I've seen some of the turbo manifolds on HMT welded up with a MIG. But I'm specifically interested in hearing from any who've made their own NA race header. I was hoping to see or hear about others who've done the same, success or failure.

 

i have had a friend make one like a profab header, he just grinded down the welds later so it can look pretty. so success.

 

I did one with a 220V basic mig, worked.. though I updated to a tig made header now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Flashmn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I did one with a 220V basic mig, worked.. though I updated to a tig made header now.</TD></TR></TABLE>

How did it hold up? I'd be using a Lincoln SP-135+, I wouldn't really care about it looking pretty. But function would be a priority! I've practiced a bit and the hardest part seems to be welding the tubes to the flange, it's hard to keep the heat mostly on the flange and keep it from burning through the tubes.

 

There shouldn't be any reason why it wouldn't work. I actually MIG pipe hand rails at work sometimes.

I've thought about building one out of mild steel els just for ***** and giggles.

Some advice on welding small pipe with mig: I've found that filling the bevel with short pulses of the trigger to overlay beads works much better than a constant bead. you can actually build TIG like beads, that are flush with the surface of the pipe. Penetration depending on your settings, can also be just as good as TIG.

I'd reccomend practicing on some spare pipe, and then giving it a shot!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Boostwerks.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There shouldn't be any reason why it wouldn't work. I actually MIG pipe hand rails at work sometimes.

I've thought about building one out of mild steel els just for ***** and giggles.

Some advice on welding small pipe with mig: I've found that filling the bevel with short pulses of the trigger to overlay beads works much better than a constant bead. you can actually build TIG like beads, that are flush with the surface of the pipe. Penetration depending on your settings, can also be just as good as TIG.

I'd reccomend practicing on some spare pipe, and then giving it a shot! </TD></TR></TABLE>
sorry, but you dont want to weld anything like that except maybe body work. its is weak and not the proper use of a MIG welder. I used to do it but now know better. Also a header made out of pipe is just silly IMO. total overkill and will unnecessarily heat up the engine bay compared to thin tube.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bailhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
sorry, but you dont want to weld anything like that except maybe body work. its is weak and not the proper use of a MIG welder. I used to do it but now know better. Also a header made out of pipe is just silly IMO. total overkill and will unnecessarily heat up the engine bay compared to thin tube.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually...A certified welder for the Air Force taught me about this technique. Theres nothing wrong with doing it, if your using the right WFS, and voltage.

And I was talking about making a turbo manifold with the pipe. He can easily use this same method to make a thin gauge header. More than likely, it will prevent him from burning through.

 

i dont know man, the start and stop points of a mig weld are the weakest points, or at least have the worst penetration when looked at an acid etched cross section.

this is the main reason why you overlap the start and stop point of a bead with mig.

at any rate, mig welding is totally fine. IMO its harder, as with the thin tubing, you dont have the precise control over the arc and filler like you do with tig, and its easy to make a mess quick.

 

yup, you are creating unwanted stress risers at every seam. It just isnt how you use a MIG machine regardless if GI Joe showed you or not.

 

with the flange to pipe joint, it's just like doing exhaust piping, using a thick flange. Get some heat to the flange, let it pool, walk it over to the pipe and back qickly. Just spend most of your time on the flange, rocking it into the pipe for half the time you're spending on the flange.

 

the thin will draw the puddle from the thick. its all about the angle of your gun

 

Definately don't want to do the pulse technique.

The certified Air Force dude needs to retire.

To prevent from burning through requires the right technique which include manipulation, gas, wire, etc...

If you weld it with GMAW and then start grinding and smoothing it this will start to weaken the weld.

The only reason I would suggest this is for body panels but even then you are taking a risk. I do it sometimes because I have to weld many different thicknesses and don't have time to adjust the machine to compensate for the thinner materials.

 

Good tips, thanks guys

 

we've made several headers/turbosetups with our MIG welder (before we got a TIG)..

never had a crack. its really in the skill of the welder, and making sure he puts the settings where they need to be

my brother does the technique that bryson talked about sometimes on pipes /tubes where the weld be seen and needs to look good... looks pretty good. i wouldnt do it on much more than charge piping though.

never had one cracked bead on anything though.. probably done 100 exhausts, 15 turbo setups, and TONS of other stuff with the MIG.. we love da MIG.. haha