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Snagged an Alpha Tig 200X about six months ago and have been practicing on steel every chance I get. Found out one of the best titanium exhaust component suppliers is local (www.ticonindustries.com) and decided to start experimenting with titanium. My goal is to do a full titanium exhaust for an LFX exocet. Obviously doing traditional headers on a bp motor would be a whole different level of skill. But because the LFX is essentially headerless (built into the engine block), it seems like a pretty straight forward endeavor. I ordered two of the TiCon Titanium starter kits to practice on. It is a little tough as a beginner, but I feel like I am making good progress on my practice pieces.
I'm still not doing a full purge on the inside while I am practicing. I need to spend another $100 on a dual purge setup to run from the tank and fill the pieces with Argon to prevent sugaring. https://www.usaweld.com/Dual-Flowmet...lflowmeter.htm
The tubing itself isn't that bad. I think I can get a dual pipe full system done for less than a grand. I will have to make the flanges that connect to the block, but I've got some friends with a machine shop that could help out on that.
I always thought of a titanium exhaust as crazy expensive and not a diy thing, but so far it seems very doable (minus headers). There are tons of great videos on youtube about welding titanium and exhaust systems. Just wanted to throw this out there as I haven't seen much discussion on here about diy titanium exhaust systems.
Which cup are you using? Ti needs tooooons of gas to not contaminate. Burns is a great option for all-out lightweight. They're not Ti, they're stainless, but they're actually a little lighter (like half a pound on a 4" muffler).
I've been meaning to re-do my exhaust in Ti for the Ls3, but the problem is my exhaust is a consumable right now since the headers hang the exhaust semi low. Until I can come up with an option where it's not a consumable, it's going to stay stainless.
I bought a Furick BBW, but it only does a 3/32 tungsten and I need to use a 1/16 on the tubing. So for now I'm just pumping 35cfm through a #8 pyrex cup as practice. Will be getting a furick cup for a 1/16 tungsten when I can figure out which one to use.
I thought about stainless but titanium is so gorgeous when done right.
Be careful pumping that much gas through a small cup, it can do the opposite of what you want and get turbulent. You should be able to use a 3/32 on the Ti even though it's pretty thin without any issues, I rarely use a 1/16th unless I'm trying to get into a collector that's really tight. Actually, I think I can count on one hand how many times I've used 1/16th tungsten haha
I'm not sure if Furick makes a 1/16th diffuser, but the bbw should provide good coverage. That's what I use too. Purging will help as well, you'd be surprised at how much easier it makes the puddle to control even though it's mainly for the inside.
Looking forward to your results on the exhaust, should be a fun project and a great learning experience
Nice, and thanks for the info! I felt like the 3/32 was just blowing through the tubing but it may have just been my amperage and gas coverage. I'll pull the BBW back out tonight and do some practice runs on it with varying amperages. What do you think my cfm should be on the BBW for thin wall Ti?
Pretty sure it is .039". Cool, I'll try that cfm and report back. What amperage do you think i should be around for that wall thickness? 30 amps seemed good on the 1/16 tungsten.
Filler or no filler? I like to run it a bit higher and then if I need to back it off with the pedal I can. I'll usually run it at 60ish with filler, never really tried no filler. Disclaimer: I haven't done thaaaat much Ti, only played around with it a little and did an intake for a guy. I usually set it up similar to how I set up for stainless but with about double the gas lol
I'm going to be re-making my mufflers in Ti early this coming year. Haven't done Ti myself yet, going to be another fun project. I have some pie cuts, starter pack and various bits from TiCon (and for doing SS stuff, good to note that TiCon also owns Stainless Bros. which offer a bunch of similar SS stuff). Vibrant also came out with a range of Ti items recently. I have a couple of their v-bands and two resonators here: https://vibrantperformance.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1564_1567_1576&osCsid=0933c694cfbf fa32c80048bac7151053
As an alternative to a dual-purge regulator, you can just run a second bottle with a standard regulator for the purge. This is what I do for all the SS stuff.
Ultimately, if you have the resources and ability to TIG stainless, you can do titanium. The difference is a little more cost, a much smaller range of options for suppliers/materials, and the need to have everything dialed in more than SS. Don't discount the cost of Ti exhaust in general though. You're already $1000 for materials plus all the consumables (and you go through a lot of gas running 30+ CFM on the torch plus backpurging everything correctly for a full exhaust) plus machining the flanges, etc. and obviously you aren't accounting for the cost of the tools you have already invested in to make this possible. Backpurging and setup add a lot of hours to an already time consuming project. Keep track of your hours for fun and multiply by a $150 shop rate at the end. I guarantee you'll have a $4,000+ exhaust by the end of it. I'm a HUGE fan of investing in yourself to get the tools and knowledge to be able to make stuff yourself, so don't get me wrong here. Just ranting a bit about how DIYers tend to lose sight of why certain products cost what they do.
I'm going to be re-making my mufflers in Ti early this coming year. Haven't done Ti myself yet, going to be another fun project. I have some pie cuts, starter pack and various bits from TiCon (and for doing SS stuff, good to note that TiCon also owns Stainless Bros. which offer a bunch of similar SS stuff). Vibrant also came out with a range of Ti items recently. I have a couple of their v-bands and two resonators here: https://vibrantperformance.com/catal...0048bac7151053
As an alternative to a dual-purge regulator, you can just run a second bottle with a standard regulator for the purge. This is what I do for all the SS stuff.
Ultimately, if you have the resources and ability to TIG stainless, you can do titanium. The difference is a little more cost, a much smaller range of options for suppliers/materials, and the need to have everything dialed in more than SS. Don't discount the cost of Ti exhaust in general though. You're already $1000 for materials plus all the consumables (and you go through a lot of gas running 30+ CFM on the torch plus backpurging everything correctly for a full exhaust) plus machining the flanges, etc. and obviously you aren't accounting for the cost of the tools you have already invested in to make this possible. Backpurging and setup add a lot of hours to an already time consuming project. Keep track of your hours for fun and multiply by a $150 shop rate at the end. I guarantee you'll have a $4,000+ exhaust by the end of it. I'm a HUGE fan of investing in yourself to get the tools and knowledge to be able to make stuff yourself, so don't get me wrong here. Just ranting a bit about how DIYers tend to lose sight of why certain products cost what they do.
Totally correct. One of the ways I justified buying the welder was the money I would "save" by doing my own exhaust. More than anything this is fun and one of the more interesting components of the car that can be done diy. Titanium was definitely not something I had even considered though, and once you have the proper setup it isn't too much of a jump in cost versus stainless. I think Ti is a bit intimidating at first, but definitely something most people with a welder could actually pull off in their garage.
It is at this point you all get glared at by me for being over the god damn pond vastly aware in shipping terms from these sorts of offers.
I could use that for my go kart build.
Just want to place a point of emphasis on how critical the purge is on Ti. Unlike SS where you can get away with a bit of sugaring and only have to worry about corrosion performance, oxidation of Ti makes it EXTREMELY brittle. I used to do a demo welding .040" Ti t-joints without purging the backside. Nice little straw colored fillet on the front side. Grab the t-joint between your thumb and index/middle fingers, and a pinch would snap the joint in half.
Also - don't use the same grinding wheels, brushes, etc. that you do for steel on your Ti joints. The steel particles melt into the joint and create a eutectic that can act as an origin for corrosion. If the iron concentration's high enough, it can also lead to cracking.
Piece on the left is four pie cuts with no filler, and plates on the right are with filler. Too much heat on the plates, but they look purty!
Dropped my amperage to 25, went back to the BBW cup with a 3/32" tungsten (2% lanthiated) and raised my cfm to 35. I'm very happy with the results and the lower amperage allowed me to take my time without blowing through the pieces. I can't figure out how to lift without cratering when using no filler. Any ideas on that?
DIY Full Titanium Exhaust Discussion
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