ok, so i want to build my own IC piping for my EK civic with a b18. I've welded one time using a mig from home depot and it wasn't too bad. So i was thinking of making the piping out of steel. I'm going to buy a chop saw and cut up a few U bends and what not to make the piping. Is steel a bad choice for IC piping? I def don't have the money to get a tig, or not yet at least. Are the home depot mig welders good enough for what i want to do? i'll probably use it to make the downpipe, and exhaust as well. My friends dad has been a welder for like 30 years so i'm gonna have him help me out a little because i know i could use some help. My main question is steel ic piping gonna cut it?, and will the home depot mig cut it? i'm looking to do this myself and if all goes well i'll do some of my buddys ic piping too. thanks for the advice in advance!

 

one more question, do they sell bov flanges in steel as opposed to aluminum? i'm probably gonna run the super sequential bov. if not, i'll run a greddy but i know i can make the greddy flange out of steel if need be. the super sequential flange looks a lil more complicated to build for a newb.

 

its fine to do in steel, but depending on where you live you might have to replace it later on. my pipes started rusting on the inside for whatever reason after a year.

 

ok so i found the bov flange, so i guess i just need to know if steel ic piping is a good or bad idea. only looking to make like 350-400whp

 

yea that sucks, i live in florida so we don't really get rust. i'm also going to paint the piping when it's all done. but i kno the paint won't help the inside.

 

best thing to do if you are going to make them out of steel is to get them coated afterwards...also be careful, you don't want welding slag on the inside of the pipe to get into the engine

 

what kinda coating ya talking about? i was gonna paint them, shouldn't that be good enough?

 

I've done some really nice street car IC pipes in stainless steel. If you use mild, powdercoat them or use something like a hard chassis paint.

 

Moisture, humidity, rain, salt in the coastal air, etc.

 

anyone can powder coat. just look up the hot coat system. Its cheap and for under $200 u can get the gun powders and all. Other than that you will need a cheap oven to bake them in. You can use a regular oven, but it needs to be one that you wont be cooking in again. I just got a big double oven. I will be ordering my powder coating gun soon. Good luck.

 

put an ebay turbo on there and you'll never have that problem again.

steels fine. its not pretty, but it gets the job done. and just remember it takes lots of patience when working with pipes. I cant count the number of times Ive wanted to throw mine when I was making them.

Also hose clamps (worm style) make a great way to hold the pipe in position for a test fit.

 

lol things most definitely rust in FL.

 

not like in ohio...they put so much salt on the roads in the winter up here its rediculous. i went out to seattle last year and saw so many cars i rarely see around here: 70's/80's imports, etc. **** just rusts to hell around here!

 

im in dayton and I can vouch for the guy on this one. they say we are in the rust belt for a reason. I was in florida 2 weeks ago and I saw several early 90s civics with just a touch of cancer on the rear quarters. youre lucky to find a honda around here that you cant see through back there.

 

exactly. you'll never see a 70's nissan/datsan/toyota or early 80's honda around here...

 

the weird part is, i live in pa, havnt owned a 91 hatch, 95 del sol and a 99 em1 none of them had the honda cancer! but if i ever get it it will be on my em1, just because i love that car!

 

ok i take it back about rust, there is rust in FL but not where i live at. any of the cars i work on that have rust typically come from upnorth... where i used to live. Those cars are all rust buckets, the snow and esp the salt they put down for the snow. it's a huge difference, i guess you have to live in both of the areas to really understand where i'm coming from. but thanks for the help guys. and yea, i kno how to powdercoat, i prefer to just spray them and bake them. no need for trapping the heat in there. powder is very very thick, i'd like the heat to dissipate at least a lil bit before entering the engine.