bjhines

In my 240Z... I used the original heater control valve and I ordered a brand new set of heater hoses to fit the 240Z control valve. I cut them off near the firewall and ran a section of 5/8" hose to extend them to the V-8 bungs.

That is SOOOOO nice!!!! You should definitely market the cup housings. I wonder if you need to make several different cups to suit the various mounting positions in the dash and variations from year to year.

The 3 teeth rule is great for cutting sheet and thin plate to keep the teeth from hanging on the edge and deforming the metal. Thicker stock runs on a different set of rules.

I forgot to mention the reaserch into the X-junction. Everyone is an expert on how to USE an X-junction. But I find very few people who can answer questions about actual design and fabrication of an X-junction. There are a few of companies that make claims to be "better" than so called amature designs. I don't know what to believe about anyone's claims. There is just not much hard info out there pertaining to designing an X-junction. I decided to use the mandrel bends and fabricate my own best guess design. I wrapped a piece of paper around a straight cut end of the exhaust tubing to get a general measurement of the circumference. I marked the paper and used that dimension as a guide to opening up the hole between the sides of the X. I cut and sanded until the oval hole had the same circumference as the ID of the 2.5" tubing. It utrns out that it does not take much sanding to open a hole up that has the same circumference as the open end of a 2.5" pipe. I decided to open it up a bit more to get the actual area of the hole and the end of a pipe the same. The hole in my junction has a little more area than a round 2.5" pipe. This still did not take much sanding to get to that dimension. As it sits, the thickness of the juntion of the 2 pipes at the center of the X is still 4.0". That means that I only took a half an inch of thickness out of the width of each pipe. 2x 2.5" pipes would only measure 5" side by side. I still have 4" at the narrowest part of the X. I tested flow by accident while curing the paint. I used an industrial heat-gun to heat up the pipes to get a little of the paint to burn off. I stuck the end of the gun in one of the entries to the X-pipe and waited a little while to see if I could get it to 400 degrees f. I could not get it any hotter than 300 degrees near the gun and only 200 degrees after the X. With the gun blowing hot air I stuck my hand over the OTHER entry pipe to the X. There was a lot of cool air being drawn in that pipe. I capped it off and I was able to get the pipes much hotter, especially beyond the X-junction. I checked the airflow out the exit pipes and found; 1. with both entry pipes open and the hot air blowing in ONE pipe, there was warm air flowing equally out of BOTH exit pipes. 2. with one entry pipe closed and the hot air blowing in the other pipe, there was very hot air flowing out of only ONE exit pipe(the same side as the air entered). The other exit pipe had only half the air comming out. I don't mean to imply that I got anything right with this design. I just thought I would tell you guys what my results were.

I beveled them as you can see in the pics. I also deburred them very well on the inside.

Good questions! 1. The X-pipe is the marriage of 2x 180 degree J-Bends. 90 degrees would not give you enough bends to make the return to straight. There are a full 360 degrees of bends in that X-pipe. You could make a similar X-pipe with a 360 degree doughnut and some short straight stock. The advantage in using the J-bends is that there are fewer welds near the X-junciton. The legs of the J-bends allow the inlet and outlet welds to be placed further away from the X. If I did anything differently I would use stainless and a TIG welder. That is a tool I WILL purchase before my next car build. Another tool that might prove useful is a milling machine. 2. The Welder is a Miller 130XP. I would not say I have mastered the welder. It has it's limitations but I think it is the best option for 110Volt single-phase welders. I think the Hobart welders are good also. I have a fair bit of experience from this part of the project. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=109864 3. I used a $99 Ryobi combo(belt, disk) bench sander and a Milwualki metal-cutting chop-saw. I didn't even change the belt or disk once during the entire exhaust project. It still has the sandpaper it had on it when I pulled it out of the box. I put a thick blade on the chop-saw so that it would not walk while cutting. I also removed the clamp and guide from the chop saw to make some of the cuts. The very first cuts I made were to the J-bends to fit them together at the actual X-junction. The long legs of the J-bends made it easier to see that the bends were straight and square while I opened up the junction on the sander. I laid the 2 U-shaped pieces together on the floor and tacked them together flat and square. I had a funny looking piece there for a little while. The next step was to cut the legs off at 45 degree angles and turn them around backwards to make the entries and exits for the X-pipe. I made some colored marks on the pipes to keep the bends associated with their cut off legs(just for reference). The next step was to fit the X into position before tacking the turned around legs. I cheated the bends a little on the sander to get the legs exactly where they needed to be. It turns out that Mandrel bending is not as EXACT as they would lead you to believe. Some of the bends are not exactly the same as others. There is some distortion of the pipe's cross-section in the bends. I used a pipe expander from Autozone to re-round the pipes where they joined together. This was an important part of getting the pipes to fit well. It does not tkae much expansion to get them round. I also used a smooth jaw vice and a hammer to get some odd distortions out.

That is great info, THANK you! I just don't understand the reluctance to print dimensions for SBC distributors. I figured MSD and others had some drawings or basic dimensions for these devices. I called Crane about one of their distributor's dimensions and all they would tell me is that "it is a Chrysler style cap". I asked which years and I was told "early V8 cars and trucks". Jeeeze!!! It appears that Speed racer is one of the first humans to ever type a dimension for a distributor to fit the SBC... in the last 60 years. I was considering the 8570 because of it's advertized small size. I had no idea it was only 3.25" dia. Holy crap.. How can you get spark to the right places with a cap so small. If we are to believe MSD's claims in reference to the standard points style distributor, "CNC machined billet aluminum housing is 3/8” smaller in diameter and 7/8” shorter than conventional Chevy V-8 distributors with the “points” type cap" then we can assume that the standard SBC points style distributor is 3.625" dia. and 7.125" tall. That leaves me with: Old points style cap= 3.625" dia. and 7.125" tall. MSD 8570= 3.25" dia. and 6.25" tall. Older HEI= 7" dia. and ???" tall. Newer HEI= 5" dia. and ???" tall.

I don't need any clearance with the block huggers. I have an Accusump and some other oil related hardware that made the remote filter a better choice. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=137027 I will try to get more clearance pictures posted. The exhaust is not installed at this moment though. ...

I have the worst time finding stuff like this on the interweb. What are some of the choices I have to get the clearance I want? I want a 4.5" dia. cap. I figure this will give me .75" clearance to the firewall's closest point(the "X" embossed in the middle). I realize that there are several different HEI cap diameters. There are various aftermarket distributors that use cap designs from other cars(Crane uses a Chrysler cap). The older points style caps were much smaller than any HEI. Why does no one put this info out there??? Is it some kind of mystery?? Even the guys at the MSD tech forum asked that a poster call or Email for a response on cap dimensions. WTF was that? I have found some dimensions that are not at all confirmed. Old style points cap= 3.5" dia. Early HEI?= 7" dia Newer HEI(>1984)= 5"

Thanks a lot guys! It took a lot of time. This was my first complete custom system front to rear. I have put together partial systems on many cars including several S-30 Zs. This one was totally from scratch. I made the front section with the idea that I might try to massage a good full length header in there one day.

I just completed the mandrel-welded exhaust system for the V8 track car. Here is the basic layout: I used 2.5” tubing, Sanderson ceramic coated “Block Hugger” headers, a custom X-pipe, Flo-Pro mufflers, and a box of J-bends. The system has been wrapped with DEI “Header-Wrap” in several places. I have also used some mirror polished stainless sheet metal and fiberglass mat as heat shields in critical areas. I started with a box of J-bends and a few critical tools. Starting with the headers; Sanderson Block-huggers. These are extremely short with 2.5” collector dia. And 1 5/8” primaries. These are ceramic coated already, but I wrapped them and coated the DEI header wrap with DEI’s paint. It should be fairly cool in the engine bay. I ran approx 30” of straight pipe from the downturns to a flex joint with carbon-copper mesh doughnut seals. This layout should allow some flex here to eliminate binding. I have installed O2 sensor bungs in both downpipes with a display in the cockpit. The system uses an X-junction a little forward of the midpoint in the exhaust system. The X-pipe is ~5 feet long. It runs from the forward flex-joints all the way back to the out-turns for the mufflers. It is suspended by 2 brackets on spring-loaded posts similar to a sway-bar end-link. The brackets will spring upwards if I scrape the exhaust accidentally. The mufflers are Flo-Pro brand. I have it on good authority that they will be quieter than a typical Harley and they flow better than most flowmasters. I decided that they needed some extra insulation considering their proximity to the fuel cell. I used a sheet of mirror polished 18g stainless steel. The steel has been formed to fit the muffler. A few layers of fiberglass mat were placed between the muffler case and the stainless sheet. The mirrored surface faces INSIDE to reflect heat back into the muffler. Then I welded the stainless cover to the muffler case. I left the bottom side of the mufflers exposed to save weight and material. A set of polished stainless tips complete the mufflers. Fabricating the X-pipe takes a little patience. I wanted a custom layout for the X, so none of the pre-made X-pipes would fit my needs. I added a heat shield to the X-junction as well. …

TIRES!!! have a lot to do with mounting difficulty. We are not mounting a 285/65/17" SUV tire on these rims. Stiffness: The race tires have thick, stiff sidewalls. A lot of high perf tires have similar sidewalls though not as extreme. mounting clearance: You go get a xxx/40/xx-Z-rated tire and try to mount it on any rim and it is harder than 99.99% of the tires out there. It just doesn't fit into the drop center section as well as taller tires. The cord and bead are rock hard to keep it's shape at high speed. This requires 2 people at the mounting machine or they will gouge the rim. I don't care if the redneck can do it by himself. It is not a wise move with a customer's blemish-free, brand-spanking-new rims. Fitment: What sizes are giving the most difficulty? It would be a good indication of the optimum size and sidewall design for street use.

holy crap... there is always something better. That is definitely better!

FLO-PRO mufflers http://www.flopro.com/FloPro.htm

I went through this a while back. I can configure it to suit different requirements. Here is the thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=128736 ...

Hey... You copied me!!!!! Here is mine just complete. I decided to use an X-pipe instead. Maybe I'll add an H-pipe too. ...

You neeed to read the information provided. All of your questions are dealt with. All of the issues you bring up are part of the engine as it is demonstrated.

good move on the lower tooth count for aluminum. The finer teeth will clog faster when cutting aluminum. Finer teeth do a great job on ferrous metals. I have a woodworking bandsaw with poly tires on the drive wheels.. these do not do so well when cutting metal... It imbeds in the poly and makes a mess.

I have a decent understanding of acoustics, and fluid dynamics. As the high pressure pulse travels down the collector extension it passes the hole for the H-pipe. Some of the gas flows into the H-pipe thus dissapating the peak pressure of the pulse as it travels down the rest of the exhaust system. This would seem to reduce the effectiveness of scavenging on the X-pipe further down the system. There is less differential pressure in the X-junction due to reduced peak pressure in the pulses that have already passed the H-pipe. The H-pipe can also be "tuned" to ensure there is a low pressure peak at the other end of the H-pipe when the next pulse comes down the opposite side. Grumpy says that the X is effective because it provides a dual path for the pulse to dissapate into. Others tout the fact that there is a low pressure trough in the opposite pipe when the next pulse comes to the X. This would be scavenging in much the way a 2-cycle engine uses a convergent/divergent cone as a resonator to improve scavenging. Hot-Rod magazine has done similar write ups and offer slightly different explanations than the sources in this thread. I also understand that the acoustic pulses tend to travel through the moving gases much faster than the actual gas medium is moving down the pipe. Bends, restrictions, H and X pipes, variations in diameter, converging/diverging areas all effect acoustic properties differently than the fluid flow properties. There are two completely different sets design principles working in any exhaust system.

ok.. What about H-pipe diameter and length? what about the hole in the main pipes being smaller than the H-pipe dia. The H-pipes in most factory applications are only 1"-3" long. My BMW has a 1" long H-pipe that is only 1" dia as well. The H-pipes on corvettes were at the rear end of the system and they were also very short(3" long) and the holes in the main pipes were only 1" dia. even though the H-pipe was more like 2.5" dia. I ask this because an H-pipe under the bellhousing will be considerably longer than an H-pipe further back in the system. If I used a small dia. H-pipe it would seem that length would be even more critical.

I am in the process of designing my exhaust system right now. Welder, chop-saw, band-saw, tubing notcher, sander, tailpipe expander, and a BFH. check! Mandrel bends, straight tubing, ball couplers, header flange adaptors, all in 2.5" aluminized steel. check! The S-30 does not lend it'self to putting an X-pipe anywhere in front of the tranny mount. I could put an H-pipe closer to the tranny bellhousing. I could put BOTH and X and an H- pipe in the system. Would this be a waste of effort??? Does the H-pipe equalize the pulses to the extent that a downstream X-pipe no longer functions as it should? Does an H-pipe really need to be as large as the main pipes? My BMW M3 has only a 1" H-pipe dia. Many systems in factory cars use a large dia. H-pipe but only have small(1" dia.) holes in the main pipes to feed the H. If the goal is to get the H as close to the collectors as possible then I could run a crossover tube directly off the header collector flanges. If the H-tubing only needs to be 1" then this would be easy to do. What about "collector length" tuning?... wouldn't this effectively cancel out the rest of the system as far as collector length tuning? How does H-pipe dia. and length effect the operation of the H-pipe system. Is is possible that using a larger dia. H-pipe with a smaller hole in the main tubing was a consideration for pulse tuning or reversion. I would assume that you would eventually reach a point where you have a "zero loss" exhaust system like the ones using the chamber to terminate the collectors instead of constant dia. tubing. Those systems do not place an H-pipe as close to the engine as possible. I was under the impression you needed 1-2 feet of collector tubing at the very least for most V-8 applications.

The panels look great and that stuff appears to be an ideal material to use for this purpose. about the lower scoops... You want to limit the amount of airflow around the radiator to improve cooling. The space behind the radiator needs to be a low pressure area. The stalled air in front of the radiator is a high pressure area. The factory lower "splash pan" had nothing to do with splashes and everything to do with keeping the area behind the radiator lower pressure than the front. The scoops are destuctive to this pressure differential. The S-30 is not a bottom breather like many modern cars. Scooping air up and forcing behind the radiator is exactly the opposite of what you want to do.

The dark red and silver cars have absolutely NO CONTROL over airflow into the front clip. Their FORM-OVER-FUNCTION hack-jobs have a negative effect on performance. I would not be caught dead in ANY of those cars, but it is laughable how function has been 100% completely cancelled out.

The modern CS series alternator is entirely different than the old-school SI alternators. They are capable of putting out 60% of their rated power at very low RPM. This is one of the main reasons for choosing the CS design.

Music wire is not guitar strings... Music wire is heat treated, small diameter wire. It is as stiff as a spring. Look in model airplane shops and some hardware stores. The stuff can be bent by hand.. but just barely. I used 1/8" dia. wire for my reinforcement. It adds SIGNIFICANT structural reinforcement along the edges of panels.