Mild Steel tubular manifold pricing?

[foley]

Ok,

So I've noticed noone seems to make a reasonably priced turbo header for the KA-T.

It looks to me like I could get the supplies to make one for around $150... figure another $100 worth of consumables, and it'd take me about a weekend to make one (once I got a jig made up)

So I'm thinking I could make one or two of these a month and sell them for $500 each and be sitting pretty good money wise on them.

Specs:

1 1/2 or 1 5/8 tubing, .065 wall mild steelBottom mount configuration on the turbobellows joint between turbo and collector with support bracket tied to motor mount to hold the turbo up.Setup for internal wastegate and T3 flangesProbably not truly equal volume runners, but close to.

Would I be able to sell these, or should I just make one for myself and call it good?

I'm not looking to make a huge profit (obviously) but am willing to put in the work if it gets a worthwhile product out there for our niche market. What do you guys think? Is it too much dinero and everyone will just go to SSautochrome anyway?

Mike

[redwolf5514]

I'd say make one first get some dyno time in then start to see if any one wants one, make sure you post lots of pic's/vid's for prof.

Belive me NO one wants sschrome, they just get what they can afford. Any one that wants good power (300 +) will not even think about ss. Not saying they suck (dam close though) but they are not reliable over 230-250hp I've heard.

Get some dyno time with some prof I might by one off you. Depends on how soon you could start making them after you get yours tested (tried out).

[DRIFTEADOR]

a dyno comparison won't really prove much. there's other variables that come into play.

I don't think the ka-t scene is big enough yet to start building batches of manifolds but maybe if you make them on a per order basis it'd work. i have a couple of questions though. first, is mild steel a good material to use for a turbo manifold? how much of a price difference would there be compared to 304L? 321? second, isn't .065 a little on the thin side (schedule 5)? for n/a headers 16ga works but most manifolds I see use at least schedule 10 pipe.

[foley]

a dyno comparison won't really prove much. there's other variables that come into play.

I don't think the ka-t scene is big enough yet to start building batches of manifolds but maybe if you make them on a per order basis it'd work. i have a couple of questions though. first, is mild steel a good material to use for a turbo manifold? how much of a price difference would there be compared to 304L? 321? second, isn't .065 a little on the thin side (schedule 5)? for n/a headers 16ga works but most manifolds I see use at least schedule 10 pipe.

It's thin (VERY THIN) for a mani to support a turbo...but if you set it up with a bellows joint and a separate mechanism to support the turbocharger you're basically in the same game as an NA header.

Stainless is better to fab a manifold from, but mild steel will work (jeez, there’s enough of them out there),

Mild steel raw materials are about 25% of the price of stainless, and the processing is similarly expensive. A stainless steel part would almost be required to be TIG welded, which takes time. It also has to be back purged while welding, which greatly increases setup time and the stuff you use up.

There’s a reason the full race stainless manifolds are $2k each. I’m trying to make something similar in performance, but out of mild steel for the budget guys (like me)

[WDRacing]

Make a nice one for yourself and let us know how it goes, there is always a market for hard to get parts. Especially if they are somewhat affordable.

Most peol,e can get a JGS for 350 though, I'm using one and I'm making real good power and no lag to speak of.

Your also going to need to add a external WG flange if you charge $500. The flange and piping is cheap if you use mild steal. The consumables aren't much either if you can weld half decent.

WD