Made an intake manifold today

Good for you, nice job!

Brian

Very cool! Have you had a chance to try it out?

When you say "hole saw" -- what kind of hole saw did you use? And did you use a drill press or a portable drill, or ... ? I have been wondering about how to make some larger holes in steel (larger than 1/2", my largest twist bit) without access to a milling machine ...

Andy

Ive been working on other things, and just got some throttle bits today and haven't got the carb done yet.. I used a 1.5 inch holesaw in my drillpress, and lots of oil. I still burned one because the drill won't go slow enough, but at $6 each, not a problem.

bi-metallic, carbide would have been better.

Hole saws work or use rota broaches. They are just a beefier version. The biggest problem is getting a drill to go slow enough that they don't burn.

John

It works a lot better in a milling machine, but I didn't have access to one and i was only boring 8 holes in mild steel. It was 'quick and dirty', I had to dress them with a die grinder. Rota broaches are great, but my set only goes up to 1 inch.

Next time(if there is a next time)try using a water dispersible cutting/drilling oil and add about 25%-35% water, the evaporation of the water will cool the bit as you work. Go easy on the tool pressure, and best wishes with your project. Drive careful.-Jitney

Rode it today with passenger up over the pass from 4500 ft to 8050 ft down to 5000 ft and back over. HOLY CRAP!!! It is incredibly smooth and has a considerably better acceleration. It runs at 8000 feet with a passenger like it used to at sea level without her. 70 MPH to 100 acceleration takes about

1/3 less time, not that I do that often. I think mileage may be an improvement, but I will have to ride alone in the flatlands to prove it. I went to install it and the corner wouldn't clear the cooling fan, so i whacked off the corners like I should have at first, and probably made it flow better. I coated the inside with Red-Kote fuel tank sealer in case of weld porosity, and the roughness will help with evaporation and give turbulence. I put a small well in the bottom for a hotter area to evaporate puddles, the silver tube under it carries coolant. and the next shots. I have to wait til monday for smog machine testing, but have good plug color.