Anybody running mild steel tubing for the intercooler pipes?

I don't have the means to weld aluminum, and SS is twice as expensive as mild steel. I'm wondering if this is one of those big NO-NOs, or if its a doable thing.

 

Big no no... just mock up the al pipes, tape them together and take them to someone who can weld al. This is what I do with all my al stuff.

 

Most OEM turbo pipes are made of Mild steel...examples like the evo, mitsu 3000gt, 300zx etc come to mind. The difference is that they are not left "raw" to rust, instead they are painted. Engine paint would work but you have to make sure the inside is coated so it doesn't rust as easily. Doable but is it worth the work? IDK.

Chris

 

Why big no-no? I've done it on a couple cars. Have them powder coated and they'll look nice for years to come.

 

I just thought they would retain a ton a heat..

 

I did. I actually purchased a whole bunch of cast aluminum elbows, and the local shop said that it is not their problem if the welded pipes fit or not; Basically, they want me to bring the car, and have them mock up/weld everything.


How do they paint the interior?

I am pretty sure that I won't be able to get to the whole interior of the elbow.

What about the inside? I know that the powder coating will not cover the inside of it.

 

Mock everything up with tape then take it to a welding shop and have them do it. Only down side is that if it does not fit it is your ***.

 

Thats the problem, if it doesn't fit then its on me, besides, I would rather do it myself

 

Powdercoating will get on the inside of the pipes. The pipes are charged electrically and the powder is too so if they blow powder through the inside it will attach to the walls on the inside. Just specify that you want the interior done.

Chris

 

I think thats the best news I've heard all day

 

de un boricua a otro

 

It's really the opposite. The steel piping will actually stay cooler, transfers heat slower while disipating the heat faster. I've been working with a lot of aluminized steel lately. You can actually hold one end of metal with your bare hands while welding the other end. It only gets luke warm. Aluminum on the other will have you racing to grab some gloves to protect yourself as it transfers heat really fast. Cooler pipes makes more hp.

 

Steel works fine. All Kits used to come with steel piping. Aluminum is lighter, heats up and cools down faster. The welding takes a TIG and nobody TIGs for cheap as well as the piping itself being more expensive. Steel does take longer to heat up but will retain the heat even longer so for some applications latent heat can be a big problem.

For the DIY guy Steel is your best option just for the low cost, availability and ease of welding.

 

Hmm, I wonder why all the professional teams use aluminum then? Heat? Weight?

 

Gracias hermano!

COOL, I am going to give it a try!

 

friend of mine is running painted aluminized steel pipes on his Typhoon/Syclone conversion. it's heavier but it gets the job done.

save yourself a lot of trips and bring the car to the welder or the welder to the car.

 

I was under the impression the anodizing was electrically charged, where powder coating is just sprayed, then heated.

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

You are correct about anodizing. Powder coating also uses an electric charge to get the powder to adhere before heating. Otherwise, the powder wouldn't stick. As far as I know, anodizing is done in an electrically charged bath.