Update:
Took a step forward today with some little things that I wanted to do better with this new set up. First was the 3" to 4" transition I got from ATP turbo. It's a nice piece but theres a flat spot between the transition...that I couldn't figure out why... until a buddy of mine said it was so the piece could be rotated on the machine welder. Makes perfect sense...and who knows it would actually make a difference. But I wanted to take the flat spot out so that the transition into 4" started right at the 3" Mark.
So I cut the flat part out using the band saw.. got as clos as possible so we could get the inside slip fit out...
straight section is tossed into the garbage..
threw the 3"v-band onto the lathe and got it nice and legit
And thats that. Ready to weld
Then I really wanted to make a nice transition from the turbo manifold pipe into the T4 Divided flange. I want it to be as flawless as possible.. But there was also a problem. I don't have the motor back yet and so finalizing the turbo position and manifold entry is still up in the air. But I like to get the dirty done when I can.. so I figured i'd make 2" inlets and work on the transition from them into the T4 flange. This way there we can build into the tranistion into the flange/turbo and still retain the clearances etc. Does that make sense? So essentially by the time I get the motor back in and everything else ready to go...all we'll need to do is work on bridging the motor flange to the turbo flange and the time consuming flange entry will be done.
So here's where I started:
I cut two pieces off one of my many mandrel bends. Both of them are 2" long and perfectly round.
Perfectly round isn't going to mate up to the T4 divide very well...
like fitting a circle into a triangle...this .120 wall was damn stubborn. But the increased wall thickness will really sturdy this thing up
Time to hit the vise...
pinch ovaled it into the right oblongish shape... but still needs tobe squared a bit.
I also cut off of the butt side that was mated up to the flnage so it would sit at an angle.
And I used a set of vise grips to get the touching sides of the pipe completely flat. They held one point in place and I put the other side into the vise so it would flatten out the mid section so they would mate up together for the divide in the middle. ..Garage build tactics at it's best. I was actually really proud of myself for mcguivering this up. Had to pat myself on the back for this one.
And I'm going to have Bj Tack the long sides to the flange and then throw it into the vice on the short sides so I can square it off a bit more. But this is pretty much how it'll end up looking...(everything will be straightened out etc before final weld). It's a bit hard to tell from this angle but it looks really good from the inside. The center divide section is flat against eachother pipe and a couple small tweaks and it'll be ready for the final weld.
More updates to come! stay tuned!