Anyone know of a good vendor for cast aluminum radius bends?

I need a 2.25" tight radius U so I can clear my STB/MC brace. I called a couple vendors who claimed to stock the old Spearco cast bits, however, their all out of stock with not much motivation to order just one more.

Mandrels bends are a no go - I already did the math

-Zach

 

what centerline radius are you looking for? what is the applicaiton?

 

Modify the strut tower bar. Use pie cut mandrel tubing. Remove strut tower bar, they're mostly useless anyway. Use a coupler instead of aluminum.

 

center line radius - <3"

Unfortunately I can't seem to find 2.25" 'donuts which would be perfect - only 2" or 3".

Just to be clear, I'm not looking for suggestions on alternatives - been there done that. I realize STB's do little but my Carbing 3 point sure is pretty and it provides a nice surface for a MC brace.

If I can't locate a tight radius I'll fall back on my other options.

-Zach

 

again, what do you need it for?

ATP has a 3.0" centerline 2.25" 180* aluminum bend.

 

and Brain, the application? I plan on trimming the end of the compressor housing down some and welding the elbow to create an immediate 100 deg. bend off the turbo.

It makes sense if you see the below pictures:





I could just point the compressor housing down BUT since I planned on going over the top with my IC pipes it gets pretty ugly.


-Zach

 

why not rotate the turbo outlet 90° CCW and use a 90° coupler off the turbo towards the front of the car?

 

I saw this but I'm concerned it won't leave enough clearance for engine movement - I'm not man enough to run solid mounts.


Ideally I could find something this tight:



However, I can only find 2.25" donuts in mild/stainless steel.

-Zach

 

doesn't the engine rotate back towards passenger side? I still think roating the compressor outlet 90° ccw would be best.

 

No practical reason. I work in an industry where everyday I'm trying to minimize parts count and failure points so my subconscious is telling me to limit clamps, couplers, etc.

I've got the whole system down to 4 clamps at the moment .

-Zach

 

You make a valid point. At the same time, I've severely bent 2 motor mounts so I have little faith the engine is ever safely 'constrained'

I might point it down ... we'll see.

 

I used a 90° silicone reducer from siliconeintakes.com on my compressor outlet. It has a very tight bend. Plus, you likely need to change diameter from your compressor outlet anyway. 2.25" is available.

 

We may work in the same industry.

I'm down to 6 clamps on the pressure side, and you're looking at 4 of them in the picture.

The only way I can see you doing 4 clamps is if you weld on to your compressor outlet to get the angle/diameter you're after. Problem is, I'm not sure if that weld would be more reliable than a silicone joiner of some type with a good clamp. Now, if you had Abe TIG the weld . . . .

 

Whoa! Another Greddy. Speaking of failure points, you should reconsider your oil return.

Also, Brain, with a Greddy pointing the compressor outlet up is not really an option because the turbo mounts on top of the exhaust manifold and sits quite high.

 

That's a WAY old picture. It's since been routed to the oil pan.

As far as the reliability of the welds .... I should rephrase. I will not be welding it, my father will. He's got his Xray certs for TIG aluminum so I'm fairly confident it will be robust.

I just need a ******* 2.25" donut . Maybe I'll just go 2" off the turbo and expand it to 2.25".

-Zach

 

Didnt think about turbo height, yeah.


I have 8 clamps on my hotside if it makes you feel better.


P/S or A/c on this car? you could point it down, use a 135° bend then weld a 45° to that....

 

What's wrong with mandrel bends? I know 2.25" 90° bends with clr of 2.25" exist as I have used one in the past. And, since you have access to a welder, just weld two together or cheat a little for the last 10°.

--Ferdi

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-25-...Q5fAccessories

2.25" 90 cast
11.99USD price 7.99USD shipping

 

Well, there you go!

Curious to see how this turns out. thasac, do you have a build thread going?

 

I say silicone 90* coupler as well. If you use t-bolt clamps and beaded pipes, it won't go anywhere. I have issues taking my 90* coupler off my turbo even after loosening it. We have the same turbo too.
Here's my current setup:

Down to six on each side myself. I'd like to eliminate the first two you can see off the pipes coming above the radiator, but both pipes need to bend down just a bit. You can see I even had to crush them a bit, although I'm not sure I need to anymore.