Cement
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Everything posted by Cement
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Mucho thankso Of course the pics I share are the pinnacle of my results, there are plenty of average results to counter hah. Speaking of internal combustion engines, went to check out my mates new Lexus LC500 this morning ... quite the piece of automotive art to look at and the sound is amaze-balls !! One very very cool car. Also as it turns out you can get a lot done when the kids are at Nana's place for 2 nights BEHOLD .... the ahhhhh ... straightenerer ... chassis machine for twisted headers !!! Just have to bolt it to the garage floor then can see whats what.
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Happy to report the headers are now fully welded !!! Check out the pile of twisted pipes Managed to stack some dimes from time to time ... but probably only enough to get a sandwich Next up I'll be making a jig to secure the tubes to the garage floor so i can lean on them and see how much tweaking is possible.
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I'm liking that silver E46 muffler / exhaust look ... anybody able to ID ? Just dreaming of the day I actually need one for me project I really like the green brown grey gold metallic of the first one also.
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Nice nice ... good call on using mild steel !! Could probably have ceramic coated mine twice for what I have spent on argon alone 😭 Other things I've learned to be REALLY useful is good lighting (i use a mountain biking light on my hood) and a way to hold the tubes in all / odd angles. I made do with blocks of wood, the vice etc which was not ideal ... would have been a much tidier job if i was really comfortable and had some sort of (non-existent) arm you could clamp the work piece in and move it in 360 degrees etc.
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Forgot to mention the other day my top tip would be to fully weld small sections as you go ... I tacked mine up until complete and the fit was beautiful, then welded them after and the distortion was massive !! Means another operation now to correct so the pipes go where they need to and meet at the collector properly etc. No doubt you have the same deal as mine where some clearances are in the sub 5mm range. Your cuts look really square with no gaps which will help minimise, likewise if you are using mild steel.
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I always thought the majority of NZ power is generated from renewable resources, wikipedia states 82%. Not sure if geography plays a part as to where your power comes from specifically ... from memory generation in the South Island could not be transferred over Cook Strait at any higher level than it is currently etc.
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Looking awesome !! Wish I had a band saw and had gone with pie cuts instead of the donut sections !!
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Big day today in general !! Got the drive shaft back and it looks really great ... was worth them noting 'fussy paint job' on the job card As per everything these days it was super expensive but at least they did a really great job. Went for the big boy 1350 slip yoke (because why not) which makes the OEM middle joint look positively puny. Also has a new CV on the end as the old one was poked apparently. Not directly swap project related but I installed my AliExpress air and oil separator for the compressor which is pretty sweet. Also washed the car with my apprentice, SO satisfying as it had 18 months of garage dust all over it (plus a dead cockroach). The E46 is such a classic good looking car
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Gave the 337 a sponge bath with my little helper today ... 18 months since last wash and it really showed !! Looks so good again
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I needed a change of scene and to see some progress so decided to put the rear bumper back on. Installed new inner tail lights and bulbs also, yay its looking complete ... from the rear
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What flavor are you after ? I have a belt and rando orbital.
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The worst one is the middle tube, you can see its also twisted where the flange is 😕 Otherwise they are probably 10-15mm out i guess ? Will install them into the car and see how it all looks as I hope for a Christmas miracle hah. Priority at the moment is to start on the other side's welding so I can use the remaining gas and get another bottle to complete things over the holidays. Should have my drive shaft back this week also which will allow me to start looking at the integrated transmission mount and driveshaft hoop etc.
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Yeeeaaauuuuuurrrp Here are the bank 2 headers finish welded apart from the flanges. Not sure how I am going to rectify the distortion caused by the welding just yet ... a real bummer and something the experienced header builder would expect. Should have build and welded one or two sections as I went. Still, they look good in a picture
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Still here ... still doing headers pretty much, will be half way through the finish welding tonight and completed the most difficult side of the engine. Did something fun today also and added the elusive 337 Ci boot badges Other pic shows what I've been doing to bridge some of the gap left in the donut sections ... those things have been such a nightmare 😕 Really could use some thin strip stainless ... could make some but yeeaaaa. Also had a hose fitting burst in the garage, super lucky is just blasted straight down from the roof and just splashed over everything.
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Got the heat shields glass bead blasted to give them a freshen up and applied some VHT high temp silver ... they look fairly good now and a lot cheaper than replacements Finish welded the first header tube ... got some distorsion issues to take care of unfortunately 😕 Will have to experiment a bit with the subsequent tubes to try and minimise, else all of the hard work making them accurate for the collectors is out the window. And some clearances to the engine and trans might also be compromised which would be a real ball ache.
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Ohhh look something that's not header related !! Got my fictional model badge ready to go on
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Got my AliExpress numbers ... they arrived super fast and much to my surprise, look great !!! The 318Ci are OEM ones from my car.
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A'hoy there ... good times ahead mocking and building the headers I'm on the home stretch fabricating mine also and have used a similar approach, just printed on 3D printer instead of purchased. I've got a build thread in the projects section with plenty of pics (really, i've been working on the damn things for MONTHS) and such of my process which may be helpful to you. The biggest PITA for mine was dealing with the 1D CLR donuts ... just not high quality pieces which means loads more time dicking around getting things to play nice. Looks like you're avoiding them which will make life easier for sure !! All in all its a good approach I think but quite time consuming as are most things that get a quality result.
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Looks great as always, shame you're having to sell it !! Forgot the M3 mirrors in the details ? Wish I could magic all of the interior and nice bits over to my car !! I'll hit your auction up and ask for the parts i want haha.
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Huzzah I've completed my scale model of the large colon !! The last tube will unfortunately need a tweak as I had to improvise a little when building it up (only one of the six) and its interfering with a bolt head from the starter motor 😕 It fits if I take the bolt out ... maybe i can weld the starter to the block I managed to crack the secret code of twists and turns needed to get them installed as well which is good news but a little nerve wracking !
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One tube to go now !!! Hell tube came up fairly well ... I decided to close up the gaps in the 'seamless' donuts where I had bend meeting bend and it gave a very pleasing joint. However, at some point you have to transition back to the straight tube and there is a substantial size mismatch 😕 REALLY wishing the donuts were perfect as it would reduce the fab time by nearly half I'd say. Will be a lot more work during the final welding also to diddle around with the gaps and oval vs round tube etc.
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Cousin cars !!!!! Great minds,
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Ok here is my full list and [ VQ E46 ] actually featured !! Think I still like THE337 as it is the standard plate format so will look subtle. The other cheeky option would be one of the JDM surrounds which coincidentally you can get with '337' on it as thats the JDM designation for engines over 2 litres. Complete with Japanese characters, that ought to get some folks triggered hah. THE337 TORU37 VQ E46 VEEQ46 SOMEVQ MOVQ4U VQINME IHASVQ MYVQ37 337C1 337BMW VQ4ME V6BMW VVEL
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You got it 337Ci ... I think its a nice touch of subtle that only those who know, will know. I want to get a plate also which will likewise look stock unless you're in the know. Just have to ensure I purchase before new registrations reach T hah.
