Header making

I tig weld the tubes to the inside of the flange with 70S rod, and use silicon bronze rod to weld the pipes to the flange on the outside. Flows out well, making a nice appearance. vic

 

great article OJ. Im building a DIY set of lakesters for a 316 pontiac, and thats the only way to get lakesters for those less popular model engines. Thanks.

 

OJ, found this article and I am using it to construct lakesters for my pontiac 316. Is there any reason why you cannot debur with a flapper wheel as used for boiler tubes?

 

I silicone bronze the flanges like Krusty 40, been doing that way for over 30 years.

 

Great post..I'm going to make some Lake pipes for my 1964 225 V-6 Buick Oddfire engine this summer..not a chance in hell finding Lake pipes for this engine. I did find some engine block flanges..think I might buy a set and just add the pipe sections to them...site is listed below...lots of Buick engine parts and those hard to find nailhead exhaust parts..

http://www.headersbyed.com/__buick.htm

 

That sounds like a great project, be sure to post pics and pass on some advice.
The flapper disc is a great tool for fabrication but i wouldn't use it for deburring tubes unless you don't have a belt sander. I prefer the belt sander because you can use both hands to rotate the tube for the outside burrs and then set the tube down on the belt endwise to true it up and get it square. I finish the deburr with a hand deburring tool on the inside edge. A flapper disc can get you there but it'll be cumbersome holding a offsetgrinder in one hand and the tube in the other - but if you don't have a beltsander then work with whatever you have (like the guys befor us did).
Probably the most important step of that operation is the inside deburring, you have to make the tubes spotless inside as when you fire the motor reversion occurs and any trash you leave inside the tubes will be sucked into the cylinder!
Like other have posted, silicon bronze rod is the tits on the flanges.

 

When I am fitting tubes, I band saw to a rough fit, then use a 12" disc sander on a stand, then debur the inside with a Knotted wire wheel on a bench grinder. The Knotted wheels are expensive, but they last, and they don't throw wires to stick in your clothes. This method always gives a tight fit, making it easier to weld.