OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
JB, how are you cutting the pipe?
Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole
- Thread starter jbmatth
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
If I have to cut a bend I'm using a SS cutoff wheel on an angle grinder, marking the pipe has proven to be difficult but I install a hose clamp and go from there. If it is a straight run cut I use the cold chop saw on my welding table. Side note on that, the blade said it was good for stainless but it doesn't sound the same as typical steel so I may be destroying the blade, time will tell.
All,
Speaking of the exhaust, things are starting to come together now, my first couple of welds, not pretty but I think they will be fine:
Here is the drivers side all welded up and ready for the crossover to the passenger side:
Lastly here is the passenger side, I'm still mocking this side up but I think it is time to weld it out:
Having fun, but it is much different welding exhaust pipe than thicker steel, and my argon is about empty, I'll get it refilled tomorrow.
JB
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
JB: welds look good to me especially if the hold.
nice job on the engine and happy to hear it started up and ran too. almost everything you are doing is not in my skill set (including the welding), but I enjoy watching you figure it out.
keep up the great work.
nice job on the engine and happy to hear it started up and ran too. almost everything you are doing is not in my skill set (including the welding), but I enjoy watching you figure it out.
keep up the great work.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
JB, you are probably past the point this would do you any good but I'll toss it out anyway. I use exhaust welding clamps to hold two pieces of exhaust pipe in alignment while tacking. They're my left-handed solution (https://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/summit-racing-exhaust-welding-clamps).
For my very first attempt to weld (Harbor Freight less than $90 wire feed welder) I used a less expensive welding clamp. It's a scrap piece of exhaust pipe with a section cut off.
For my very first attempt to weld (Harbor Freight less than $90 wire feed welder) I used a less expensive welding clamp. It's a scrap piece of exhaust pipe with a section cut off.
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Drives,
Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad it started and ran as well, much better than hearing loud metal to metal banging noises.
I didn't know how to do any of this at one point, and if I can learn so can you. Although I am a Certified Master Technician (YouTube Certified Master Technician). JB, you are probably past the point this would do you any good but I'll toss it out anyway. I use exhaust welding clamps to hold two pieces of exhaust pipe in alignment while tacking. They're my left-handed solution (https://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/summit-racing-exhaust-welding-clamps).
For my very first attempt to weld (Harbor Freight less than $90 wire feed welder) I used a less expensive welding clamp. It's a scrap piece of exhaust pipe with a section cut off.
I looked for something I could use to hold bends in place before I welded them but not until I needed them so I'm just struggling through and will hopefully remember to order the right tool next time.
JB
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
SS exhaust system is looking good JB.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
Those welds look fine to me. You're not putting mirrors underneath and asking for tig experts to inspect are you?? 
SS exhaust system is looking good JB.
Thank you Z, I will post a photo below of where I stand now. It is a very slow process for me at this point.
Those welds look fine to me. You're not putting mirrors underneath and asking for tig experts to inspect are you??
Thank you 86, I don't plan to have them inspected but you never know.
I was talking to our welder at work and showed him the system and asked him not to judge. He said "Why do I care they aren't mine."So the exhaust saga continues, here is where I am now:
View media item 90007
I am ready to start on the 3" portion of the exhaust but the piece I ordered was not correct, it was another piece of 2.5". I should have unboxed it sooner as now it is past the 60 day return period and the seller is giving me fits on a return, I ordered another piece from another seller and will continue from there.
I had to pull the engine back out after marking a spot for the oil return from the turbo, the tig rod came in yesterday and when I have some more time tomorrow morning I'll get it welded in and hopefully stab the engine, install the exhaust and be ready for the wiring harness and to drop the cab on this weekend.
Fingers crossed,
JB
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Looking really good!
I think you'll find B31.3 allows 1/16" mismatch on fitup
I'm guessing cold cutting the stainless will be fine as long as you don't cold work it.
Then it's time for a new blade...
Always impressed by how Bob solves problems.
I think you'll find B31.3 allows 1/16" mismatch on fitup
I'm guessing cold cutting the stainless will be fine as long as you don't cold work it.
Then it's time for a new blade...Always impressed by how Bob solves problems.
Looking really good!
I think you'll find B31.3 allows 1/16" mismatch on fitup
I'm guessing cold cutting the stainless will be fine as long as you don't cold work it.
Always impressed by how Bob solves problems.
Andy,
If passing B31.1 were a concern or required I still wouldn't pass, but I'm sure in time it will prove to act like Bob. (Hint: It'll pass gas and leave it behind.)
I have tried to cut it slow, I'd sure hate to ruin this blade after just purchasing it, but it sure makes the cut that much smoother than ringing it with a zip disk. Time will tell and that may be a problem for future me.
I'm sure duct tape will suffice for a bit of time then will be welded in place. Perfect I should have thought about that.
JB
shortykorte
Well-known member
Earlier I saw JB Weld. Sounds like a easy solution.
Wait, maybe that was “JB, weld.......”. I’ll go back to sleep.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Wait, maybe that was “JB, weld.......”. I’ll go back to sleep.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Shorty,
Haha, if only I received some of the royalties from JB Weld...
All,
Speaking of JB weld, I failed miserably at welding today and it is going to cost me a few days. I was trying to weld the aluminum AN fitting for the turbo oil drain back to the cast aluminum oil pan. I didn't notice the arch was going to the fitting more often than it should and destroyed it. I received a bit of training from our welder at work and another is on order and I'll try it again.
In the mean time the 3" SS exhaust pipe should be in today so I'll put the engine back in to work on that again.
JB
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
Wouldn't that be great.
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
That would be almost as nice as receiving free natural gas... beyond what I produce already.
JB
The word from the refinery is that your desire to have more natural gas than what you already produce is a feeling held by you alone. Ever wonder why your colleagues are wearing their respirators in meetings? You thought they had just come from a nuit and forgot to take off their respirators?
The word from the refinery is that your desire to have more natural gas than what you already produce is a feeling held by you alone. Ever wonder why your colleagues are wearing their respirators in meetings? You thought they had just come from a nuit and forgot to take off their respirators?
I feel like my whole world is crumbling down around me, I never knew. Even when I couldn't understand them they just made me play charades. How was I so blind!
I'd say takes one to know one but I won't, at least not loud enough for you to hear. How have things been going Herb, I haven't seen any updates on your thread in a while?
JB
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Bret, it has to do with how your pipes are Y'd together. My 6.0l Z28 uses a smooth Flowmaster merge and has zero drone. The Aerochamber muffler probably helps too.
A single 3" pipe will flow 500hp.
I check on here every few , just haven't had anything special going on. I will get back on there cause I do like yappin with a bunch of friends on here.
Waiting for it to warm up, so I can get back out to the barn. I'm so far behind,and being lapped by the tortoise.
Waiting for it to warm up, so I can get back out to the barn. I'm so far behind,and being lapped by the tortoise.
Cool. Yeah I am saving up money to buy the ****** Blackheart true Duals for my car. It bolts on to the factory cats and will hook up to my Center mount exhaust. My y pipe is junk (IMHO). It is flattened on one side for ground clearance from the factory. The good/bad part is it is all stainless so it will never rot out!
Bret
Bret
Bret,
I had true dual exhaust before with two 2.5" Flowmaster 10 series mufflers, the drone was unreal. Of course they did stop just after the seats so that didn't help. The biggest reason for the merge was that the muffler I'm useing will go away and a turbo will go in its place. See below.
Outlaw,
From what I've seen on Engine Masters as part of Motor Trend on Demand the merge, H, and X pipes are all supposed to be more mellow than true dual exhaust. The H, and X actually make more power marginally, not enough you could ever notice. I had so much drone before I had to do something about it and hope this helps. The turbo will muffle it quite a bit as well eventually.
I check on here every few , just haven't had anything special going on. I will get back on there cause I do like yappin with a bunch of friends on here.
Waiting for it to warm up, so I can get back out to the barn. I'm so far behind,and being lapped by the tortoise.
Herb,
If you wait for it to warm up it'll be too hot, it is no fun in the cold but I feel better getting stuff done even if cold or hot. Hope to see some progress from you soon enough.
Bret,
Hopefully it works out for you and you get the tone you are looking for. I dislike buying exhaust parts not knowing how they will sound in exactly what you have. One benefit of your Camaro is you at least can hear what it sounds like in other peoples vehicles. Mine being all "custom" I wan't know until I fire it up.
All,
I have the exhaust completely done other than hangers and possibly a dump but haven't decided on that one yet. Here it is now:
View media item 90235
In total there were 25 welds, each had to be measured, cut, cleaned up, tested, cleaned again, tacked, tested, back purged, welded, wire brushed, and tested again before moving on to the next piece. I was surprised at how long this took but glad to have it behind me now. If anyone is wondering the muffler I chose for this iteration is the Borla Pro XS which is a perforated pipe in the muffler body filled with fiberglass (?) packing of some sort. Hopefully this along with the Y will get rid of some of the drone while I'm tuning it before the turbo goes on.
In other news the AN fitting should arrive today so tomorrow morning I can hopefully get it welded on before work then it'll be reassembly time. Woo Hoo
JB
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
JB, nice work work my friend!
The turbo will definitely quiet things down. Most of the Magnaflow, Dynomax Ultraflow, Borla stuff is a perforated tube covered with stainless steel "wool" and then has a ceramic fiber packing around that.
Are you planning on doing a rear mount/remote mount setup and skip the intercooler?
The turbo will definitely quiet things down. Most of the Magnaflow, Dynomax Ultraflow, Borla stuff is a perforated tube covered with stainless steel "wool" and then has a ceramic fiber packing around that.
Are you planning on doing a rear mount/remote mount setup and skip the intercooler?
Thank you, it was time consuming but pretty fun, by the end I was able to fusion weld most of the pieces as the fit was much better, makes the welds look better too.
Yes I am going rear mount under the bed were the muffler is now. I plan to still use an intercooler, I see no real reason not to, having too cold of intake air surely won't hurt anything, but too hot could.
JB
rixtrix1
Well-known member
JB, did you ever hear of using a flux on stainless to eliminate the need for backpurging? I believe it's called Starflux. Saw it on Justin the Fabricator channel on YouTube. Supposed to really speed things up. Exh looks great!
Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Looking good, JB!
How much clearance for the U-joint? Will it need a heat shield?
How much clearance for the U-joint? Will it need a heat shield?
Thank you Andy, I have a little over an inch of clearance for the driveshaft and a little more for the U joint. I'll end up wrapping the entire exhaust once I have the hangers finalized after I drop the body back on. If the U joint proves to be a problem I'll have to take more extreme measures to build a heat shield in conjunction with the wrap.
JB
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Correct name is Solar Flux Type B for stainless.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
JB, 1" is quite a bit, should be plenty of air movement. I doubt you'll have any issues with the u-joint.
Does the driveshaft clear at full droop?
Does the driveshaft clear at full droop?
Rix,
Thank you for the info, it is $45 for a 1 lb can vs a bottle of argon at $38 I don't know that I can really justify it other than speeding things up. I'll put it on the list for the exhaust work on Project Pinkie Pi as that will be a lot more fitting than this exhaust was.
Good to hear Outlaw, as is always the case time will tell if it isn't adequate. The driveshaft is 2 piece so the front section doesn't move with suspension cycling.
In other news the AN fitting shows delivered so hopefully I'll be able to report tomorrow I'm in full reassembly mode.
JB
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
I forgot yours was still 2 piece, duh!
Outlaw,
I have thought about going one piece at some point but haven't completely decided to go that route until I know the existing axle can handle the power. (I have my doubts) I don't want to spend the money for an expensive driveshaft only to have to cut it up or break it from a known potential problem.
All,
Good news is the weldable AN fitting came in last night, better news I got it welded on with little issue. Then I proceeded to install the cap before installing the pan, the AN wrench was 15' away but I had a crescent wrench on the welding table, it got tight easy enough then all of a sudden got looser.
When backing it off it was loose then tight, then off center, then the threads came out with the cap. Nothing to do now but order another and wait, keep moving forward... ever so slowly,
JB
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
OK, Crossthread, how did everything else go?
Stainless flux is foreign to the pressure piping world you live and work in. I think, however, you'll find the one pound can of flux will last over several bottles of purge, and allow backup in very difficult to purge situations. You may not get quite as good of a weld depending on how smoothly your welding goes (if you have to back up and grind out a bad spot and have no way to recoat the inside).
Why wrap the exhaust?
Stainless flux is foreign to the pressure piping world you live and work in. I think, however, you'll find the one pound can of flux will last over several bottles of purge, and allow backup in very difficult to purge situations. You may not get quite as good of a weld depending on how smoothly your welding goes (if you have to back up and grind out a bad spot and have no way to recoat the inside).
Why wrap the exhaust?
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
You wanna new project???
Everything else seemed to go okay Andy, but I'm at a complete standstill at the moment sadly. I won't complain too much as the temps have not been conducive to getting much done. I'll just enjoy the reprieve and get back to it when parts arrive.
You are correct, I have very little experience with flux and that is all in my hobby world not in my industry experience. It will be fun to experiment with when I get to the '57's exhaust at some point in the distant future.
My reasoning for wrapping the exhaust is based completely on word of mouth in turbo applications. From what I've heard it'll help with under-hood heat (I actually didn't experience enough of a noticeable difference in my cobra to justify it there.) With the expected increased temperatures from the increased fuel consumption and the close proximity of non-metallic components in the engine bay it won't hurt to have it. Also the heat being retained in the exhaust system is supposed to build pressure in the piping leading to the turbo to aid in decreasing spool time thus reducing the time from pedal application to tire sublimation.
You wanna new project???
I'll have to pass War Wagon, the last Fiero I had was an '84 GT I believe that I picked up from a buddy that had to cut ties with it. He was in the process of installing a freshly rebuild 383 cu-in small block Chevy. Time happened and 3.5 years passed and he sold it to me for a song. Sadly the engine had a remote mount oil filter and the lines weren't capped, the engine was completely full of water. The cam, push-rods, and heads were all that were salvageable for a reasonable price. Luckily the car came with a cherry picker, engine stand, battery, and new Edlebrock carb. The battery I just pulled out of the cobra last year when it died, the carb is still on it running strong. I use the cherry picker and engine stand regularly so not a bad $500 purchase. The car met a sad fate when it was stripped of all good parts it was shot a couple hundred times by some hoodlums and burned to a crisp.
I have photos but none with me.JB
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
I'll have to pass War Wagon, the last Fiero I had was an '84 GT I believe that I picked up from a buddy that had to cut ties with it. He was in the process of installing a freshly rebuild 383 cu-in small block Chevy. Time happened and 3.5 years passed and he sold it to me for a song. Sadly the engine had a remote mount oil filter and the lines weren't capped, the engine was completely full of water. The cam, push-rods, and heads were all that were salvageable for a reasonable price. Luckily the car came with a cherry picker, engine stand, battery, and new Edlebrock carb. The battery I just pulled out of the cobra last year when it died, the carb is still on it running strong. I use the cherry picker and engine stand regularly so not a bad $500 purchase. The car met a sad fate when it was stripped of all good parts it was shot a couple hundred times by some hoodlums and burned to a crisp.
JB
As I remember some of these cars would spontaneously combust. I was just thinking that you driving to NC with a trailer might bring some interesting stories.
I guess if it did I'd have to just keep driving until it burned out, if I stopped it would burn my truck as well. On second thought it is well insured so maybe I do need to pick it up.
All,
The fitting should be in today unless USPS decides not to deliver mail today (it happens on occasion) then I should get it tomorrow. Once again if all goes well reassembly should begin this weekend.
Sorry things have been slow lately, I've been a bit discouraged and it has been cold so I've been lazy.
JB
All,
The fitting should be in today unless USPS decides not to deliver mail today (it happens on occasion) then I should get it tomorrow. Once again if all goes well reassembly should begin this weekend.
Sorry things have been slow lately, I've been a bit discouraged and it has been cold so I've been lazy.
JB
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
If you're discouraged you need to reread all you've done the past year. And remember you've got lots of people pulling for you, eager to see what happens next.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
JB you have done heaps this year, we all need a break from time to time.
Keep up the great work..
Keep up the great work..