Building Headers 101
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From: Fannett, Tx
Building Headers 101 Looking for tip, tricks, and methods for building custom headers for FI. Wanting to know piping sizes, where to buy material from, mock up practices things of that nature.
I use 1 3/4" 304 SS tubing for the primary tubes and 2.5" after the collectors. I use lingenfelters head flanges ($61 ea off ebay), collectors from Stainless works (about $65 each), and make sure you V band clamps and flanges are 100% SS. Some cheap ebay chinese units are not all SS. Use a nice 1/2" thick T4 or T6 flange to reduce warpage. I ues a 6" SS flex pipe in the cross over tube on a single turbo set up just to combat expantion/vibration issues. I also use one in the down pipe for the same reason. Tack all of your primary tubes together as you build your header then take them out to finish weld each tube individually. That way you can gind/smooth/polish them befor final header assembly. I make a bracket to hold the collector where you want it and then build all the primaries to it. Also number your primaries so you know where they go back together. I then install all the tubes from head flange to collector and tack them all together and to the flanges and collector. Then I carefully take out the whole unit, clamp it to a bench with a sheat metal shim under the center of the head flange. This gives you a little negative bend that will be taken out as the flange cools. Weld slowly letting it all cool between welds and move around alot. This keep warpage down to a minimum. Same with welding your V band flanges on. They are easy to warp by just welding all the way around. Once warped they are almost impossible to seal. weld the inside of the primary opening and head flange. Makes a nice transision. If the head flange should warp a little you can take it to a machine shop and have is surface ground so it will be flat to the head. I'm sure i have forgotten something and I am sure someone else has a different way of doing things but that is my way. Hope it helps.
http://www.icengineworks.com/icewmain.htm
No wasted piping, very time efficient, freakin awesome system. Takes the guess work out of the header game.
-Wade
No wasted piping, very time efficient, freakin awesome system. Takes the guess work out of the header game.
-Wade
http://www.icengineworks.com/icewmain.htm
No wasted piping, very time efficient, freakin awesome system. Takes the guess work out of the header game.
-Wade
No wasted piping, very time efficient, freakin awesome system. Takes the guess work out of the header game.
-Wade
