Progress Thread Tannerc91gt’s Build(s) Thread

tannerc91gt · Oct 29, 2016

Elbows won't be here for a week or two so I don't have any cool turbo pictures. These headers feel like they'll need to be braced but I'm otherwise happy with my $150 purchase. Anxious to see if they'll need modified or not

tannerc91gt · Oct 31, 2016

Needed to relocate my coils. Refuse to spend $150 on a relocation kit. So I cut up a factory set of coil brackets, shortened them and mounted them inside the fender area.
Not 100% sure I like it yet, will be dependent on what plug wires I can find. But keeping the engine bay free of clutter is high priority to me.

Other than some hoses and the bare minimum amount of wiring, I really hope to maintain this.

A5literMan · Oct 31, 2016

Definitely curious to see how you route the wires. Those headers look inmydonaldtrumpvoice "amazing".

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

This is what being awake for 24 hours and coming home to plot out a cold side looks like lol
Intercooler and elbows will be here Tuesday.

A Facebook friend of mine built these and I bought them off of him. So I'll have 2 sets now. Still not sure how that worked out.

All I've got is a little flux core mig at the house, I'd have to drag parts to work on night shift and work quickly to use any other variety of welder. Anywho, I've been told I can weld stainless with the standard steel wire in my welder, anyone smarter than me care to weigh in on why I shouldn't do that?
These headers need cut and shortened and I'm not thrilled about paying for it if I can do it myself

hoopty5.0 · Nov 4, 2016

My V bands are all stainless, welded to mild steel. No issues yet, been through a dozen or so heat cycles, if not more.

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

hoopty5.0 said:
My V bands are all stainless, welded to mild steel. No issues yet, been through a dozen or so heat cycles, if not more.

What's the rust situation looking like?
This will be stainless to stainless. I imagine the weld might rust but I'm 50/50 between painting and/or wrapping the hotside anyways.
My downpipes will be mild at least.

hoopty5.0 · Nov 4, 2016

tannerc91gt said:
What's the rust situation looking like?
This will be stainless to stainless. I imagine the weld might rust but I'm 50/50 between painting and/or wrapping the hotside anyways.
My downpipes will be mild at least.

Haven't noticed any yet, but the car really hasn't been exposed to a whole lot of moisture either. Regardless, it's all getting ceramic coated soon so rust really wont be an issue.

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

When you can't get an idea out of your head but you don't have any parts for a few more days, you use dimensionally accurate cardboard cutouts.

Still not 100% that it'll work but if I can find the right oddball radiator I think I can do the center outlet like I want to.

My attempt at welding thin-ish SS coldside piping wasn't very successful. My Chicago welder just doesn't have the heat controls to dial it down properly. Not to mention the awful spatter. Not even going to attempt to do the headers with it.

Which has me leaning more and more towards finally biting the bullet on a setup like @hoopty5.0's and not farming out all this relatively easy fab work.
How cheaply can I realistically be into an AC/DC TIG setup ready to use? welder, bottle and some supplies. I own grinders and brushes and a really small assortment of tig consumables already.

Boosted92LX · Nov 4, 2016

tannerc91gt said:
When you can't get an idea out of your head but you don't have any parts for a few more days, you use dimensionally accurate cardboard cutouts.

Still not 100% that it'll work but if I can find the right oddball radiator I think I can do the center outlet like I want to.

My attempt at welding thin-ish SS coldside piping wasn't very successful. My Chicago welder just doesn't have the heat controls to dial it down properly. Not to mention the awful spatter. Not even going to attempt to do the headers with it.

Which has me leaning more and more towards finally biting the bullet on a setup like @hoopty5.0's and not farming out all this relatively easy fab work.
How cheaply can I realistically be into an AC/DC TIG setup ready to use? welder, bottle and some supplies. I own grinders and brushes and a really small assortment of tig consumables already.

If you want AC TIG to weld aluminum you need a high frequency unit, and that doesn't exist near the word "cheaply". If you want Just DC, meaning you can TIG stainless and carbon steel, that can literally be done for a few hundred bucks. Collin's rig is small and extremely simple, but the whole thing was under 300 IIRC... and it works great.

stykthyn · Nov 4, 2016

tannerc91gt said:
When you can't get an idea out of your head but you don't have any parts for a few more days, you use dimensionally accurate cardboard cutouts.

Still not 100% that it'll work but if I can find the right oddball radiator I think I can do the center outlet like I want to.

My attempt at welding thin-ish SS coldside piping wasn't very successful. My Chicago welder just doesn't have the heat controls to dial it down properly. Not to mention the awful spatter. Not even going to attempt to do the headers with it.

Which has me leaning more and more towards finally biting the bullet on a setup like @hoopty5.0's and not farming out all this relatively easy fab work.
How cheaply can I realistically be into an AC/DC TIG setup ready to use? welder, bottle and some supplies. I own grinders and brushes and a really small assortment of tig consumables already.

Maybe something like this or am I completely missing where you are trying to go?

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

Boosted92LX said:
If you want AC TIG to weld aluminum you need a high frequency unit, and that doesn't exist near the word "cheaply". If you want Just DC, meaning you can TIG stainless and carbon steel, that can literally be done for a few hundred bucks. Collin's rig is small and extremely simple, but the whole thing was under 300 IIRC... and it works great.

I was thinking his did AC but I guess you're right. I also had it in my head it was closer to $700. My whole turbo kit is stainless and I rarely ever deal with aluminum otherwise so that would be a fine route to take. I hate the idea of paying someone to do a bunch of work I could do myself.

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

stykthyn said:
Maybe something like this or am I completely missing where you are trying to go?

A buddy of mine makes a full tube front end that weighs 17lbs. It's got a ton of nice features that the other kits don't offer. I just can't bring myself to cut out the nice panels in my bay. Yet.

A fox radiator is roughly 19x31. What I need is closer to 14-15" tall to make room for the pipe to go over it.
That's represented by the brown cardboard.

The one in front is the size of the intercooler and roughly where it would hang down when lined up with the pipe. Just for a visual reference.
I've got a chromoly lower radiator support that I haven't had the need to install yet. It's a little longer so I'd gain a couple inches that way.

RaggedGT · Nov 4, 2016

If you are going to get a Tig rig,might as well go all in. Welding aluminum is a pretty fun experience any you would use that function/skill way more than you think

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFM33R0/?tag=stangnet-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H0QGAU0/?tag=stangnet-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGDH0IQ/?tag=stangnet-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGDGRBW/?tag=stangnet-20

Boosted92LX · Nov 4, 2016

RaggedGT said:
If you are going to get a Tig rig,might as well go all in. Welding aluminum is a pretty fun experience any you would use that function/skill way more than you think

Amazon product ASIN B00AFM33R0View: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFM33R0/?tag=stangnet-20

Amazon product ASIN B01H0QGAU0View: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H0QGAU0/?tag=stangnet-20

Amazon product ASIN B00KGDH0IQView: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGDH0IQ/?tag=stangnet-20

Amazon product ASIN B00KGDGRBWView: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGDGRBW/?tag=stangnet-20

Have you welded aluminum with one of those lotos rigs? I ask because I haven't. I know it takes a lot of juice..

RaggedGT · Nov 4, 2016

Boosted92LX said:
Have you welded aluminum with one of those lotos rigs? I ask because I haven't. I know it takes a lot of juice..

I have, for the money they seem like decent machines. I welded two aluminum brackets on a charge air cooler with it and had the ground clamp glowing red,I may have been pushing it a little hard lol

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

I didn't like aluminum TIG very much. But more practice would have gone a long way. The AC current was frustrating lol. Now oxyfuel welding aluminum is about the most temperamental damn welding I've ever done.

Also I can't afford to go "all in". Unless I'm ready to sleep out in the garage.

Couch, tv, fridge, bathroom...actually not much of a punishment?

jrichker · Nov 4, 2016

Pardon my ignorance, but is this a drag strip only car or do you intend on it being a dual purpose vehicle?

The reason I ask is that a street driven car will need more radiator than your 15x31 radiator will provide to keep from overheating in traffic.

If it is a drag strip only car, you'll probably get away with it as long as you don't let it sit and idle while waiting to be staged or have to slowly creep back to the pit after a run.

RaggedGT · Nov 4, 2016

tannerc91gt said:
I didn't like aluminum TIG very much. But more practice would have gone a long way. The AC current was frustrating lol. Now oxyfuel welding aluminum is about the most temperamental damn welding I've ever done.

Also I can't afford to go "all in". Unless I'm ready to sleep out in the garage.

Couch, tv, fridge, bathroom...actually not much of a punishment?

I hated aluminum at first lol now it isn't so bad, working on my stainless skillz now.. For $700 bucks it would be nice to have the option for aluminum. But I totally get it not being in the budget,I still sneak all my stuff into work for welding lol

tannerc91gt · Nov 4, 2016

RaggedGT said:
I hated aluminum at first lol now it isn't so bad, working on my stainless skillz now.. For $700 bucks it would be nice to have the option for aluminum. But I totally get it not being in the budget,I still sneak all my stuff into work for welding lol

They let me stick weld with Jet Rod at work every so often and if you want to really give yourself a false sense of skill that's the way to go. You could weld a brick to a tree stump with that stuff. No cleaning, no real prep. Looks like a stack of nickels.
Yet my flux core stainless today looked like a large bird took a dump through a screen door

Boosted92LX · Nov 4, 2016

RaggedGT said:
I hated aluminum at first lol now it isn't so bad, working on my stainless skillz now.. For $700 bucks it would be nice to have the option for aluminum. But I totally get it not being in the budget,I still sneak all my stuff into work for welding lol

The trick to stainless is purge purge purge. Use foil to build a box around what you are welding. Preflow argon into it to remove ALL of the air around it. Argon is heavier and will settle in the purge box. Do your weld, then post flow argon until the weld cools. This will yield a beautiful shiny weld, no gray sugary coating.

The thing with aluminum, it dissipates heat so quickly it's hard to get it hot enough to get it to tie in and flow well. It helps to use an oxy/acetylene torch to preheat your work. Soak it good with heat first, then it'll flow better and tie in like it should.

Progress Thread Tannerc91gt’s Build(s) Thread

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

At least it is lumpy...

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

mechanicus terribilis

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

mechanicus terribilis

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

It's only an inch or two. What's the big deal?

I want to measure mine. It doesn't look that tall.

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

Been here over a DECADE and still no CT

It's only an inch or two. What's the big deal?

Been here over a DECADE and still no CT

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

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Been here over a DECADE and still no CT

This last 25% is foreign territory at this point

It's only an inch or two. What's the big deal?

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