Need just the cone fabbed for a set of lakes headers but the catch is I need them made from 304 stainless and I will finish. Need a quality piece not ratrod. Any fabricators out there done this?
sorta, out of mild steel, just to see if I could, you should be able to do the same thing yourself in stainless.. here's a link to my attempt.. cone tech
I can supply you with the dimensions for a flat pattern that you can cut from sheet metal and then form yourself. I'll need the material thickness, the small end diameter, the large end diameter, and the overall length.
there were a couple of tech articles... this one http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5914&highlight=header and a few others... I couldn't find the one I was thinking of... there were a ton of pix... Joe
I've always used poster-board,from local craft store. Just cut a piece,and roll it up and hold it up to your header and mark it. Tighten the roll until you get the size and shape you want at each end,and mark it. Unroll it and cut it out. There's your template. Better make sure what you want first,before you commit it to stainless.
Thanks, DRuss! Raffman, I have a roller that'll roll 20 gauge and I happen to have a whole sheet of 304 here at the shop. The big issue with custom- rolled megaphones is the length of the TIG weld needed. It's easy to warp the material if you're not careful. If you can find a machine-welded cone of good quality and in the size you need, that's usually the best way to go. If you can't find one off-t******lf, feel free to PM me the dimensions you need and I can give you a price for a pair of custom-made-with-love Hanksville versions! Johnnyfast, that's great - can I take you up on that offer of the template? Hank
I just had a couple of odd-ball shaped cones rolled up by VanBebber's in Santa Rosa. They did the rolling, I clamped them and welded the seams here. They were mild steel, but 304 should be no problem for them. Call 707-762-4528 and ask for Royce.
Thanks ror the replys. The dimensions are, 30" long, 1 7/8" on one end 4 1/2" on the other. need a stainless cap -internal or external to go with it and all 304 stainless that I will polish. Will give fellow HAMBER Hanksville HR first call then will follow up on the rest. Dave
Wow surprised to see this old thread. It's always cool to fab something yourself there are times when it would be better to let the experts do it. Stainless is harder to work with and you also have to weld that seam with mininum distortion. Thanks to a job for Hollywood Hot Rods, Cone engineering has an off the shelf piece that I bought for 95.00 ea. Nicely welded seam with hardly no distortion that sanded and polished up nice. As an added note I will never again build a polished stainless header and exhaust sys like this again..way too much time and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
This is a cool thread. I will be ordering a pair of cones myself NOT STAINLES to build a pair of these headers for my Caddy engine
Yepper, I've done it, but out of mild steel. I could do it in stainless just as easy, but I wanted it to develop a nice patina to it. I know, I know, here comes the flame patrol. I used the CNC brake press at work and made each cone out of two halves. I bumped it little by little until the ends fit the templates I made, and the bump marks ran together so finely that it looked rolled. Then I did the middle the same way. If you try to do the whole works at once, you'll never get to pinch the ends hard enough without hitting the punch. I used autocad to get the flat patterns. If I get around to it, I'll post pics of the cone.
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