

looks like you're fabbing in your house.

I tried my dorm room once. It didn't go over well with the people trying to chug beer next door.

v8killaz

when i had the hf bandsaw. i just used to lube it manually with cutting oil. and that cutting oil would keep the blade wet for a pretty good amount of time.

also id start to practice your welds before doing work on peoples cars. not saying im good but i think i can weld better than that and i would not trust myself making a exhaust let alone a manifold for anyones car. dont take it too harshly

RadekSkylark

Once again... check those pictures above... those guys make manifold for everyone who wants, why shouldn't I do it, I do better then they.

I have to say that I can't really agree with your welding beeing better then mine... of course this doesn't make any difference... also you should remember with what welder are your welding (Miller) and with what welder I'm welding (GYS French s*it), and that you have remote amperage control, I don't... so that one more obstacle for me...

RO_SUNNY

One thing I can say.
I have seen welds made with 300$ chinese tig welding machines and I must say that the welds looked really nice and smooth.
I can say that it doesn't matter that much what machine you are using it matters how good you are with the torch in your hand and also how you are setting up your machine/gas flow/correct gas (99% argon not Co2 and argon mixture)/ correct filler metal and rod diameter for the application.

I had an 350$ ebay 180 dc tig welding machine and I can say that it welded brilliant, without any foot pedal control and ****.

I think I have seen hundreeds of welds due to my job (Ship surveyor/welding engineer) and it's all up to the guy that's welding.

Please do not get upset but I have learned that you need alot of hours to practice with TIG welding........it's not like you will take the torch and in 30 hours you can do welds like Collin's or Markku's

HellaFab

You are
+1 on the other guy... but consider this:

Do you want your first bunch of customers that you have to run around with your "experiments" where you were learning to weld; for a long time?

They could show your product to a prospective client say 3 years down the road or something where you have gotten much better and are charging much more for your services.

RadekSkylark

Ok guys Lets just wait for the outcome of this header and exhaust and see how I've done

I have to say that there's no book on when to start fabing stuff... everyone starts when he feels ready.

I have never said that I'm doing superb, also have never said that it is possible to weld like Collin/Markku in 30 hours, so really don't see a reason why that was said here... Also haven't said that you can't do well with cheap TIG welders, but it does make a difference, there's no doubt in that.

Also about that prospective client thing... it always works that way, you can't change it... Even after three years you still can get better, so, what you suggest, practice welding for 4 years and then make your first manifold? BS...

P.S. If you haven't noticed I have never asked: "Am I ready for fabricationg?" I'll decide it myself! I'm not in US, I'm in Latvia, and its a different situation out here, so, please, for future reference, don't talk all that you need practice BS cause I know it.

Thank you.