What type of composites are the LS series intakes? Along with any aftermarket ones.

 

I believe that the LS series intakes are a nylon or a nylon alloy, for lack of a better term.

 

umm alloy usually denotes a metal....composite or polymer usually denotes all others

 

Don't hold me to it but I thought I had read somewhere they are Dupont Nylon 66.

 

Yes, I know...hence, "for lack of a better term."

 

They are titanium and then power coated. LOL.

 

well i think he was asking for something specific not a general statement....thats why i tried to clarify, for future reference too

and if its made of titanium and nylon...would that make it made of Tylenol? lol

 

I recall seeing Zytel (a brand name of special nylon).

 

I believe that would be more correct

 

Yup, I found a few things on Zytel. It's a nylon made by Dupot that can be molded, or vibration welded. I didn't find any articles directly on the factory LS series intakes, but there was one of the FAST intake. Need to pay for the article however.
http://www.allbusiness.com/automotiv...8202092-1.html

Zytel was also used for oil pans in the C-class, PT cruiser uses it in an intake manifold, exhaust mounts on some VWs, and the company Valeo makes headlights using Zytel in the VW Passat and Citroen C4.

 

i believe that hot rod or car craft had a good write up on them and the differences between them and the LS2s because one is a lost foam process the other is vibration welded or something of that sort

 

http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_08...ing/index.html

Gen-3 LS1/6

The LS1 and LS6 manifolds were produced using a 'lost core' plastic-molding process that produced a single-piece manifold." The lost-core process involves the use of a low-melting-temperature metal core, which is loaded into a plastic-molding tool, over-molded, and then melted out after the part is formed. Nylon 66 was the material used to produce the LS1 and LS6 manifolds.

Gen-4 LS2/3/7

The LS2 and LS7 manifolds utilize a more traditional plastic-injected-molding process that produces three different intake-manifold sections, which are then fitted together and vibration welded around the edges.

Vibration welding, sometimes referred to as "sonic welding," involves melting the composite together after vibrating the materials to produce enough friction for a weld. Although the new manifold material looks similar to that used in an LS1 or LS6 unit, it's actually Nylon 6, a glass-filled polymer that is better suited to the vibration-welding process.

 

what might be also of interesting (if I am correct) is the incompatibility of dexcool with nylon. You've probably heard dexcool referred to as deathcool, because of the problems it had early on with more than a few GM vehicles- there were a variety of cooling failures associated with it stemming from sludge to gasket failures and major engine damage. You can google it all via keywords such as dexcool lawsuit nylon gasket.
but anyway the interesting part was one of the two additives in dexcool that give it it's long-life properties was 2-eha, which is also characterized as a plasticizer and is incompatible with nylon, or various nylon materials and compounds. If you research the dexcool problems the intake gaskets that had those failures were made or comprised of nylon, and GM issued either a TSB or at least reference to a new updated gasket material as the fix. For the LS series of engines (having intakes made of nylon) it's probably a good thing no coolant runs through them.

 

does any of what you said matter though...because the coolant does not come close to the intake....unless the head sprouts a leak