I DID IT! FINALLY MADE REAL PROGRESS ON MY DRAG CADDY!

Episode 280 of Mike Finnegan's Garage features one my my favorite cars, my 1961 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, and I'm custom building my own set of stainless steel headers for the twin-turbo Big Block Chevy. The 540ci monster is going to breathe through 2-1/4 inch primary tubes, which will exit into a 3" billet stainless steel merge collector and then flow into Nelson Racing Engines Mirror Image turbos. This video is full of tricks, tips and tools that will help you build your own headers, too! Want more info on the stuff I used in this video? Here are some super helpful links for you!
Nelson Racing Engines Mirror Image Turbos
nelsonracingen...
Dogfab FUPA 12 torch cup
furickcup.com/...
Shearer fab T6 to 3" round weld flange
shearerfabrica...
Stainless headers Mfr Header Welding Purge Plate
www.stainlessh...
Fein tools Magnetic Vise with 4" Jaws
toolstoday.com...
Miller welders Dynasty 400 TIG Runner Package with Wired Foot Control
store.cyberwel...
Finnegan Speed and Marine Merch
ww.fsmgarage.com
Thanks for watching!
-Finnegan
Dogfab

[@brianrichardson7946]

We all realize that FSM is a 2 guy operation and your schedule is hectic but, when you and Joe are in your garage working on the caddy myself and everyone else subscribed to Finnigan's Garage have a big ole grin watching it come together. I can see the final product just from what you've described and the anticipation for you guys having the time to work on it. Looking forward to 2024 and what you and Joe bring to all of us watching your channel. Happy New Year!! 🎉

[@howiefeltersnatcher]

Building any exhaust you need to order a set of these makes your job half the time ICEngineWorks Exhaust Header Modeling Blocks

[@FinnegansGarage]

Thanks for watching! i love working on this car. Now that Blasphemi is back in one piece and running I'll have more time to work on the Caddy. :)

[@damianlachaplle8579]

Should name the Cadillac the Panty Dropper

[@gdfitzgibbon]

@@howiefeltersnatcher, I bought the 1 3/4” ICE kit for my turbo headers, guess what else the kit is good for, rollcage designing.😊

[@bobbolieu9013]

One of the awesome things about this video is seeing that beaming smile on your face because you achieved fantastic looking headers successfully. Congratulations Mike! You deserve a long distance high five for that.

[@justion337]

From a food/pharmaceutical stainless welder of 11 years: when you tack, try to do the smallest tacks you can possibly do to still connect the parts, then once it's under purge, add one or two between each of the first tacks, then you can reburn the original tacks that might have sugared on the inside with more heat. You might end up with some little black specks on the surface, but that spot will be smooth on the inside and not crusty.

[@alexbrown4820]

What kinda line up clamps do you use?

[@justion337]

@@alexbrown4820 the sanitary tubing almost always has straight sections on each bend and for those we have TechSouth Products clamps in every size which are super nice, but run about $250 each. 😭 If it's a rare cut mid bend, I just wing it, lol. Get the first tack, then use a c-visegrip to get everything to line up. Sanitary tubing bends are way more consistently round than automotive bends, but there's always some deformation. Using a V block can help align two parts to get the first tack on the inside radius. The stuff I personally do is mostly hand welded, but I occasionally do some orbital too. Everything we do has to be polished to a 32RA(~180 grit) finish inside if it's within 3" of an opening and the rest has to be boroscoped and okayed by QC. Outside is usually just color cleaned with a scotchbrite wheel, but sometimes is polished to a 32RA or finer. The finest we do is a 10E RA which is 320grit silicon carbide sandpaper wheel then electropolished to a mirror finish.

[@nathanhumke]

I’m very surprised how good your welds look for having that huge cup and mile long stick out. You must go through so much gas homie. But your doing er bud good job!

[@jimbetts5164]

Very good advice

[@mrbigw100]

From header welds that ray Charles did with his feet (as you said) to headers that look beautiful the last 10 years of progression have been amazing to watch

[@troy-from-cjrc]

As someone who's lost count of how many sets of headers I've built I can assure you that I enjoyed watching you overcome the struggles of header fabrication. There's a reason custom headers are expensive and this video shines a light on all the details that go into doing it right. Keep digging, you're doing great!

[@FinnegansGarage]

thank you.

[@billjenkins1416]

Great job! This is a really good representation on why things like custom headers cost so much to have made.

[@FinnegansGarage]

It's definitely time consuming. There's a three solid days of work in just that one header.

[@mwhitelaw8569]

Dude That header is a piece of art bro Nicely done dude I'm truly impressed at how far you've come with understanding the importance of fitment. Anybody can weld It's the fabrication of parts that is truly an art.

[@FinnegansGarage]

thanks! ive learned a lot from watching others.

[@ramonalocksmith435]

@@FinnegansGarageLearning by paying attention is it’s self an increasingly rare skill anymore. Experience only reinforces it. Wishing you and yours an awesome 2024.

[@Zaaf2003]

You're welding went up from experience too. You sell yourself short​@@FinnegansGarage

[@danchristian7171]

Your patience is enviable and your excitement with the finished product is infectious. Great work, Mike!!! 👍👍

[@scottimusgarrett15]

Well said! I totally agree!

[@marauding4life]

Very well explained all the way through! I didn’t see you mention the importance of the twin sharpie marks per joint that you did though. Not only does one set of marks never line up with a second set (you’ll always know which pieces go where) but it is also easier to line up two marks rather than just one for perfect clocking every time. It’s really amazing how every step you took is self learning in the process. I’ve done around 5 or 6 headers between cars and bikes over the years and literally learned everything you explained along the way quite quickly.

[@FinnegansGarage]

i forgot to explain the marks. i was hoping it was obvious what they meant. :)

[@shortstroke8712]

I’d love to be able to weld at this level and earn the right to call myself an amateur lol. Can’t wait to see the Caddy hit 200mph. I’m a long time fan of Roadkill and anything else I can watch you and your friends do. Keep on keepin on!

[@FinnegansGarage]

Thanks for watching!

[@HomebrewHorsepower]

I've started buying 90 degree bends individually. They can be made with a much tighter radius if they aren't part of a much longer assembly. Those tight bends have saved me more than once when packaging is tight.

[@wi.dave3812]

That merge collector is a piece of art in itself, you’re finding all the coolest stuff to put on that caddy, thanks for sharing it all with us

[@steveash9831]

Wow! The header looks awesome! Great job Mike! Love the caddy build!

[@stephenlea5765]

Great job conquering that milestone Mike! Looking forward to continued Caddy progress in 2024.

[@Joe___R]

If you use a large gas lens, you can safely stick the tungsten out far enough to weld the inside side of the last header tube to the collector. Instead of dabbing the filler wire, I would use lay wire technique to make it easier.

[@michaelpeace716]

You could always o-ring the headers too. No blown out gaskets and no messy silicone

[@BIllMcCambridge]

Your enthusiasm is infectious!! Thanks for sharing your talents and adventures!!! We can't wait to see 8.50s in the big bad caddie!!

[@S4B3R117]

Stoked to see progress on the Caddy, can't wait to see this BEAST in action

[@jerryloughney4757]

That might be the most satisfying build vid I’ve seen from you. I’m stoked for your abilities, knowledge and success on those headers. Way to go!!

[@FinnegansGarage]

thank you!

[@jcarlile8279]

Love watching your content Mike. Watching you and a few other creators inspired me to start my fabrication journey. Thank you Mike.

[@Alex_ward1988]

A few tips for purging stainless. You can get small holes on the inside if you pulse, won't matter for your application but should be a continuous arc if doing anything food related. Also with the argon coming out, you can lick your lips and hold them over where the argon is coming out, usually set it to just when you can feel the argon on your lips. Headers look awesome, welding is super on point for stainless. Just finished a set of 4 into 1s with 2.25 primaries for a bbf into a 65 mustang so feel your pain of setting those up by yourself.

[@Ericuribe09]

One day you use bent diffs and old parts to drive across the country in one car another day you meticulously build headers for the caddy!! Love it

[@k.a.8494]

We all appreciate your modesty but, man, you are NOT an amateur welder. The Header you made is a work of art IMO. Welding isn't just fixing things with fire but it's also the time, patience, and thinking through the entire process. You've always been good at it, particularly TIG, and you're doing pretty damn well in a garage as opposed to a pro shop. I mean...look at what you've accomplished 👍👍 Actions speak louder than words and you've spoken volumes. Thanks for showing us all the details...and all the cool tools/gadgets! Keep doin' what you're doin'!

[@t123macful]

This is won the the best days of wrenching welding you have had you can see it in your mannerisms!!! Happy for you bud!!!🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@t123macful]

I would look at the Steve Morris video on welding and get some tips!!! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@turboxsoob]

Elmer also has billet elbows for tight 90s with integrated wastegate mounts. Have them for the REPU project.

[@13699111]

That Cadillac is a beautiful car I'm glad it's not hidden away from the public . I enjoy the way you explained every step of the fabrication process . Your KZbin channel has a little something different for everybody's interest . Thank you team Finnegan !!!

[@lazyhoundracing9621]

Super cool. Thank you for your time.

[@tgalbraith2395]

Watching this, it really gives me a new respect for guys that make stainless headers. I think I've got a good level of patience, but there's no way I could do that without saying bad words and throwing stuff!

[@robertzalnis3162]

I used to be a certified natural gas pipe welder. We had to gap the seams about the thickness of the pipe wall. As you welded it with Oxy Acetylene or MIG process it would form a bead on the inside of the pipe and on the outside of the pipe. Gapping the seam was the strongest way to weld pipe together and It's the only way the weld would pass x-ray inspection. It's interesting to see how things are so different with TIG and stainless tubing.

[@aserta]

For that "impossible" weld, you should get a W-125 Long Micro. I use gaskets still. It's smarter to remove and change the gasket every once in a while as well. People think it's a hassle, but it's a service you pay yourself in the future, because you won't get stuck bolts. Stuck bolts happen because nobody bothers to jog the bolts like they used to do in the day. Like they do in pro racing, where these things are a person's job. Jogging your bolts every couple of oil changes = no stuck bolts down the line. Grandpa did it and that's why today, i have the OG bolts on his Merc despite having replaced the rusted out, worn header.

[@tonykemper8896]

Thank you Mike, this hour long video kept me entertained while my wife was shopping!!!!! That header came out sooooo clean! Now you just gotta do it all one more time! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks mouthing waste gates or blow off valves is cool stuff.

[@FinnegansGarage]

the passenger side header will be easier cause i wont have to film the work as i build it. lol

[@adematthewsracing]

Love these videos with all the detail and explanations. Please don't go the route so many channels do with a time lapse hiding all the detail and then most of the video just goofing around.

[@Jackstands]

Hey Mike , to find those little pie cuts get the two pipes put in place and wrap the hell of it with masking tape to cover the gap. Then take a razor and cut he tape out of the gap and wrap it around a pipe to get your pattern for the cut

[@lwplwp]

I'm a stage 3 & 4 of prostate, colorectal and pancreatic cancer and after a 6 week hospital stay and MAJOR surgery I'm sitting here on a brand new 2024 watching Ozzie Goblin on films and enjoying the Caddie. Thanks for some of my lassting memories 🎉😂😊

[@FinnegansGarage]

Thanks for watching! and good luck!

[@AG-ci7rl]

Love the channel Mike. Been a big fan of all the car shows and then got totally hooked when Roadkill came out 12 years ago. You're knowledge in engineering principles and mechanical fabrication is extremely impressive. You've probably forgotten more over the years than I've ever learned 🙂. The Cadillac is beyond cool and can't wait to see it finished. The best part for me is your interest in wanting the car to run eight's, while also being able to take the family for a cruise whenever you'd like. Love it - nothing better!! Keep up the great content!!

[@zems63]

Very educational tutorial! Thanks, looking forward to seeing more videos like this!!!

[@crustynuts8262]

Just a suggestion. T-bolts like you would use in the ends of a rear end housing, where the axel bearing retainer would be, work well in a turbo flange. The bolts are usually forged and fine thread as well. they can make life much easier.

[@bobqzzi]

1. That is an awesome header fixture 2. Tial stainless v-band turbine housings are everyone's friend 3. You should either hang the turbo from a rod end, or just have the sit on top o the mount with no bolt. 4. I appreciate the patience you show when doing stuff like this- it isn't easy

[@Canadianchucknorris69]

Thanks for sharing Mike!

[@foihdzas]

I love the struggle Mike. It keeps the process real. I don’t work on cars like you do, but I work on just about everything out of necessity. Things don’t always work out, but I enjoy the process none the less.

[@louielou2012]

Why not 1 over 3 and 5 over 7 I would think gives you most room and maintain most flow ?? Rear two go by firewall the front side two go on the far side ..go low then go high then repeat

[@jonnewton5929]

The excitement is real. So great to see the caddy making some progress. Happy New Year to you and your family and team. Cheers mate

[@FinnegansGarage]

happy new year!

[@alexhathcock1380]

Right on! It's about time we saw some work/progress on this Bad Ass Cad. Truly can't wait to see it run, drive, and the fun times ahead.

[@rickwalling1148]

I enjoy your attn to the details as they play a Huge role in building any custom fit piece. It drives my wife crazy as I’m very very picky in fitting or doing final assembly of different projects. Dig your videos

[@StressedOut351Ford]

Hey Mike, love the ball bearing idea for massaging and flaring joints. My personal favorite is an assortment of trailer hitch balls. Lock it in a vice, and you can move your pipe anywhere you need it without clamping or deforming elsewhere. You can flare in or out based on overlap and hammer placement. Most everyone has one laying around and a 1-7/8 or 2in ball works fantastic up to 2.5in, takes a little more love for larger pipe, but still, the more you know. Using a rubber mallet will keep from leaving ugly hammer marks and a nice clean flare. Thanks for all the info you've passed on to us gear heads and grease monkeys.

[@FinnegansGarage]

the trailer hitch ball is a great idea! i'm gonna try it.

[@canyoudigit9]

Love it when a plan comes together

[@lewissilvio4740]

that was a great video , spent the whole 1hr 11mins out in the shed watching it while the misso was cleaning the house. Very interesting and dude you killed it would of saved yourself thousands of dollars. Hats off to you bro.

[@Tilpants]

Nice work Mike! Looks like a beast of a manifold!

[@jeffstephens7958]

Great job Mike can't wait to see go down the road

[@jonlennon3348]

That header is art work .

[@rodneymoore2154]

Great show have some advice first the motor mount with the horse power your making the block is going to fix put some kind of adjustable strap from the head to the frame next trie a trailer hitch ball to make the tube round works when my friends bend their headers on their cars when they reck hope it helps next time

[@waynewolfe1865]

Thank u Mike for the time u share with us . We would like to see more of u and Dave on new road kill shows .

[@AlfaElaborazioni]

That exhaust to head flange goes against the usual Turbo application recommendations. Books on the theme usually recommend to have separate flanges per cylinder port so the manifold can move more freely with heat expansion. If you have one single flange, it can warp more easily with the expansion of the manifold...

[@jasondoss2651]

That caddie is going to be a work of art

[@kevinmcmanis7335]

Great job Mike! Love your work! Really nice welds.

[@louielou2012]

I have found when shaping thin pipe put into a steal or iron pipe usually the thinner material slides into ur steal pipe that you clamp down holds ur thin pipe well u can now work it easier you know inside and outside diameter trick

[@davidgardner4940]

Mr.Mike Great job! It's really cool how U show what your doing and U also explain why. U also show how taking your time will give U a better result on a project

[@woopyass]

Im sure a hundred people have said this, but find yourself a MLS gasket to use between your stainless flange and aluminum head. The MLS sammich makes sealing a dream, while being able to reuse basically forever.

[@joeedwards627]

I learnt something and enjoyed and was impressed, thumbs up

[@danakraushaar3606]

Awesome job. Your a good influencer for all of us to try new things. There is a lot going on with that header and all the clearances and bolt access etc. well done! Made my day

[@georgeponnay447]

Fantastic work, Mike👍😎🏁

[@miketaylor6053]

When you were hitting that header at the end, I started singing 'Mississippi Queen'. P.s, during this video, there were numerous times that I noticed how much you are looking like your dad, RIP.

[@chrise2329]

Very cool building something like that.

[@david197757]

Big fan of the Caddie build. It's so cool to see how far you've come from Ray Charles to today. Beautiful work. Keep it up.

[@michaelpeace716]

I see you lower your amps when you tac. I’ve seen other guys increase the amps, a significant amount, that way you can hit it super hot and fast, like a lightning bolt. LOL Some machines even have a tac function . Might be worth a try. Amazing work.

[@mrmiscast]

Quite the difference between this set of headers and the first set for Blasphemi... Impressive improvement... congrats...

[@badeand1]

I love the fact that you clean the tubes with acetone which really isnt needed specially for exhaust. But welding without proper safety equipment. Also clean the wire with acetone, outside of pipe and clean with a brush to remove the oxide layer on the pipe for best possible resault💪 keep up the great content, love it

[@GTRRACING393]

Could use eg. Weldcraft A80 flex torch to weld the inside of the collector to the header pipes before welding on the 3" 90°, for the missed outside welded sections

[@onemilemore541]

If it weren’t for Finnegan‘s Garage, I would have no idea all the steps necessary and how particular you have to be welding stainless exhaust. I noticed you mentioned header bolt clearance, but not spark plugs. I assume they cleared OK as well? Great job, the headers look beautiful! I learn a lot from watching your channel, thanks!

[@FinnegansGarage]

plenty of room for spark plugs. Thanks for watching!

[@01FozzyS]

Beautiful job,Mike!

[@GrampysGarage]

Awesome job Finnegan! I can hear the excitement in your voice with the accomplishment. I just purchased an Eastwood tig welder and hope that someday I can weld as good as you can.

[@dalelyons4366]

My good mate builds headers , he’s got small diesel truck hose clamps with holes drilled into the clamp to tig tac the exhaust pipe in place ( one man job ) 🇦🇺

[@damianlachaplle8579]

Headers a perfect love how they look. Can’t wait hear how they sound.

[@Tnslim]

Mike, you've got some serious skills and your close attention to detail turned out a great looking header. I can't wait to see this bad boy going down the track.........it's gonna be a HOOT!

[@johnbaker7621]

Grate expanding on how you done it I like it

[@bobwhited3762]

just watched , did a very good job on the header build

[@aserta]

Whenever i do headers, i get the main components (like flanges, collectors etc) and plastic pipe of the same diameter as the stuff i'm to work with. You're limited on elbow options, plastic pipe is usually just 90, 45 and maybe one more angle, but that can be substituted with pie cut work that you ignore in the final product. This makes it extremely cheap to decide the right path, because you're not cutting final product material, just plastic pipe. You'll also need activated glue for this and you're set. Once you've found the right path, you can literally take the stuff you've made and replace it bit by bit with the real deal segment by segment in one go, no trial and error involved, because all that is way behind you in plastic.

[@member369240sx]

Wow !! Amazing work!!! Very informative learned a ton today about importance of fitting your welds!!! Can always tell when you are super stoked before you say a word!!!

[@philsymes2247]

Hey Mike. Quick story. I saw that burr hanging off the pipe was thinking please don’t grab that. Easy way to slice a finger or two open. In the Air Force I was a jet engine mechanic. A crew mate of mine grabbed a burr where the exhaust case mated and slice his finger to the bone. Love your content. Happy New Year.

[@MrPotatoehead2]

When I tack, I tap the pedal to get the argon flowing and then full pedal for a second. Strong enough to move around and breaks if needed.

[@yohanonshine4664]

That came out real nice not many pie cuts too ❤❤❤❤

[@riverrat1284]

All you were missing, was BA from the A-Team saying- I love it when a plan comes together!!

[@richardhunn4298]

Very nicely done!!

[@spock59]

Nice job Mike, you have the patience of Job! Because you are not going to have an expansion fitting, I believe you must use some type of isolation grommets or bushings in mounting the turbo housings to the frame. Or will all the stress rely on the header flange? That header will expand and contract, not to mention vibrate, especially with solid motor mounts and a motor plate. 🤔

[@jonnybravo9]

I feel like watching you build headers has been a formative part of my adult life. So many headers, pretty awesome the possibilities it opens up 😂

[@andyworks5428]

If you really want to go the extra mile for complete welding. You could cut that collector in two, weld the tubes in then weld the collector back together. I'm not that ambitious but you might be. Great video Mike!

[@inmyopinion6836]

Thank you. This is what we WANT to see. A few people will watch you un-box. But .......

[@rustymonaro184]

So Finnegan showing that he appreciates what his fans send him is not for you, no one is forcing you to watch those videos . There is not going to be another build episode in place of them. Maybe you should un-box a tissue and have a cry 😢

[@xtr3m3fLx]

@@rustymonaro184 Or maybe YOU should just let people have their opinions, bud.

[@rustymonaro184]

​​@@xtr3m3fLx so I can't have an opinion?

[@beekeeper6109]

@@xtr3m3fLxif it was an opinion then why use “we”, seems more like a complaint anyway, I want to watch what I want to watch, make content for me, what the creator wants and others want be damed.

[@jonellwanger7258]

@@rustymonaro184lmao. You don’t do cars at all do you? That’s why watching him unboxing beer cans is fun.. 🙄🙄. Unboxing is probably the most BORING THING HE COULD DO!!!!! and look at the views compared!!! YOU are in the minority!!

[@richardlincoln8438]

Very nice fabrication work. Thank You for sharing Mike. Best Wishes.

[@rickerdman9116]

Great job! Thanks so much for all the tech tips Mike!

[@jfunk62]

Thanks Finn for the great content and the knowledge you shared. I'll probably never build a set of stainless headers to turbo but it's fun learning/watching. Thanks again, much appreciated.

[@anthonystevens403]

oh beautiful work again Mike

[@xXSlickNickXx757]

Hey Mike. just a little tip. u can also use your hydraulic shop press with a swedge attachment tool to round out your pipe to fit

[@rickbullock4331]

Nice job Mr.Finnegan. It looks definitely time consuming but in the end you can actually be proud of the job you’ve done.👍👍🇨🇦

[@theelmobad1]

WOW... major congratulations, inspiring to the regular guys out there! 🎉

[@JonathanTranfield]

Also want to say you seem alot happier now that you changed things up. So happy to see.

[@StudioBeast7575]

Great job Mike! Going the extra mile to make sure everything was right was definitely the right move.

[@CJA150179]

That thing is going to be a work of art when its finished.. I look forward to the next instalment..

[@toddmccarter45]

Great job on that manifold Mike!

[@mikebrown8065]

That was definitely an excellent video Mikie!!! I am a union Steamfitter for 34 years. My favorite part is fusion welding stainless , schedule 10 or .065 wall pipe. Because of the breweries we have (and had before they moved out of the country 😢) we always called them "beer welds" . Basically we enjoyed a beer (or few 😂) while welding beer lines. Back in the late '80's early '90's orbital welding was getting prompted for pharmaceutical work because of its purity and accuracy. It made beautiful welds, but it took twice as long for fitment because like you said, a tiny bit of overlap, or especially a little bit of a gap, and POOOF😮, back to square one, do over. Happy New Year brother, and to the Finnigan family too! Looking forward to seeing more of the CADDY ❤. I'm trying to remember the last time I saw a Cadillac on a drag strip 🤔. Only demolition derbies 😂. God bless 🙏🏻

[@oldtown6240]

Great work, you are right to be proud.