OM617 Performance Series: How to Modify Intake Manifold

[@jeromelee1627]

Your prep and theory are spot on. Other than the cast has contamination throughout the thickness not just on the surface and you don’t need the special rod. Expectations of a perfect weld on cast are quickly abandoned. 2 methods that help me If you have a pulse mig use that the heat input is less the welds generally look better on cast. If you use a tig with adjustable parameters adjust the a/c cycle towards the cleaning end. Run over the cast with the torch just cleaning first,,turn it white, brush it off then set your machine back to balanced and make the welds. Sometimes one can make the welds with no porosity like that. A third thing is to have the part cleaned by steam or hot water,,,like a transmission would be, that also can help a lot. Not knocking anyone, just a few things I have learned over the half century that I have been doing it.

[@doomsdaydiesel]

I didn't come up with all of this on my own. I consulted with one of Lincoln Electric's veteran tig welding engineers. He gave me the # for the rod, which IS a critical component as it wets out easier. That's a critical feature since you want to melt the cast AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. Setting for higher cleaning action will only try to draw more and more contaminants out of the casting, which there are an infinite # of, resulting in a greater likelihood of porosity, so you want to actually minimize cleaning and minimize heat input on the cast material. We don't know what alloys are in this casting, but we do know it's not a casting made to be welded. Welding on a casting meant to be welded is a lot different story.

[@jeremybanks719]

A good old kitchen oven with self cleaning and cycle that thing though it, if you can, after that if I wanted to try to get it as perfectly clean I would submerge it in acetone with a pump circulating for a day or two. Air dry and back to over on warm with door open a little. Or a rod box to get the pores dry. Then scuff that top layer and weld. Plain 4340 or is it 4043 filler will do just fine. Most likely on cast anything I plan on sucking it in. So depending on my mood and what it had in it and how porous I might not even knock the surface. Hell I any more on non structural stuff like that I don't and just crank the ac ball to more clean and ad more DC pulse power, go adjust freq up or down from 60 to 250 on the ac side till I like and just run the crap out of it. I've been able to weld 2 pop cans but to but only cleaned with a scotch Brite and then cut a can in half and slip it inside of each other and tig that. But that was years ago and I think my thinnest in alum I done lately is 18-20 gage Now if you got a tig that does pulse in ac and DC modes then you can dial that thing way down and even run it with ceraited or lanth tungsten sharpened to a point. I've welded a few oppsies in my time. A couple Harley Evo engine case's where someone didn't brace and support when pressing in new crank bearings. Amongst other things like that. Sometimes ya gotta think outside of the box. I'm also one of the guys that always find a way to make it happen. The guy that a buddy who knows a buddy that know a guy that has a buddy that if it's metal he can weld it. Even if everyone else says it can't be done. And when I hear that I can't do it , well it's personal now and I take it as a challenge.😁 I like a good challenge and I'm not afraid to jump in. Not saying you done it wrong cause you didn't. I just have my ways. As we all have our own style.

[@gerardourbina6243]

Welding with Joe- like the sound of that. Great video

[@kevinhornbuckle]

Your videos are excellent.

[@doomsdaydiesel]

Thank you!

[@ImpalamansGarage]

Excellent demo.

[@timcoppinger1304]

What is length of summit tube? Does it come off manifold at 90 degrees?

[@joegelencser2571]

Awesome