sheet metal intake...

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pishta

I know I'm right....
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I wanna make a sheet metal intake for the turbo 273 but I dont want the same add-a-bung top feed single plane intake (its a 63 cast block with the odd bolt angles anyway) so off to the metal store! $16 later I got a 24X24 sheet of 3/16 plate (thin I know but Itll cut like buttah) and 4 10" 1X2 16g steel rectangle tubing for the runners, all from the scrap bin. I bought it by the lb. so this will be the 'proof of concept' prototype. I plan on tacking the runners together and chopping them in half for 5" siamese runners all around. these will come off the heads at a shallower angle and into a V shaped plenum with a TB out the front like a Holley Sniper intake. Everything will slip into place and then get tacked together as its bolted to the top end to prevent any shifting and then Ill weld it up and seal all the seams with JB weld as I cant seem to ever make a weld that is not porous. Then Ill drill and place the FI bungs in the runners. Nothing but time and a vision....sort of like this Hogan but home built and $1980 cheaper...
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bring it. Chop saw at the ready......I'd give a ham sandwich for a sheet metal shear now...
 
Looks promising. How do you plan to cut the holes in the flanges? And are the bungs angled?
 
here is some rough cutting of the intake flanges using a plasma cutter. Harder than it looks to get a straight line. you really need to keep your speed constant or else youll puddle your slag, burn a fat hole or not get full penetration. I already cut the intake runners and welded them together so next is to cut the valley cover. This is some thin stuff so its more of a prototype.
 
That torch head is modded with a manual air switch (The wiffle golf ball!) as the original torch head would somehow trigger the air after the arc started and this one would not. So I strike the arc, then hit the air. I may step up the guage on the intake flanges but this old plasma is not very strong. I plan to tack most of it as I assemble it, and then run a few beads when its all bolted up so it doesnt pull away on my. Then itll come back off for final seam sealing and paint. 1X2 rectangle channel is almost perfect for a 273/318 intake port but use the thinnest guage you can get as the ID gets bigger as the guage gets smaller. This stuff I got as scrap is some thick wall stuff so the runner cross section is going to be SP2P like, very high in velocity but not real good for top end, but the turbocharger should help. It will be a standard single TB out the front like most TPI intakes with runners meeting in the middle. I may angle the runners so I can overlap them in the plenum like an STR intake. We'll see.
 
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Maybe for the 3/8 flanges after all. The 'ol plasma wont punch through 3/8. Maybe 1/4....

For the flanges, you may want to try drilling the radii in the corners in a drill press with the appropriate size bit to match what is on the head. That will give nice even profile. Then cut the straight sections with a saw or maybe your plasma will work if it already has the hole established. Cut inside the lines and file/grind to finished profile.
 
Don't try using a plaama cutter on thick 3/8" metal. I did this for a set of flanges a few years ago just to try it. It worked, going slow and angling the cut, but it surface hardened the metal. Finishing the flanges reguired hard core die grinder work and it wore out my carbide, and it took about three times longer to finish them.
Next time, I'll buy a set that is machined or cut on water jet.
 
Cool project. A jig saw with 24-32tpi blade could be your friend.
I agree, i mounted mine to a u channel with a hose clamp and set it upside down in my vise. Now it works like a table saw. Two hands on the sheet metal and all the chips are below. No hot chips in the face. Super slick.
 
Im on a pause, the 'ol plasma consumables gave up on me. Ill switch to a jig as I probably should have started with.
 
If i rember i will take a couple pictures ov my jig saw setup.
 
got her done, no hurry to finish but I finally got a solid 5 hours on it. Its a little rough around the edges but as a seat of the pants build , didnt turn out that bad. Check it out in my garage...F'n 65 heads have the lame angled bolts that threw a monkey wrench in at the last minute so I had to make some angled spacers.

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I love it turned out great!! What type of ECU are you going to use?
 
!!!FIVE HOURS!!! I'd be lucky to do that in 50!!

What are you doin' for coolant connections?
 
!!!FIVE HOURS!!! I'd be lucky to do that in 50!!

What are you doin' for coolant connections?
It took 5 hours today just to finish it, I've been working on this for months!


Ooh, someone noticed! Its going to be 2 90 Russel bulkhead connectors screwed into the flange at the water port area and meeting up at the radiator. ultimately I will be running a 'statless cooling system based on an arduino variable DC motor speed controller running a Meziere water pump, it will run at speeds based on the coolant temp to keep it at 190. Or more realistically, they will run into a small remote thermostat housing, something off a newer car or maybe this slick Meziere inline adapter
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It took 5 hours today just to finish it, I've been working on this for months!


Ooh, someone noticed! Its going to be 2 90 Russel bulkhead connectors screwed into the flange at the water port area and meeting up at the radiator. ultimately I will be running a 'statless cooling system based on an arduino variable DC motor speed controller running a Meziere water pump, it will run at speeds based on the coolant temp to keep it at 190. Or more realistically, they will run into a small remote thermostat housing, something off a newer car or maybe this slick Meziere inline adapter
View attachment 1715247391View attachment 1715247392
I would think after handcrafting that manifold that you don't just see two water necks with a piece of metal in between with holes drilled in it for metering ports?
I think the manifold is bad *** first and foremost.
 
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