Supercharger intake plenum extension question?

[Roger Reid]

Joel. Your on the right track. Ever considered skinning your welded aluminum structure? Possibly make your prototype from Styrofoam with aluminum tubing at each end for connections then skin it and remove the Styrofoam?
I'm doing something similar. I machined adapters for each end. Then split a 4" aluminum 90 degree bend on the sides. Cut, weld, and beat it with a hammer to make it fit. Doing it in cadd only helps visualize how you are going to beat on it.

 

[Joel K]

Joel. Your on the right track. Ever considered skinning your welded aluminum structure? Possibly make your prototype from Styrofoam with aluminum tubing at each end for connections then skin it and remove the Styrofoam?
I'm doing something similar. I machined adapters for each end. Then split a 4" aluminum 90 degree bend on the sides. Cut, weld, and beat it with a hammer to make it fit. Doing it in cadd only helps visualize how you are going to beat on it.View attachment 99153View attachment 99154

Roger, I don’t understand what you mean by “skinning the welded aluminum structure.” The design is based on using a 180 degree 2.25” mandrel bent tube and a straight 4” tube, so really just cutting and welding will be required. Maybe a little shaping to match the 4” tube to the throttle body end/narrower end of the cobra head.

Based on your earlier question to Scott I was also thinking of making it out of Carbon Fiber or fiberglass. That way you could make a free form with very smooth curves and transitions. But with that approach I am concerned it could delaminate and get ingested into the engine.

 

[Joel K]

Joel. Your on the right track. Ever considered skinning your welded aluminum structure? Possibly make your prototype from Styrofoam with aluminum tubing at each end for connections then skin it and remove the Styrofoam?
I'm doing something similar. I machined adapters for each end. Then split a 4" aluminum 90 degree bend on the sides. Cut, weld, and beat it with a hammer to make it fit. Doing it in cadd only helps visualize how you are going to beat on it.View attachment 99153View attachment 99154

Now, I see what you mean by being able to visualize the part. I may try to find some free CAD SW and see if I can design something less restrictive.

 

[Roger Reid]

Joel. Is this what you had in mind. Cut the "doughnut" in half and cut the center out. Then add legs using 4" tubing and squeeze the small end down to fit the diameter of the doughnut. Fill in the sides with sheet metal. Add inlet and outlet tubes. For this drawing I assumed the doughnut was 2.25" diameter cross section with a ball park guess bend radius. If you give me some more dimensions I could refine the drawing. Length, angles, the big diameter of the doughnut.

 

[Joel K]

Joel. Is this what you had in mind. Cut the "doughnut" in half and cut the center out. Then add legs using 4" tubing and squeeze the small end down to fit the diameter of the doughnut. Fill in the sides with sheet metal. Add inlet and outlet tubes. For this drawing I assumed the doughnut was 2.25" diameter cross section with a ball park guess bend radius. If you give me some more dimensions I could refine the drawing. Length, angles, the big diameter of the doughnut.
View attachment 99170View attachment 99171

Wow, very cool and thanks for rendering these images. It is very close to what I have in mind..

Planning on taking two 120 degree 2.25” OD tubes with a 2.25” radius with 6” legs to form the piece you have in the first rendering. The reason I plan on two 120 degree pieces instead of a 180 is that the 120 radius is .25” tighter. If the cobra head is too wide it will hit one of the supercharger pulleys.

I marked up the following photo with some dimensions....

 

[Roger Reid]

Looks like a workable solution. Skinning is what Cam-T did to the outside of his fiberglass body to make it look like carbon fiber. I only mention that because the cf would look cool and act as an insulator. The intake tubing you will use has about .100" wall thickness. Engine bay heat can permeate the manifold and increase inlet air temps.

 

[Joel K]

Looks like a workable solution. Skinning is what Cam-T did to the outside of his fiberglass body to make it look like carbon fiber. I only mention that because the cf would look cool and act as an insulator. The intake tubing you will use has about .100" wall thickness. Engine bay heat can permeate the manifold and increase inlet air temps.

Ok, now I get it, yes skinning it in CF would look cool. I was thinking of sanding the welds down smooth so it looks like one piece of aluminum although that might not be possible. Well, thanks for the feedback.

When do you plan on making your intake?

 

[Roger Reid]

My motor is still on the engine stand. I'm waiting for a belt to come in so I can change location of an idler pulley. The motor has to be in before figuring out the clearances. I have all the parts for the intake.