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S197 3V Fabman's build; How did we get here? Build Thread

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Fabman

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Grant 302 said:
Good stuff. Wish they were a direct fit for the '10-'12 hood. :(

And IIRC, that type of louver works a bit better if it has a wicker bill at its leading edge. Not unlike the raised front/perimeter area on the Tiger Racing design.
I'm just happy to get rid of the phony plastic hood scoop.
Any amount of heat/pressure that comes out of it will be a bonus.


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Fabman

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Grant 302 said:
Good stuff. Wish they were a direct fit for the '10-'12 hood. :(
Well, you are in luck then, there is a set for the 10/12 hood about to be released any minute.
I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I hear something more.
 

Grant 302

basic and well known psychic
Fabman said:
Well, you are in luck then, there is a set for the 10/12 hood about to be released any minute.
I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I hear something more.
Great news, and thanks for the heads-up. I was thinking I'd have to go down to their shop in HB to ask...

Do I have to return your hood now? ;)
 

Fabman

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Grant 302 said:
Great news, and thanks for the heads-up. I was thinking I'd have to go down to their shop in HB to ask...

Do I have to return your hood now? ;)
Yes, I'm going to frame it....after all, it's famous now. ;D
 

Fabman

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Cobrarob said:
Hey Fabman,question on supercharger
Im running about 11-12 psi boost and changing plugs to NGKtr8,which do you run? Thanks Rob
9 psi on e85 and I run NGK Iridium IX Power Spark Plugs ZNAR7AIX


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Fabman

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Cobrarob said:
Thank you,NGK makes a great product.
What blower are you running?


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Fabman

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I have had some requests for close ups and a pic of the bottom so,

Here there are:


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Fabman

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302 Hi Pro said:
Nice clean install in particular, the underhood cuts.

2HP
Thanks.
The install was really quite easy, they provide templates so I just used a cut off wheel to cut along the lines all the way through.
A quick touch up with a file and that was it. Absolute cake.
 

Fabman

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Fabman

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BBQ Wednesday @ Specfab today.
Kevin was kind enough to come over and we hung a tow hook on this pig.


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Fabman

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stangfever said:
I hear that Kevin character is a bad influence! 8)
Yeah, but in a good way. :)
 

Fabman

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Fabbed up a battery mount for this new lightweight mini battery. (Battery cover in progress)

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302 Hi Pro

Boss 302 - Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car
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Fabman:

Always good stuff coming out of your shop!

Just a few questions: 1. Will you drill any holes for weight reduction, and/or slim down the top cross plate?

I would like to teach myself to TIG weld: What is a decent (mid-grade) welder I might purchase that represents a good value for the money?

Last, what would I need to buy to weld aluminum plates similar to that used in your above project, and I would also like to be able to weld 4.0" aluminum tubing and aluminum sheet stock used in intake and intake manifold construction. Can this be done with a decent TIG welder and aluminum rods?

Thanks so much as I appreciate your advice.
Dave
2HP
 

Fabman

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Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
302 Hi Pro said:

Fabman:

Always good stuff coming out of your shop!

Just a few questions: 1. Will you drill any holes for weight reduction, and/or slim down the top cross plate?

I would like to teach myself to TIG weld: What is a decent (mid-grade) welder I might purchase that represents a good value for the money?

Last, what would I need to buy to weld aluminum plates similar to that used in your above project, and I would also like to be able to weld 4.0" aluminum tubing and aluminum sheet stock used in intake and intake manifold construction. Can this be done with a decent TIG welder and aluminum rods?

Thanks so much as I appreciate your advice.
Dave
2HP


Thank you.
That top plate is going to mount the battery cover so I wanted a fairly wide surface to support it.
The bottom of it has an adhesive foam strip to cushion the battery so drilling holes in it would just reduce the cushioned area for the sake of saving a few ounces.
It's all aluminum so it's very light. I'll get a weight comparison to the stock setup when it all done.

Tig Welding is one of the most difficult welding processes to learn.
I would strongly suggest taking a beginning mig/tig class at a local collage and getting the basics down first.


Regarding machines, I'm old school so I have all big 350 amp transformer machines, both Lincoln and Miller.
There are other machines out there but the smart money is spent on those 2 main brands.
That's where the quality is, the support, the ease of securing replacement parts and where the value is.

There is a new breed of welders out now called "Inverter welders". They are much smaller and lighter.
I have a portable one that's the size of a lunchbox that I use for onsite emergencies.
Not much capacity but it seems to weld ok as long as it's thin steel or stainless (no aluminum).
There have bigger ones, but I haven't had a chance to try one out yet.

You'll want to get one that's water cooled. (air cooled is cheaper but you'll learn to hate it very quickly)
Also make sure it is a high frequency machine, not scratch start or lift arc.
You won't be able to weld aluminum with out a high freq box in it.

The best bang for your buck is a Miller Syncrowave 250. It will do all you need and more.
They are very easy to find used and are easy to sell when the time comes. Its basically the standard of the industry. Everybody has parts and consumables (which you'll go through a LOT in the learning process) and they are super durable.

If you are shopping for a brand new machine, I'd say visit your local Miller dealer and tell him what you want to do and see what the latest models offer. Don't under estimate what you are going to do; buy up-not down.
You would be much better off buying a good quality used machine than a new machine that's off brand or too small.

Tig Welding is hard enough to learn without trying to trouble shoot a goofy machine on top of it all.

And that's my advice.....for what it's worth.
 

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