free intercooler piping

[VL-TRBO-RB20]

hey every1,

well im thinking about getting a FMIC and i just talked to my m8 who's an engineer and he said he will make the piping for me for free (i dont evan have to pay for the pipe) so what i need to know is does n e one have instructions on like where to bend n how for to bend down and what size pipe i need, and how much of it?!?!

n e help would be greatly appreciated!!!

- Greg

i have a VL berlina with a RB20 if that makes n e difference

[MANWHORE]

there is no easy answer. pipe shaping is dependant on the car, and the way you wanna run the pipes e.g. through the guard, over the radiator (if there is room). You have to work it out for yourself.

That is why companies can charge so much for them. It's not just the cost of the piping. It's the cost of working out how to make the pipes. Say for someone making $200 a day, they'd be better off just buying a premade one, because i'tll take you a day, and the money you'll save will be the same as the money you woulda made.

[JCMarshall_Law]

Intercooler piping should be cheap as anyway.

For a mates car I just bought some preformed 3 inch 90 deg mandrel bent ally pipe and a couple of straight sections. Then measured and cut it up and took it down to a local fabrication shop to be welded. Polished it on a buffing wheel, laquered it, fitted in under 2 hours and thats it. Looks just as professional as anything I have seen and after 6 months on 15psi it's still working (and looking) like the day we installed it.

So to answer the question, the best way to work out where things should go is get your pipe, start at the turbo side (or where you plan on starting your piping from) cut the pipe section, tape it in place (silver plumbers tape works really well), cut the next section and so on untill you get to the end of your pipe run. mark and number the sections then send them off to get welded.

The other option is doing a detailed CAD model of the front of the car, draw in the piping then export the parts to a 2D construction drawing. First option is prolly eaiser for a one off.

So I'd reccomend making your own piping, a hack saw, metal file, pipe vice (preferably), a bit of hand eye coordination and a scriber is all you really need.

Lot cheaper, just as professional and this way you can tell all your mates you have custom intercooler piping

[VL-TRBO-RB20]

yeah i see... when i asked my m8 he's like stainless is my game so ill do it for ya then i asked how much he said nothing at all... so thats good, what thickness piping would i use?

[JCMarshall_Law]

My guess, definatly not thicker than 2 mm in stainless, the pipes are not structural and the pressures are not high, they will just weigh too much if thicker than 2mm, thats why I would use ally. You will not find it easy to get 2.5 - 3 inch stainless steel mandrel bent pipes (ally would be eaiser to find).

[Syphon]

Actually Stainless mandrel bends are easy as to get

Plenty of them around.

Are you referring to thickness or diameter of the piping?

Thickness as previously posted, no more than 2mm.

Diameter, depends on quite a few things, length of piping, future upgrades, etc etc, but 2 1/2" is probably your best bet, with maybe a small 2" run from the compressor outlet on the turbo towards the cooler.

[darrinspencer]

You can easily buy 2.5 inch s/steel bend

They normally come in 1.6mm and are 316 stainless, so make sure you get 316 straight tube as well

Cost $25-30 each 90deg

2mm is too heavy.

[Bass Junky]

The smaller the piping, the less the lag.

Smaller amount of area to pressurize.

It only needs to be as big as the smallest part of your inlet tract.

If the throttle body is only 60mm then 2.5" would be perfect.

BASS OUT

[Lukas]

Daym! I saw the 'Free intercooler piping' thread title and thought you might of been giving us all free piping... hahahaha, oh well. :headspin:

[JCMarshall_Law]

Yeah, your right on the 2.5' SS bends, its just exhaust tubing. I was once looking for 3/8 mandrel bent SS with 0.8mm wall thickness for motorbike headers, that was hard to find. Somehow I got the two confused. duh!

No one was willing to try and mandrel bend 0.8mm wall thickeness tube for a reasonable price, it just crumples up like ally foil.

[VL-TRBO-RB20]

So I'd reccomend making your own piping, a hack saw, metal file, pipe vice (preferably), a bit of hand eye coordination and a scriber is all you really need.

Lot cheaper, just as professional and this way you can tell all your mates you have custom intercooler piping

yeah my m8s rekons he's going to pay for all the piping n shit n e ways coz he just paying me back for sum shit i did for him last year, so ill just take it around to his shed one sat n away we go i gotta get my cooler 1st... does n one wanna sell me one? 450 * 300 * 76 is what im after

[Angry]

go stainless steel man .... Geordi Stainless Steel sales in Chelteham (melb) .. has 2.5inch pipe for pretty cheap ... 90deg are 18.50 ..45deg are 16.40 .. reducers 3" to 2.5inch are 11.50 .. 2.5 to 2.0 are 9.50......ring em up 9553 2000 (131 Herald St Chelteham)

Matt

[VL-TRBO-RB20]

yeah thanks man but as i said my m8s organising all the pipe n paying for it so yeah...