Intake Manifold Theory

 

I’ve put some brain cycles into this intake manifold thing I’m considering. I’d still like to experiment with fiberglass fabrication at some some point, but I think I can make an effective steel manifold with less trouble overall. One of the biggest things is that a steel manifold will be relatively heat, vibration and fuel proof without resorting to exotic resins and generally speaking will just be a lot simpler.

I’m watching a couple of eBay auctions for cylinder heads, one of which has a broken exhaust flange bolt. That head would probably require repair for use on a bike, so maybe it will stay cheap. The intake side is just fine and I can thus use that head as a jig for building my intake. If that auction falls through for some reason, I suppose I can still use my own engine.

I see construction from relatively simple steel tubing. I could probably use EMT conduit if I had to, but I’d rather avoid burning zinc. I wouldn’t require a lot of material, anyway, so even hardware store quantities of 1″ or 1-1/4″ tubing would be affordable.

I can braze it together if needed. My torch will get hot enough to weld steel, but I have secured the relatively open-ended use of a decent gasless MIG welder, as opposed to the $120 Harbor Freight model that I might otherwise buy. I think this kind of construction might be easiest with an easy to use wire welder.

I also have a line on the short term use of a fairly decent metal cutting chop saw, which would make pretty short work of the cutting requirements for what I see in my mind.

When I get home tonight, I will do some basic layout and measuring to get started with a parts list.

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