Stainless coolant pipe

[Ajc]

Morning chaps , been a while since I’ve been on but with my full time job and starting my business it’s not left me much spare time of late. However , we’re finally up and running . Admittedly we’re running on a very small scale but that’ll grow hopefully.
So I’ve been building parts for the very community and stance world over that past few months and thought it was time to give back to the v8 gods . I’m currently working on a stainless version of 077121071 bl , which if you can’t be bothered to google is the big black metal coolant pipe that runs around the drivers side (RHD) . That unless modified as Matt did , can’t be removed with the engine in situ. So would there be any interest in these ? I need to have a few of the fittings turned by a machine Shop so there would be a lead time attached to them . I’ll post some princess up as I finish the prototype. They will be fully tig welded , pressure tested and can be left raw or can be supplied in black for the OE look . The grade of steel is yet to be finalised but it won’t be cheap Chinese rubbish. They won’t be cheap and that’s not me being greedy, it’s a mixture of labour you build then and machining and material costs . I’ll certainly be able to offer forum members a discount on all our parts to say thank you for the years of support and advice.
Thanks chaps

[rs4wagon]

i had mine sand blasted then powder coated,then fitted when rebuilding engine just to find out there's a pin hole and pissing coolant!Engine out then found 2nd hand one.What sort of money you thinking it will cost?I had plan for bigger turbos so will be nice to get s/s one ones engine out again

[Mɐʇʇ]

I guess 304 or 316 are a couple of obvious choices.
These OEM pipes do corrode, from the inside out.

Do you have a pattern to use?
Without holding you to it, what's your guess on a price range?

[Ajc]

Sorry for the late reply chaps , it’s been one of them days today .
Matt , ideally 316 is the weapon of choice for this build as it’s primarily used in marine applications , I’m waiting to find out if there’s going to be any issues with the machining using it . 304 is a back up however it’s really not my first choice for this part . I’ve also toyed with the idea of Ali , but I feel it’s maybe a little to soft for this part .
Costing wise , I think it’s going to end up around the £600 retail. Although there will be a discount for forum guys . I know it sounds a lot but I really does reflect the work and material costs involved. Cheers Al

[Ajc]

Sorry Matt , yes I’ve currently got the engine out of mine and I’m using it as a test bed for a few exciting new products. ( well I’m excited about them )

[Mɐʇʇ]

I've done a lot of making stuff for boats.

316 is nasty on your tools and more £ - even cobalt drill bits, for example, need care. It's such an arse, even drilling a hole you have to do pilot holes and attack the feck out of it to prevent it work hardening and killing your brand new cobalt drill. You also need a good tig welder man, cos if you overheat it while welding, or don't purge fully, you end up with it losing some of the "good" properties of 316. 316 also cracks. On the boats, a 316 exhaust header is lifed - they always crack, sooner or later.
But, aside from exhausts, 316 is lovely and IMVHO should be more widely used on the cars, I prefer polished stainless to chrome every time.

304 - if polished properly, comes up almost as nice as 316. If in a saltwater environment and not polished or powdercoated, you do get staining, but if polished it doesn't stain much in a marine environment. It also doesn't work harden as badly as 316 either.

If powdercoating for the OEM look, 304 will save some money and outlive any of us.
If going for mirror polished bling, 316 is the 10/10, but 304 polished will come up nice too.

Just MVHO.

£ wise - that was roughly what I thought it'd come up as. I need a couple of 316 flanges waterjet cut at the moment for some exhausts and they're rocking up at 70 quid for a pair. For a simple shape and 5 holes. It just isn't cheap to do a good job.

Sorry for the late reply chaps , it’s been one of them days today .
Matt , ideally 316 is the weapon of choice for this build as it’s primarily used in marine applications , I’m waiting to find out if there’s going to be any issues with the machining using it . 304 is a back up however it’s really not my first choice for this part . I’ve also toyed with the idea of Ali , but I feel it’s maybe a little to soft for this part .
Costing wise , I think it’s going to end up around the £600 retail. Although there will be a discount for forum guys . I know it sounds a lot but I really does reflect the work and material costs involved. Cheers Al

[Ajc]

I’m glad you haven’t fallen off your chair with that pricing there Matt , as you say 316 and 304 both have there own pros and cons . The reason im trying to get the machine work don’t in 316 is because I want to be able to produce the best quality parts I possibly can , I’ve been tog welding for 15+years and I’ve had some experience with 316 and I know what you mean . It’s a fussy sod to get right but when you do it’s lovely. Heat control and proper gas coverage is the key . All our parts will be back purged where needed .