Mild steel exhaust fab parts rant
Mild steel exhaust fab parts rant
If you want anything outside of the norm, it's only available in stainless. Oval tubing? Stainless only. Small diameter flex pipe for external wastegate plumbing? Stainless only. Want external wastegate? It comes with SS flanges. Header tubing that isn't heavy as fuck? Stainless only.
It's like there's an army of fabbers out there who hate mild steel. MS rocks, for a thousand reasons.
raysorenson
11-22-2014, 03:42 PM #1It's bullshit. I do NOT want to mess with stainless. You have to back purge tubing to shield the backside of the weld. That means another argon tank and regulator. You have to figure out have to plug the pipe at both ends with an argon port at one end and an orifice at the other.
If you want anything outside of the norm, it's only available in stainless. Oval tubing? Stainless only. Small diameter flex pipe for external wastegate plumbing? Stainless only. Want external wastegate? It comes with SS flanges. Header tubing that isn't heavy as fuck? Stainless only.
It's like there's an army of fabbers out there who hate mild steel. MS rocks, for a thousand reasons.
(11-22-2014, 03:42 PM)raysorenson It's bullshit. I do NOT want to mess with stainless. You have to back purge tubing to shield the backside of the weld. That means another argon tank and regulator. You have to figure out have to plug the pipe at both ends with an argon port at one end and an orifice at the other.
If you want anything outside of the norm, it's only available in stainless. Oval tubing? Stainless only. Small diameter flex pipe for external wastegate plumbing? Stainless only. Want external wastegate? It comes with SS flanges. Header tubing that isn't heavy as fuck? Stainless only.
It's like there's an army of fabbers out there who hate mild steel. MS rocks, for a thousand reasons.
This is why my only stainless stuff is:
A-Waterpump shaft
B-Fasteners
C-Sheetmetal
Newbie-read this: Cheap Tricks
617.952-220k-Getting built up
larsalan I guess I need to look at this stupid ass drip shit. What you have to like mess with those elements on the pump? What a fucking hassle. then use some wire to hold the throttle open or some shit?
Simpler=Better
11-23-2014, 09:55 AM #2(11-22-2014, 03:42 PM)raysorenson It's bullshit. I do NOT want to mess with stainless. You have to back purge tubing to shield the backside of the weld. That means another argon tank and regulator. You have to figure out have to plug the pipe at both ends with an argon port at one end and an orifice at the other.
If you want anything outside of the norm, it's only available in stainless. Oval tubing? Stainless only. Small diameter flex pipe for external wastegate plumbing? Stainless only. Want external wastegate? It comes with SS flanges. Header tubing that isn't heavy as fuck? Stainless only.
It's like there's an army of fabbers out there who hate mild steel. MS rocks, for a thousand reasons.
This is why my only stainless stuff is:
A-Waterpump shaft
B-Fasteners
C-Sheetmetal
Newbie-read this: Cheap Tricks
617.952-220k-Getting built up
larsalan I guess I need to look at this stupid ass drip shit. What you have to like mess with those elements on the pump? What a fucking hassle. then use some wire to hold the throttle open or some shit?
-1982 300D Turbo, 280k miles, ALDA apparently maxxed, fram 8038, 12 lbs boost, non-egr manifolds, W/M injection, 4 brake light mod, Gen II w126 front rotors/calipers, 4-speed swap
In the works: A/W IC, adjust pump, turbo rebuild (w/60 trim comp wheel)
-1980 300SD, 110k, project car. Goal is to get it lookin' like it did on the showroom floor (body and interior wise, not necessarily under the hood )
-1974 240D, FRESH PAINT!!!!!!
sassparilla_kid
11-26-2014, 04:30 PM #4I'd just buy a couple small pieces in the same thickness and try them with the mig welder, I've had mixed results doing this and you might get lucky and have it work out
-1982 300D Turbo, 280k miles, ALDA apparently maxxed, fram 8038, 12 lbs boost, non-egr manifolds, W/M injection, 4 brake light mod, Gen II w126 front rotors/calipers, 4-speed swap
In the works: A/W IC, adjust pump, turbo rebuild (w/60 trim comp wheel)
-1980 300SD, 110k, project car. Goal is to get it lookin' like it did on the showroom floor (body and interior wise, not necessarily under the hood )
-1974 240D, FRESH PAINT!!!!!!
SS is a better option for the purpose so that why everything is built in SS. Including turbine housings these days.
MIG might work ok if you stitch weld it with a thick wire on a lot of heat. But it really needs to be tig welded with a root pass then filler
Duncansport
11-30-2014, 06:54 PM #5I bought all my mild steel parts from Independent Pipe Supply. There just up the road form me. SCH40 mild 1.5 pipe parts a very cheap. I think i droped like $60 on 10 elbows and 5 concentric reducers.
SS is a better option for the purpose so that why everything is built in SS. Including turbine housings these days.
MIG might work ok if you stitch weld it with a thick wire on a lot of heat. But it really needs to be tig welded with a root pass then filler
(11-30-2014, 06:54 PM)Duncansport SS is a better option for the purpose so that why everything is built in SS. Including turbine housings these days.
I mostly disagree when it comes to turbo headers. If you live in a part of the world where rust is a serious problem, you'll need to coat your mild steel manifold where you could leave stainless uncoated. Mild steel has the ductility advantage over stainless, which would lead to a more durable turbo manifold.
Ductility is much harder to market than shiny. That's my explanation for the ubiquitous SS exhaust parts.
I've been doing plenty of research since I posted this thread. I may start building my exhausts out of stainless for no other reason than to increase the marketability of my work. For turbo headers, mild steel will always be the first choice.
raysorenson
12-01-2014, 02:07 PM #6(11-30-2014, 06:54 PM)Duncansport SS is a better option for the purpose so that why everything is built in SS. Including turbine housings these days.
I mostly disagree when it comes to turbo headers. If you live in a part of the world where rust is a serious problem, you'll need to coat your mild steel manifold where you could leave stainless uncoated. Mild steel has the ductility advantage over stainless, which would lead to a more durable turbo manifold.
Ductility is much harder to market than shiny. That's my explanation for the ubiquitous SS exhaust parts.
I've been doing plenty of research since I posted this thread. I may start building my exhausts out of stainless for no other reason than to increase the marketability of my work. For turbo headers, mild steel will always be the first choice.
Stainless has about a third higher rate of thermal expansion which is not what you want in a complicated load-bearing structure like a turbo manifold.
raysorenson
12-01-2014, 09:20 PM #8Stainless does have slightly higher density than mild/low carbon steel, but the difference is negligible. 1020 mild has 7.86 g/cm3, 304 stainless is 7.9.
Stainless has about a third higher rate of thermal expansion which is not what you want in a complicated load-bearing structure like a turbo manifold.
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