Metal is overrated

[RMiller]

After spending 5k on my project so far, I'm starting to get a really bad feeling in my stomach when I put things on the plastic. That's when I started shopping at Home Depot. ABS plastic piping is where it's at.

I've started cutting corners. I have a nice aluminum hotpipe, a couple 2.25 inch high quality couplings, then the rest is ABS plastic and rubber couplers. The problem is Home Depot only has 2" and 3" pipes, bends, and couplers. But that's for the inside diameter, so the 2" stuff is pretty close to my 2.5" hotpipe and intercooler ends. I'm going to finish that up tomorrow and I'll post pictures. I'll list all the pieces required.

[Myetball]

It may be overrated but it won't soften up under high heat conditions. The very high temp under the hood coupled with the hot boost air (intercoolers cool but it's not cold) will soften up that plastic and everywhere you have a clamp you'll develop a leak. You'll end up going to metal eventually. Also, those home depot rubber couplings are not up to the task of handling the heat.

This is the voice of experience.

[NeedCAforS13]

plastic also tends to lose this gooey residue as it heats up... likes to gum up valves and stuff like that... i highly recommend NOT using it. but its your car and your $5k. don't cheap out.

Sean

[fanta]

ABS will work just fine, just use radiator hose for the couplings, Avoid the HD couplings, they will not hold. Don't forget the cement. I made a turbo intake pipe out of if, works very well.

If you want, you can always contact JC Whitney for some mandrel bends, they're very reasonable.

[RMiller]

Yeah ABS can handle the heat better than PVC as far as I know. The melting point is over 400 Celcius. Actually the entire hot side is mostly aluminum and some steel, with one plastic elbow. After the intercooler is where the ABS really makes its entrance. Here are some unfinished pictures. What isn't there will be ABS.







Check out the clutch disk from the old KA. There was no pad on it at all when I got it, and the bellhousing was stuffed with shredded up pad. Then I just swapped in a DE disk to drive it to the smog station.

[RMiller]

ABS will work just fine, just use radiator hose for the couplings, Avoid the HD couplings, they will not hold. Don't forget the cement. I made a turbo intake pipe out of if, works very well.

If you want, you can always contact JC Whitney for some mandrel bends, they're very reasonable.

This setup isn't permanent. I'm not going to raise boost much over stock with this setup, maybe to 10 psi. Then I'll invest in some silicon couplings and I'll replace the plastic w/ metal. I was looking at like $45 for a stainless steel U-bend. That's outrageous. I'll check out some scrap metal yards before I fork that kind of cash over. Anyway, I'm FINALLY almost done. I'm finishing the battery to the trunk thing and just need to buy some steering fluid. I guess I'll post pictures of the finished piping and say if the car starts or not.

[cuzan0]

for all my intercooler piping i used all honda cold air intake aluminum pipes all mandrel bends http://search.ebay.com/honda-c...omZR8

[RMiller]

That's a good idea, plus I feel like it degrades Honda tuners. It's still expensive with the shipping. I noticed at the Depot that they have rubber couplers reinforced with a metal casing. Those will never pop.

[Zydeco]

dosen't metal have better cooling proprtys them plastic.

[nocwage]

sTm[-HeavyHips]dosen't metal have better cooling proprtys them plastic.

Very much so, BUT in the engine bay I doubt it'd make much difference at all unless you designed either the path the tubing took OR added heat dissipating fins.