Some stuff ive worked on over the last 2 weeks. Nothing crazy just some simple tasks. 3" aluminum EvoX Catback exhaust and charge pipe for a 2Jz swapped RX-7

 

What's the deal with people wanting AL exhausts?

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weight savings, costs less than SS, bling factor.

 

The stock Evo X muffler vs this catback is about 50lbs of weight saved.

 

How does it hold up longterm?

Any issues with heat soaking?

​​​Would it melt attached straight to the header/downpipe?

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People run Aluminum Downpipes more than you think. The gauge of aluminum would need to be pretty thick when coming directly off a turbo. Cat back it shouldn't matter how thick. Not as much heat as there would be closer to the motor. Ive see aluminum downpipes last a while with no issues.

 

are you using the same thickness aluminum tubing for exhaust as intercooler tubing? I've been contemplating on doing a aluminum exhaust for my car and not sure. What thickness to use

 

Yes regular exhaust can be the thickness as charge pipe. I think a good number to have is .080" thick. As for coming off a turbo you would want something in the .1xx range.

 

11 gauge aluminum works well. any smaller gauge tends to fall apart and/or distort. especially at the bends and especially with antilag. Been 3 seasons on the same aluminum downpipe/exhaust with no issues, 11 gauge.

On a more mild setup, we have gotten by with 16 gauge exhaust from firewall back.

 

So .118-.125" is good to go...interesting.

 

try to fabricate my first collector / first tig welding experiences:

cut looks ok - except the small left over / bump at the end of the cut



start the first fitment with plastic pipe... rotated it way to much i think lol

 

I built a breather can. Two ports go to those two threaded holes on the back of the block and the top port goes to the valve cover OEM nipple. I am not the best welder, but I think my welds are getting pretty decent. I gotta say welding the nipples onto the can was a PIA lol. Right now it has no baffling. I took it for a test drive today and beat on it and the filter was clean. So I might just run it that way, but if becomes a problem Ill integrate some baffling.

 

Dc2 j32 turbo kit I'm about to finish up

 

Got some more work done on the rx7 , finished up the down pipe and got the car ready to go back to its owner









http://

 

Took a stab at welding some cans together tonight.

 

Nice, Ive been wanting to give this a try but never go around to it.

 

Made a torch holder.

 

That looks like a busted cup about to happen to me!

I was playing with some wire trying to come up with a torch holder yesterday...no results though.

 

haha. Yeah, I thought it would be risky having it hanging like that, but it is more for when Im sitting there and just need to put the torch somewhere in between welds and Im re-positioning ****.I wanted something that I can just "snap" the torch into. Plus it was a SUPER simple thing to build. The way I have my torch cable situated when I weld I think it will work very nicely. I kind of have it draped over my shoulder. Normally it will be swung inwards or just hanging around my argon tank.

 

At my work a few people have built lead booms to keep lead out of the way and to also take off some of the weight. It was pretty simple, piece of tubing that was bracketed to a wall and some conduit with a 90* bend to make up the boom.

 

I make this torch holder on my cnc plasma. Grind it, bend it and done. Stick a bolt in the bottom or tack it. Some people stick it to the side of their bench and some on the top
If you guys want one i'll sell them right off the table for $10 shipped each

 

Torch accessories holder.
Just having a ton of fun making **** with metal. I scored some free scrap metal a couple weeks ago so Im finding any use I can to use it. hehe.
Yeah it's way overkill for what it is, but Im just having fun and it makes for good practice. Plus it just look ******* cool.
And this is why I hate throwing things out. Those old Philips bits came in super handy for this project.
Also, Im LOVING my new torch holder. It is working out perfect. Plus when Im not sitting at the bench I can swing it around so its not sticking out at risk of getting bumped into.

 

Thats awesome man! I noticed your foot pedal is positioned backwards with what looks like a ~1" pipe attached to it? Does this help keep the pedal stationary?

I just got my alpha tig yesterday. I'm super excited about it lol. This is my first attempt at running some beads within 20mins of ups delivering my welder. I have zero tig welding experience and have only tack welded stuff together with a mig welder in the past. I was just messing around trying to get the mechanics down, dipping electrodes every once in a while lol. I can't wait to get the hang of this thing and start building stuff.

 

Thanks! Yes, I modfied my foot pedal. See this post. https://honda-tech.com/forums/weldin.../#post50611091
And yes I use the pedal "backwards".I rest my foot on top and use the front of my foot to actuate the pedal, I have found that works best for me.
BTW, those welds look great for first time IMO. If you are anything like me though, you will find it much harder to get pretty ones like that when welding two pieces together.
Have fun with it. I have only been at a year myself, and I am still having fun with it. Having a TIG welder is so awesome.

 

The color you get from welding is how much heat you put into the piece. To much heat and the metal will turn black. Your ideal color for proper heat is a golden yellow. Also a factor into getting proper heat is your shielding gas. if you shield your weld for longer after you have finished the weld it allows the weld to cool more properly.