How to make an exhaust manifold in your shed! DIY

[neiallswheel]

do you know about high temperature electrolysis? exhaust heat cracks hydrogen from water, the vapours will improve power, keep things clean, save fuel (not at 7000 revs LOL) and reduce emissions. a stainless steel tube inside another s/s tube strapped on top of your manifold. search for HYPNOW for an easy experimental design. i built a different style its on my channel but its more complex. an off the shelf UK kit is an ECONOKIT (ebay). good stuff. all work from just engine vacuum and Heat

[jis707]

exellent work. Well done ...

[Will3ist]

Great video, going to start building a "copy" of the original cast iron manifold in my Mercedes-Benz 230E 91' tomorrow

[petrolhead1977]

@Will3ist Great stuff, thats what I like to hear! Good luck!

[WARD5KUSTOMZ]

sounds good with the header alone

[R1ism]

hi, how DID you bend the pipe then? cheers.

[petrolhead1977]

@R1ism Hello, I bought mandrel bends from a supplier on good old ebay. They were perfect as they do not reduce in internal diameter.

[jonisd]

awesome work man . i made a muffler for a FormulaSAE car and we also custom fit the headers and exhaust and i know how much work goes into al this , but our engine was a 600cc honda CBR and much easier to work with .

[petrolhead1977]

@jonisd Cheers Jonis, much appreciated.

[Rover620TiVitesse]

Hi,

did you use the blue colour bender which I can see on the video? I have the same bender, but have not good results with the thin-walled tubes. What diameter and wall thickness are tubes you have used?

[petrolhead1977]

@Rover620TiVitesse Hello Vitesse, yes tha pipe bender is just an ornament in my shed it was rubbish. For my primaries I think I used 1 5/8" OD pipe, secondaries 2", tail 2 1/8" - all 16 guage which is strong and nice to weld.

[serchmarc]

how much whp did your engine increased without been sit on the trunk?

[petrolhead1977]

@serchmarc Hello Marc, sitting in the boot doesn't really affect whp but it does increase friction and help reduce wheelspin. Unsure about whp but it will be in the region of 120-125bhp

[serchmarc]

@petrolhead1977 so...... :) if doesnt affect whp why you did it? to increase friction and reduce wheelspin? so .... at the end you want more whp!!!!!? right ?? hehehe just kidding

[XMcMuffinX]

Man, I'm impressed. You are one handy dude

[666tuningcrew01]

nice work love and damn 140 bhp hell yeh thats gone by a fast car and when you going to start custom made the exhaust it self ? let me know

[petrolhead1977]

@666tuningcrew01 Hello tuning crew, thank you. I've already made the custom exhaust and returned to the same rolling road to get 146Bhp and 131lbft torque which was +9bhp and another +7lbft on top of the 'performance' exhaust that was already on there. It was noticeable gains on such a small engine.

[666tuningcrew01]

@petrolhead1977 thats nice some muts of HP in a smal engine keep up the good work

[aspade01]

Laa-Laa likes

[AsianScrotom]

Which song is this by Rolling Stones?

[petrolhead1977]

@AsianScrotom Correct, Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones

[AsianScrotom]

@petrolhead1977 Hey thanks!

[VESPARISSIMO]

Wow!! Amazing!!

[herbienbrian2]

for a while I kept thinking this was for a small block chevy!

[petrolhead1977]

@herbienbrian2 well I suppose it does have 1 cam, a heritage and 2 valves per cylinder

[SuperchargedMustang5]

Thats badass

[tpvalley]

how did the merging collector; the 8" long part figure in your calculations?

and how do u keep the right length after all the hacking about?

parts that go into large volumes/ spaces will have a slowing effect on the gasses so u have a still spot; has similar effect to removing exhaust.

very good effort though, u can get machines that cut the pipe so u can weld to other pipes at angle u know.

[petrolhead1977]

@tpvalley hello, I apologise for the delay. Where did the 8" came from? More than one source, I think one was from a calculator on MEzporting and the other by studying manifolds that actually worked. I am aware of the slowing effect and that's why I did merge collectors as shown. As for the right length, I used a bent coat hanger to follow the path of the pipe centre line and took measurements off that before cutting the pipe.

[tpvalley]

@petrolhead1977

damn fine job anyway.

[Oldsmob455]

Looks like it was a lot of work. Nice job.

[morbitron6]

@48packards8 I work in a 10x12 shed. Lol. Some of us is poor. lol.

[jigga966]

how thick are the pipes? where do u buy them at?

[petrolhead1977]

@jigga966 1.5mm thick (16 guage from memory) from good old ebay. All types of bends and sizes. type in ' mandrel steel pipe 2" ' in to ebay to get you started

[Ericske17]

Nice vid Makes it look easy :)

[rwdford]

The engine would make more power with smaller diameter primaries, larger diameter pushes the torque curve up the rev range, go too big and you loose low to mid range power, PIPEMAX is an excellent program you can use to calculate the pipe lengths and diameters, also Viazrd has a useful graph that maps exhausts port flow vs primary size selection, 1.5" to 1.625" maximum is what the xflow should work best with and high velocity merged collectors with a minimal x section change in the transitions

[petrolhead1977]

@rwdford thanks for that.

[morbitron6]

@rwdford I like you. You're smart. Let's keep this straight though- I don't like to dance.

[petrolhead1977]

@MikkoMuhis Go to 0:45mins, pause it and read it PROPERLY. Its talking about the 50% increase in cross-sectional area, not power. The gains from this manifold alone are clearly stated at the end of the video. The gains once the custom exhaust system was fitted were +9bhp and +7lbft torque.

[MikkoMuhis]

@petrolhead1977

Okay, thank you. I was reading too tired, plus I don't know translation for "cross-sectional area"

[petrolhead1977]

@MikkoMuhis OK, that is honest of you, no problem.

[MaxTheFaxe]

I really enjoyed the vid. Your hard work paid off, its nice to see people do things for themselves, instead of goin out and buying everything they want. Good job.

[petrolhead1977]

@MaxTheFaxe Cheers Max

[videogalore]

Depends on the pipe bender as to the quality of the bends. the type in the video was never designed to make tight swept bends and is more suited to roll cages etc where the pipe doesn't need to be bent so tight. Great video though, well done!

[tastybuilder23]

nice work man keep it up

[drphosferrous]

Cool vid! thanks for posting. As for the sketchy welds,if it aint full of bubbles, it works and its purdy, what else could one want?

[FPSMLGFTW]

coming from someone who gos to a school for welding technologies and has been welding a bit honestly the welds look like crap but its a mini mig buzz box set up and honestly i agree with both of you yes its mig and looks like crap but when he shows the welds the machine was set in a correct range for the metal he is using they are fused and not to ropey or hot but you should get a tig setup even if its just liftarc and you gotta use brass to scratch start it will look alot cleaner. keep it up

[petrolhead1977]

@FPSMLGFTW & drphosferrous, I appreciate the comments. I make no pretences, I am an amateur and I borrowed my mates welder, cleared a small space in my shed and had a go. It is an amateur attempt at a manifold. Howver, in my defence if performs significantly better that the professional performance one it replaced and hasn't cracked like the OE one before that. So I am happy with the result.

[hector1130]

nice dude i like it! keep it up there is lots of haters but they don't know shit =]

[petrolhead1977]

@hector1130 Thank you

[MrJsowa]

@petrolhead1977 ameerican med centas ahhhhh sick,try havin a convo wit a doc in Aus. and if you ask me fosters is a far superior beer,better we gave up Steve then fosters........just sayin

[DaShadowInc]

Should always mock before welding everything together! Im wondering if you should have tigged it together for a better look. Other than the look, guess it performs well! Good job!

[allesinmetaal]

loved the welding! keep trying, some day you might actually be able to weld! hahahaha!!!!!

[petrolhead1977]

@allesinmetaal- Alas, amongst all the top tips and positive comments from professionals and real enthusiasts, the Keyboard Warrior finally and predictably raises his weary head. Let's see your DIY manifold video then mate........

[allesinmetaal]

@petrolhead1977 sorry pal, I do these things for a living, I just don't put it on youtube or so. Hey, I didn't say you're poor at craftmenship, in fact you did great, but it's the welding dude, it kills me!!! believe me: learn to tig-weld, and get real good at it: you're gonna be fucking rich! But it will take hours, days and weeks and months: I promise you'll thank me some day!

[petrolhead1977]

@allesinmetaal Fair enough your 2nd comment was much better put than your 1st - I take the keyboard warrior bit back then. The manifold is MIG welded which is never as neat as TIG. The welds have good penetration, are better than the 'professional' welding on the manifold it replaced and hasn't cracked like the OE manifold. I know welding is like driving, nobody likes to be critisised on theirs - and I always strive to improve further.

[allesinmetaal]

@petrolhead1977 cool man, but err...a real good professionel welder can mag -weld such things pretty neat too, it's not mig welding you should use. Still, if you can tig weld it, you wouldn't need any grinding afterwards. Keep it up: doing great so far!

[troy5251]

@petrolhead1977 allesinmetaal is a stupid ass its easy to talk shit when you can't prove your skills

[troy5251]

@petrolhead1977 allesinmetaal is a stupid ass its easy to talk shit when you can't prove your skills besides the welds look good

[bighead29058]

looked good till i saw the ward speed things on the top... that was kinda tacky but looks like a awesome looking header!

[petrolhead1977]

@bighead29058 An honest point, I felt the need to put my name on it after all that effort!

They aren't just cosmetic they actually act as braces to keep the flanges flat against the head when it reaches scorchio temperatures.

[bighead29058]

@petrolhead1977 yeah i figured they were braces i mean the header looks super professional but those look kinda outta place... should have put them on the bottom if possible! but it looks good either way!

[petrolhead1977]

@bighead29058 Thank you for the constructive criticism (a rare thing on youtube). This was supposed to be a temporary prototype to see if the sizes actually worked. Once the exhaust was done and I got an overall +9hp and +7lbft torque (more than I hoped on a lil engine) I couldn't be bothered to make another one so I have Nickel plated this one!

[TransAmDrifter]

isn't a 4-1 collector better than 4-2-1 ?

[petrolhead1977]

@TransAmDrifter for a fast road or sprint car then generally 'no'. A 4-1 typically provides a slight increase in peak power but a 4-2-1 will provide a significant increase in mid-range torque.

In the words of Enzo Ferrari "horsepower sells cars, torque wins races".

That said a 4-1 would be easier to build!

[TransAmDrifter]

@petrolhead1977 Thanks for the info :) Aren't exhausts from 1 and 3 cylinder, and thus 2 and 4 should be connected by pairs? If horsepower sells cars and torque wins races, why 170HP/350Nm TDi won't have a chance against a 800HP/320Nm F1 car? Even if the weight of the cars would be equal... :D Power comes from torque as You surely know it. Yet many people don't use their power curve efficiently.

[petrolhead1977]

@TransAmDrifter ha ha, good points. On my engine 1&4 and 2&3 are the opposing pairs bacause of the firing order. The Enzo quote was just to emphasise that peak horsepower massively overshadowed by what is really important on the street and that is a good spread of torque. IMO people will push for that last few hp and actually get a slower car in the real world.

We both know who will win the race you propose!

A better comparison for the point: a 2ltre 200hp turbo car vs a 200hp NA car?

[TransAmDrifter]

@petrolhead1977 turbo vs n/a isn't that easy to judge :D Turboed car will have significiant raise in torque after the revs will pass the turbo-hole, after that turbo will build up the pressure, but to that moment, the n/a car will just keep accelerating and will be further, yet not for long :D It all depends on the road vs transmission ratios vs torque curve :D BMW cars were mostly n/a, yet had very good characteristics. Perfect engine for turbocharging IMHO is Audi's 5cyl. 2.2L ADU... a blast!

[petrolhead1977]

@TransAmDrifter Yes, I understand your points. I vote for 2litre NA all other things being equal!

[lolbewbz]

Great job!

[fastfallin]

How did you bend the pipe then?

I'm looking at building a twin scroll for my s14 never tired anything like it b4

[petrolhead1977]

@fastfallin The bends are bought already done from good old ebay.

[teamEP789]

well done, tall guy!

[petrolhead1977]

@teamEP789 lol, well spotted, cheers mate

[123sqpbc321]

Well done mate!! Finally a true DIY video! A cot for a stand etc. Well done.

[31518525corey]

Very informative! Nice work!

[taimoor006]

lol at 140whp

my honda makes more that that

[petrolhead1977]

@taimoor006 probably very true, so does my Honda. But your engine probably wasn't designed over half a century a go.

[taimoor006]

@petrolhead1977 this is probably true. joking aside my dd honda makes 430whp ha

1.6 litre FTW

[petrolhead1977]

@taimoor006 430whp? so approx 500hp at the flywheel. That is very impressive. I notice you haven't posted any vids of it, you should. What kind of 1/4 miles do you get with that?

[taimoor006]

@petrolhead1977

well maybe 500 to the crank but who knows. I will get some videos of it once i fix my turbo. its winter here and i really cant get a video of it but i will soon.

I never took it to the track but i raced a built mustang fox body claiming he ran 12's and i walked him like nothing from a roll. But id say id run 12's in the quarter because i cant afford tires or suspension lol

i have to change the setup every winter because i dont want to break it

[sirnick187]

I have the same pipe bender/crimper. A friend of mine told me to put the pins in the outermost position regardless of the pipe diameter. It helps with the crimping. I built three cages with mine, but with thicker wall tubing. He also told me to put sand in the thinner wall exhaust tube to reduce the crimps. I used mandrel bent tubes when I made my headers. They cost a lot. He never let me know about the sand trick untill I finished my project.

[petrolhead1977]

@sirnick187 I got your private message. Thanks for the top tips, its always good to learn from other people's experience. I'll bear that in mind for my next project. PS very impressive quarter mile results.

[thanxx]

Thats a nice job mate.

[prillall]

I like all DIYs.  Nice job!

[petrolhead1977]

@prillall cheers dude

[ViperSRTnACR]

I'd rather buy one....

[petrolhead1977]

@ViperSRTnACR most people do just buy one. The video is just to show that a part which most people wouldn't even consider making can be made with limited tools and space but with a bit of imagination and DIY spirit.

Remember - a team of professionals built the titanic but an enthusiastic amateur built the Ark......

[ViperSRTnACR]

@petrolhead1977 Nah, it's cool how you made one yourself, but sometimes I catch myself working too hard on a DIY project to where its easier to spend the money and buy whatever it is... I mostly DIY if the parts I'm looking for are not available.

[ozmo69]

@petrolhead1977 my car dont have a custom exhaust mainfold on the market cause the engine is only 1.5L but i would like to make one my self some day!

[ajskilton]

Excellent, thank you. I was just looking around for pipe benders vids before buying one and I think you've put me off somewhat although some seem impressive. Is the car not 30 years old?

[petrolhead1977]

@ajskilton yes, I would recommend buying mandrel bends off the web. They will perform far better as they have a constant cross-section. The car is 32 years old. Good luck

[krolmariusz]

sounds like shit

next time do the ENTIRE exhaust ........

[petrolhead1977]

@krolmariusz - LOL! Have you ever been to a rolling road? If you had you would realise that the little mic on the camera is actually picking up the noise made by the rolling road rather than the engine. If you read the comments before you posted you would also realise I have done the exhaust the latest I have recorded 146bhp and 131lbft torque on a stingy dyno and a higher BMEP than a Civic Type R. But I suppose that is not important if the sound is your priority.

[krolmariusz]

@petrolhead1977 dayum you burned me well! lmao i never said anything about the hp so dont bring it up. and it dont matter what you claim. its what you can prove with hard evidence on the vid itself is wat matters..... this is the internet its all bs lies and trolling if youve been around

[22lambo]

How did you make the calculation for the manifold?

[petrolhead1977]

@22lambo sorry about the delay lambo, good question. There are a few books around and also quite a few differing equations. The truth is that the variable temp, variable velocity gas flow is too complez to summed up with a simple equation. But you can get close. Look at the three references I used Guy Croft - god of Fiat Twin Cam engines. A old tuner woho is dead now but has a calculator on his web site mezporting and Vizard himself.

[NASTYTHEBOY]

hahahahaha, hell yeah, iv dont this too :D

[lassegronsberg]

Hi, what kind of car is this? I have an 1976 mk2 1.3L (L is for Lux i think) and its a four door.

I might have to make a manifold myself as i cant find any1 that i can buy...

Wanna help me out? =)

[petrolhead1977]

to lassegronsberg -> it is the same car as yours! Just a Ghia rather than L so it has square headlights rather than the more popular round ones. I've already helped you out my making this video my friend ;) good luck!

[sevilla714]

its a oldschool rally car:)

[supperignasio]

to bend metal pipe, you have to put sand in the pip and get it heat to red.

[petrolhead1977]

to supperignasio -> I have heard of this before but it sounded like a lot of hassle. I think it is easier to buy perfectly formed bends from ebay.

[petrolhead1977]

It is an old Escort. Mk2 1978 vintage. Thanks for the comments.

[firethumb66]

Nice one mate. Good skills and a great result.

[stueyrandall]

hi very good video

what car is it looks a bit like an old escort

[vtwinmesa]

exellent, thank you

[blaxpear]

Nice metal work. Thanks for sharing!

[earlybird2005]

Nice vid wish i found it before i started,

I just made the same but different thing for a 302 windsor in an xm Falcon....

[petrolhead1977]

It is possible to make two separate manifolds to bolt on to a 4 cylinder engine in order to give you two outlets. However, it would perform very poorly which is why you don't see it being done.

[dakroury90]

am asking if i could make my car with 2 exhaust pip from the engine till the back of the car ?

[petrolhead1977]

Thanks for the comments Guys & Gals, feel free to rate. Just finished a custom 2 1/8" exhaust system and recorded 149bhp.

[13bsigma]

love the vid. great work

[throughthedark]

A bit of talent...thanks for the vid.

[suzytang]

I just don't know how to thank you for this Video.... Thanks Brother

[Jakethefox]

Cool!

[caulpope]

Superb Petrolhead!

See you up the strip soon!