Forced Induction Section Fabrication Thread

[M3equalslife]

Hey guys,
I need to find some aluminum tubing 3" to make my cold side charge pipe. Where do you guys get your tubing from? Thanks

[someguy2800]

I got some 4" aluminum madrel bends for my exhaust recently from velocity air. I was very impressed with the quality of stuff. Got 3 bends and 2 straight sections, all very nice.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-16-ga-Mand...item4ac7026d50

[M3equalslife]

I got some 4" aluminum madrel bends for my exhaust recently from velocity air. I was very impressed with the quality of stuff. Got 3 bends and 2 straight sections, all very nice.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-16-ga-Mand...item4ac7026d50

Thanks brother, I'll check them out

[Colby Colbs]

Not my best picture but some T6061 action for ya!

[Colby Colbs]

Anyone in here?

[bry195]

that is some nice welding sir.

[MTrace]

Took a little fab, but its more cool

[Colby Colbs]

What I built. Copied from FB, "The two 28 Gal. Fuel cells finished. Constructed out of .125 T6061 sheet. Reinforced with a .125 T6061 angle cage, certified for battle."

[1SLWM3]

I envy your welding skills Colbs.

[5mall5nail5]

I was reminded over in my build thread that we had this (I should have known better!)

Going to drop a little project in here to get people posting again.

I got home and really had an urge to make something. I planned these speaker mounts in my head and just went at it. Tried something new - cutting aluminum on a wood miter saw. I have heard it works super well and... it does!


Cutting aluminum on miter saw by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Cutting aluminum on miter saw by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

Check out the fit up - can't beat it


Speaker mount fit up by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

Throwing down the welds!


Speaker mount welds by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

This is 3/16" aluminum both the base plates and the tubing. Pretty taxing on the welder, I just ran it wide open at 180A with a 3/32" tungsten and #10 cup on a WP17 torch.

More welds down


Speaker mount welds by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Speaker mount welds by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

Both plates welded on


Speaker mount both plates welded by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

Test mounted on the wall


Speaker mount on wall by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

You'll notice that the two mounting holes are counter sunk for my wood screws. Also, there's a 1/2" or so hole drilled in the center of where the square tube meets each plate. This is because I am going to run the speaker wire through the mount up into the speaker terminals. This will be super sleek because there will be no visible wires.

So now, all I have to do is put up insulation and drywall, prime, paint, and hang these puppies up!

[Dphraner]

Hey, this might be a little off topic but something some of you may know and some might not. Do not use brake cleaner to clean metal before welding. the heat and argon from welding turns brake cleaner into toxic phosgene gas. I fired up my tig the other day to make an turbo oil feed fitting from the vanos banjo bolt and used brakeclean to get the oil off. After welding it I ended up in the hospital. very bad stuff, I still cant breathe right. just thought id inform people that didn't know since ive been welding for years and never heard about it.

[5mall5nail5]

Hey, this might be a little off topic but something some of you may know and some might not. Do not use brake cleaner to clean metal before welding. the heat and argon from welding turns brake cleaner into toxic phosgene gas. I fired up my tig the other day to make an turbo oil feed fitting from the vanos banjo bolt and used brakeclean to get the oil off. After welding it I ended up in the hospital. very bad stuff, I still cant breathe right. just thought id inform people that didn't know since ive been welding for years and never heard about it.

This is pretty widely known but it never hurts to repeat

[killaM3]

Oh the crazy things we make in our garages.

well this looks very familiar if everything is right will be on dyno on 19th

[Talperian]

Ok welding masters, I took a welding class last spring during my last semester of college. I got to use a nice Lincoln TIG machine, I don't remember the model, I REALLY want to get my own TIG to start some projects and start learning to become more proficient in it. I see everyone here using Millers welders, I have the opportunity to buy a Miller Syncrowave 200 for around $1000, I see that they retail for $3200, is this a TIG welder worth getting or should I wait for a good deal on a different model?

Can someone who has done their research provide me with advantages/disadvantages?

Thanks!

[someguy2800]

advantage = will last longer than the dinosaurs and may have been made at the same time.

disadvantage = weighs as much as said dinosaurs, no frequency control on AC, and draws an enormous amount of power.

They are nice machines in that they use a transformer and are extremely reliable with good weld quality. For comparison that welder at full power would draw about 80 amps off the wall, and weighs something like 275 lbs. An inverter welder of similar power will weigh 40lbs or so and draw only about 30 amps off the wall. If you have a big enough power supply and don't want to move it ever, then go for it, its a good deal. If not find an inverter such as a diversion 180 or similar.

[Def]

For about 2 weeks more you can get a Thermal Arc 186 TIG welder and a beefy cart for $1377 shipped:

http://search.ntxtools.com/search?p=...core&view=grid

It's a 200 amp, AC/DC machine, great frequency and balance control, inverter so only draws about 25-30 amps full bore. Just add a foot pedal to that (about $180ish) and get a smaller torch for lighter stuff (about $100) and you're good to go.

The cart is actually really nice on it, so it adds quite a bit of value.

[Talperian]

Thanks for the info guys! I see a Diversion 180 FS on CL about 5 miles away for $1400, should I snag it? Another point to bring up is that I currently only have 115V hooked up and will have to add another 220V circuit. The Diversion 180 looks like it can run on 115V at reduced duty cycles.

Also, is it preferred to weld a cage with MIG or TIG, also what about welding studs to the floor for seat mounts?

Thanks!

[5mall5nail5]

180 can run on 120v not with reduced duty cycles but reduced output. 125A output max on 120v.

[Def]

TIG needs much more strenuous metal prep than MIG. For welding on a car body I'd go with MIG personally. A decent 120V MIG like a Hobart 140 will do everything on a car no problem (except anything aluminum).

For aluminum you really need a TIG, as trying to do aluminum MIG right costs almost as much and is still limited (can't do really thin stuff, heat isn't adjustable on the fly etc.).

$1400 for a Diversion 180 sounds pretty good, but there are rebates on them new right now I believe. If you're stuck on that welder, I'd personally buy new for a few hundred more. They're reliable machines, but still $$$ if boards go out inside.

[M3 Euro LTW]

Wanted to thank the contributors in this thread for inspiring me to pull the trigger on a TIG of my own. I spoke with a couple of people in here, and was nudged in the direction of the Dimension 180. I have a close friendship locally with a friend who has some experience with TIG welding, and for a while, I was going to possibly buy his companies "heavy duty"-"more than I need" welder... The used Dimension 180's are holding their value so well in the market, its hard to justify saving just $100 to $200 on a used unit, shipping, handling, possible damage on the way here vs a new one... but those are nudging 2K without any supplies to get going. But the used market prices support that its a highly desirable welder, no doubt!

This came up on Ebay, within an hour's drive, and seemed like a reasonable deal given all the "extra's" with it, as well as low hours of use and condition when I spoke to the guy....

Turns out its exactly the unit my friend has at work, so I'll have some first hand experience available to help getting up to speed with someone who uses this machine.

It is a Syncrowave 180, been replaced by the 200 I believe, and yeah, its about 200 lb I bet and won't run on 110. I like the extended duty cycle though, just in case I do get into something that I want to work on that is thicker, and I need to keep at it for a bit. The Dimension on a cart along with a large tank would still take up a decent amount of space, so its not THAT big a difference. I've got 220 in the garage for the lift, just have to pull thicker gauge wires through so I can upgrade to a larger breaker.....

So, here's my new toy I get to pick up this weekend: (flame suit on, I'm sure someone will say I overpaid or it isn't worth it etc....)

[Colby Colbs]

Great machine

[black bnr32]

For about 2 weeks more you can get a Thermal Arc 186 TIG welder and a beefy cart for $1377 shipped:

http://search.ntxtools.com/search?p=...core&view=grid

It's a 200 amp, AC/DC machine, great frequency and balance control, inverter so only draws about 25-30 amps full bore. Just add a foot pedal to that (about $180ish) and get a smaller torch for lighter stuff (about $100) and you're good to go.

The cart is actually really nice on it, so it adds quite a bit of value.

that the one you got Def? looks like a smokin' deal.

[Def]

that the one you got Def? looks like a smokin' deal.

Yep, the welder works great. Can't say the same thing about the monkey behind the helmet tho'...

Thermal Arc actually messed up and sent me 2... and the guy at the shop is hassling me to transport everything back to a UPS store (which I promptly told him NO). I told him this was a hassle for me to have to return goods I didn't order, and got "well you didn't pay for it." Yea no sh!t... but now I've got to do work to fix your mistake. Anyway... the welder is great. Best deal I've seen for a long time, and I've been looking.

I did try to do some aluminum welding way out of position this weekend on an OTA antenna I got... did not go well at all... But I think part of it got contaminated by vapor from the tape I was using for mock up. Wasn't going to weld at all after that... The other side was meh... stuck together, nothing to write home about. It was pretty thin square tubing to 1/8" flat bar, so it was difficult joining them together before the thin tubing would start to melt away.

Maybe because I've done so much MIG, I find steel pretty easy to pick up on so far, but haven't tried too much with aluminum. I really need to get a welding table and sit down and practice for a few hours.

[black bnr32]

Yep, the welder works great. Can't say the same thing about the monkey behind the helmet tho'...

Thermal Arc actually messed up and sent me 2... and the guy at the shop is hassling me to transport everything back to a UPS store (which I promptly told him NO). I told him this was a hassle for me to have to return goods I didn't order, and got "well you didn't pay for it." Yea no sh!t... but now I've got to do work to fix your mistake. Anyway... the welder is great. Best deal I've seen for a long time, and I've been looking.

I did try to do some aluminum welding way out of position this weekend on an OTA antenna I got... did not go well at all... But I think part of it got contaminated by vapor from the tape I was using for mock up. Wasn't going to weld at all after that... The other side was meh... stuck together, nothing to write home about. It was pretty thin square tubing to 1/8" flat bar, so it was difficult joining them together before the thin tubing would start to melt away.

Maybe because I've done so much MIG, I find steel pretty easy to pick up on so far, but haven't tried too much with aluminum. I really need to get a welding table and sit down and practice for a few hours.

Sounds like its time to take the plunge. any recommendations for a foot pedal and smaller torch?

[Ricky P4P]

Little 10pt chromoly cage I did for a customer of mine. Man NHRA rules are a pain!!!