[Adam C.]

Thanks Phil,

Thanks for the compliments. Honestly we did not expect this kind of feedback. We just tried to copy the originals as close as possible. With every original part we copy, I am increasingly impressed at the attention to detail in these cars. Everything looks simple and easy until you actually try to make it. Only then are the layers of engineering exposed. Most of the time I am sitting there mumbling "those cheeky bastards!"

We did some Ti parts in a chamber back in college. I had considered it for this project, especially for the collectors. It really limits your visibility and manuverability though. I removed the mill scale from the joints and cleaned with alcohol before welding. The flanges were 304, and when welded to the 321 pipes the weld was beautiful. I think the extra nickle makes the difference. If you rub out the HAZ on the 321 however, the weld looks just as good.

We just cut the tube and bends with a band saw. The hard stainless and interrupted cut makes short work of the blades. Sometimes we even used the abrasive saw. The joints on the primaries are expanded and slip fit. This is how the originals were done and why the joints look so good. If the slip fit is made too loose however, the weld is tougher than a butt weld. You have to tack the thing together, trap the outer tube, and shrink it back down on the inner.

The collectors were marked with a fancy little template that I made, cut with a regular old cut-off wheel, and then ground on a belt grinder to make them flush and square.