Step 1 done, only 41 left. Manifold Build
 

Just ordered parts from JGS to make my own exhaust manifold. I hope it turns out like it looks like in my head, lol. But it's taken several diffent variation already on paper... I guess once I get the weld-els and measure, the final design will reveal itself to me.

I take it you got the kit to attempt a equal length mani instead of the log?
Internal WG or external?

I take it you finally got a welder. Let me know your opinion of the parts once they arrive. I might be interested in purchasing as well.

Equal length? no, but better than a log manifold. Somewhere inbetween.

I'll let you know Kevin, as always.

well, they shipped my order out in just a couple of days to process. but it must be taking the slow train. est delivery is 10/3

Don't worry kevin, you know me. I'll be done withit sometime between now and Sept '08

wow. i guess i didn't realize the heft of 1/2" thick steel. This flange will crack some skulls... Looks nice. hopefully I'll start mocking up/measuring this weekend.

Oh, as an added bonus, they threw in an extra piece of straight pipe. That was nice of them.

(reposting in the right thread..)
basic design.. Simple, effective, and somewhere between a log and full 4-1 design. The runners for cyl 2/3 will go straight out. Cutting the center elbows and welding them like the picture will help direct/smooth exhaust flow, and keep the pulses from 1/2 and 3/4 seperate. The turbo flange sticks out about 5.5", and should leave room enough for a 2.5"dp. I may end up rotating the center portion about ~30* up to help clear the 'shelf' area, but preliminary measurments says it should be ok as is.
http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/205172039-M.jpg


-update-
Today I made the collector section. The weld-els are easy to weld, but it seems the flanges will need another pass, not as easy to penetrate. I didn't have my camera handy, so no pics today...

Oh, I also need a new welding helmet...

As for a welding helmet. I got an autodarkening one off ebay for like $38 shipped. It's some chinese black thing, but it works great and beats the heck out of paying $100 for miller/lincoln.

If you haven't started fabing up the manifold completely, have you seen the ETD shorty mani? It uses similar design to yours but is closer to a top mount. It looks like it would flow great without worrying about puting the turbo to close to the shelf.

maybe for the next version. That's a bit more involved than I can handle at home. This is my first, so I'm keeping it easy to assemble.

Pics:
parts before
http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/208689751-M.jpg

I still need to clean it up before I write it off as done; the weld els to flange isn't all the way around ( i had dinner plans so I had to stop where I did) This is my first time with flux core, and it's different from gas sheild, that's for sure. Just takes a little to get use to:
http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/208689869-M.jpg

So the JGS head flange doesn't come ported for 1.5" SCH 40 weldels? Or is the flange upside down in that picture?

what's your miata look like btw? I work in alexandria now and wanna know who I should be looking out for.

it's upside down.

Braineack,
It's not street car. I don't have any recent pics other than this one last year. Picture it with a grey racing beat bumper. It currently sits on a trailer at my folk's house: http://a335.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...998c224856.jpg

More fun today. Grinding straight pipe to fit on the compound curve of a tube, that's bent 90degrees, and rotated 45degrees is fun. Lot's of sparks. Very relaxing and lets the mind wonder about life, the universe, and everything :cool:
http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/214133685-M.jpg

And then tacked into place. No making fun of my quick and dirty tack welds, it was dinner time... :p After consideration, I ended up tilting the collector section about 45* That left enough room to clear the brake cylinder, valve cover, and hood.
http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/214133844-M.jpg

that's looking pretty good! :bigtu:

Thanks. I was afraid this would be something I start, and then never finish and end up buying one... Luckily I'm seeing it through :)

man thats f'in cool.

hey Mia,
did you buy the greddy down pipe from me?

Pretty awesome man. Hope that beast flows awesome. Do you have anything to bolt it to when you weld the runners to the flange?

Damn that looks good

yep, that was me.

I have an extra head I'm going to bolt it to to do the final welding.

very nice work, i like
welds are not bad at all, good work

Purty sweet man.

Bump for updated pics!

Hi looks like it will flow well , the runners look quite big.
What inside diameter are they?
Do the runners end up bigger than your ports?
Thanks

Woah this manifold looks familiar! hehe

http://www.lvmoc.net/gallery/albums/...old_Angled.jpg

Hey man, this build looks good. I give it to ya for doing it yourself, its tough but you'll feel great when it's done.

sorry guys. last couple of weekends have been full of family stuff. Hopefully will get it finished welding this weekend.

TurboTim, where did you get that from?

I made it earlier this week as an alternate/rotated design of another manifold I'm making for Paul. Total concident it looks like yours :) I'd say you are on the right track, hehe. If it is very close to this model, it will place the turbo in a great position for a very straight downpipe. (No A/C or P/S). If you do finish it this weekend and mount your turbo, let me know how far away it is from the steering shaft boot. Oh, mine's for a 1.8, T2 flange. Original nonrotated manifold pic here so not to hijack the thread anymore

his points up though, not down. otherwise, thats pretty crazy coincidence.

Ahh I didn't realize that...still nice position. :)

cool, great minds think alike.

I was on a roll today. But alas, I ran out of wire, and the hardware store didn't have flux-core :/ Otherwise it would have been done today... And now that I got use to my welder more, the welds look a lot better :)

:) I'm pretty happy with my first manifold

http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/227928992-M.jpg

Close up of weld:
http://faditara.smugmug.com/photos/227929031-M.jpg

Flux Core on a Turbo Manifold :( Probably going to keep cracking... Good luck with it!

Congratulations on being a total buzzkill, you win the award for being the biggest ass.

Can't wait till I start attempting a tubular mani


here's a pic of my 3" dp I made today.

Attachment 215183



back to you...


wirebrush that thing.. what type of rod are you using? It appears you are using a torch weld with acedylne and oxygen? And keep up the good work it's coming out great

Congrats man. Awesome that you had the courage and determination to tackle making your own manifold. I've been playing with the welder, and can't imagine stitching up an entire manifold.

Advice is FREE, Experience is EXPENSIVE. I know from experience! I was making 500hp with my Miata 5 Years ago.

I know from experience. I built a manifold with Flux and a Gas Mix MIG and they loved to crack. Turbo manifolds need to be TIG'g with proper penetration if they have any hope of surviving the insane heat they endure.

Sorry for been an ASS!

A mig welded manifold can be just as good as any tig welded manifold. Maybe it won't look as pretty, but most of us aren't going for show car status. Just because you have had experience with manifolds cracking that you've made doesn't mean that it will happen all the time for everyone. There is a little thing I like to call "user error", look into it.

While his was flux welded, maybe it will crack maybe it won't, the fact is that it was his first time making anything like that. Let him enjoy it!

My Mig, Tig, and Nickel welded manifold cracked..... stress can kill anything. HP means nothing.

Looks great!
Certainly inspiring me to want to build another...

Are you planning on adding a brace underneath from the engine block up to the turbo flange?

Looks great man! wish i had the space, or a garage for that matter, for a welder.

Quit with the pissing match! It is a know fact that TIG is the way to go for a Turbo manifold. I would like to cross post this thread to the Fabrication thread on Honda-Tech, it would be FUNNY.

I know from experience that if I am going to do anything, I am going to do it right!

Correct, but a by-product of Horsepower is often increased back pressure which causes even more havok at the insane turbo manifold temps.

it would be funny because all the responses would be:
"fuck"
"gay"
"i like dick"
"suck me hard"
"omg, i want miata dick in my mouth"
"fuck my mom's calling me, brb guys."
"omg, does that guy have a wife?! i wish I could talk to girls let alone marry one."
"SoCal rulez!"

I migged my manifold. Got about 5k on it. Hasn't cracked yet.

Also you forgot:
"CRX"

Oh noes. Please continue to grace our forum with your honda knowledge and do not get mad at us. We obviously are not equals as you have VTEX0r and better weldZ! Our simple forum lacks any knowledge of horsepower and backpressure :(

Mia, aside from this joker, it looks like your doing good and learning alot. Keep up the good work.

Too Funny...

I was probably one of the pioneers (Working with Rick S and Danny G) in making over 300, 400 and 500hp with a Mazda Miata, swapping/mating a Turbo II Tranny to a Bp engine, installing an RX7 Turbo II diff into a Miata, using a Honda Intake manifold on a BP, and a Civic rad in a Miata. I've been around the Miata community for years and used to be known as 450hpMiata and owned Turbomiata.net website.

I have a 700hp Honda Drag Car, and my 2000 Mazda Miata with FM everything (Got it that way, and I am sure I will start changing a lot of the FM parts). I'm not really a big fan of Honda's, but I was having a very hard time finding sponsors for a Mazda Miata Drag Car, and the Honda was a lot easier.

I'm certainly not new to this shit. The only reason I mentioned the Honda-Tech forum is that their Welding/Fabrication forum often has absolute works of art manifolds posted, but also some real fugly stuff.

The poster get a :bigtu: for attemping this, but the welding choice and finish was what I commented on.

Do an archive search of "mig manifold" and you'll find a number of threads where many of those people who you say make work of art manifolds state that a mig'd manifold can most definitely be made to stand up to the demands of a turbo application.

TIG is way out of the picture for the large majority of......everyone..... because of the sheer time it takes to learn to do it well. I gaurantee that someones first MIG welded manifold would hold up better than their first TIG welded manifold given that they have had the same amount of practice on both.

JB Weld FTW.

I will give you that TIG is harder to learn and MIG is easier. MIG is also stronger than the Flux-Core welding. It is hard to get great looking penetration with a MIG. It usually comes out ugly when you add in more heat and wire.

I think you should all just arc weld your shit. With big fatty 3/8's rod at 150 amps with nothing but a pair of sunglasses and latex gloves.

I love that stuff, just not for Turbo Manifolds :)

i decided i hate it for everything, acutally.

Flux core welds will be more porous, I will agree with that. The fact that its his first manifold though, I'd say its something to be proud of.

In the future he can easily upgrade to MIG by just buying a new gun that can use gas and a bottle. The gas just won't run through the machine, but if you have a cart to put everything on it doesn't really matter.

holy toledo...

yeah, i've done plent of searching. 9 times out of 10, 2 passes with flux core is plenty strong enough for mild steel. I'll let you know after a few track weekends.

Thanks for the compliments to those that gave them, and the encouragement to those that blazed the trail before me.

Nice.

A question from the bleachers - it seems like having the 2 merge with 1 and 3 with 4 would make bottlenecks. Is the Sch40 big enough for 1.8L app that it's a nonissue? I guess no matter what it's gotta neck down from four pipes to one, just curious.

Please keep us posted on the durability. I go from complete DIY to complete BEGi kit about three times a day in my mind.

no bottleneck, floooooooooooooooooow!!!!!

Mig is stronger then flux core? Really? This has got me interested

Sure, because with flux, you have the goo fizzing and oozing all over, and with MIG it's just plain ole steel.