Custom inlet manifold - Suggestions please...

[Ben Wilson]

I just used a standard oxy lens, it's hard to see (a lot of orange flame), but, you can do it. Apparently, you can get a blue lens for aluminium welding, but, the goggles are around $100..

I just used BOC's aluminium welding flux and aluminium tig rods.

[hamish]

$100 .. ouch!

Was just wondering, because I've had one of those torches for nearly 20yrs but never gotten around to trying aluminium with it.

[Ben Wilson]

I got a data sheet with mine detailing the rods/fluxes to use, I'll try to remember to bring it into work tomorrow and I'll send you a scan of it.

[buzz]

damn nice work Ben.
My old man has a Henrob/Dillon and is umming and aahing over modifying the inlet manifold for his XP falcon 221 's 2v head (that's living on the bench)... we are looking at alternate carbs and adapting them to the stock inleting. He hasn't tried welding ally yet with it, but my brother in law has a mig... so we are not entirely hard up for resources! Just ideas.

Worst comes to worst we might drop you a PM.... he lives in Pearce....

[Ben Wilson]

hamish - I've had a look, but, I can't find the bloody bit of paper anywhere, if you go to your local BOC, they should have the flux in stock.

buzz - Steel is a lot easier to weld than aluminium (and cheaper too ), but, I'm sure it would be hard to build a worse manifold than a standard XP Falcon one (even though I have no idea what they look like...)

[buzz]

the standard xp falcon 200ci inlet manifold is actually part of the head casting - its a big HEAVY single unit. Like REALLY HEAVY. He has sourced the big block (221ci ) engine and now has a 2v head from a slightly later 250 to go on. The inlet manifold is alloy but the carb is tiny, so we are looking to upgrade to something a tad larger, so we expect we will use the stock inlet and adapt larger carb(s) onto it.

Its all fun.

[Ben Wilson]

SOunds like fun - All except the carbie bit -eew