John Bzdel's
1988 Monte Carlo SS
LS1/T56 Change-over page
June
2002 Project Updates
Header fabrication is complete!
It took my brother-in-law Doug Troth ~10 hours worth of welding (a total of 66
full circle welds) using a TIG welder to complete all of the final welding but
the jewels are now complete (less Jet-Hot 2000 coating)!
- Here are the header technical spec's:
- the first 12" are 1-3/4" 16 gauge mild steel
tubing
- balance of tubing is 20" long 18 gauge 1-7/8"
mild steel tubing
- merge collectors neck down to 2-3/4" OD with
3-1/2" OD outlets
- two welded in O2 bungs (one for primary O2 sensor and
one for Wide Band O2 dyno use so it will normally be plugged)
- stock LS1 A.I.R. fittings welded in place (I just cut
off the one's from my stock LS1 exhaust manifolds)
- 0.400" thick header flanges from PACE
- 0.375" thick 4 bolt 3-1/2"
diameter collector flanges (custom cut on an Abrasive Water Jet)
- Here are the long awaited photo's!
- This view
shows the driver side from the outside
- This view
shows the driver side from the inside
- This view
shows the passenger side from the outside
- This view
shows the passenger side from the inside
- This view
shows the two side by side
- One of the biggest challenges was welding the merge collectors to the 4
tubes. I tried to put a small
plate between the tubes where the merge collector would slip on and weld
it in place, however, the TIG flame kept wanting to jump sideways between
the tubes so we couldn't get it welded in-place. Plan B was used and I
just built-up a large bead with my MIG welder between the four tubes
eventually sealing this area prior to making a periphery weld around the
merge collector where the 4 tubes converge.
Now it's off to Jet-Hot with these babies for their lifetime ceramic
coating! Unfortunately there is about a 3 week turn around time so it'll
be mid almost mid-July before I will be able to finish up the rest of the
exhaust system.
Click here to return to John Bzdel's LS1/T56 Change-over main index page
© 2002 by John Bzdel
