Intake/Exhaust Tuning

[Wilso]

Can anybody suggest a good book that covers intake and exhuast tuning?
Also, how many of you actually build a custom header?

[Wilso]

Can anybody suggest a good book that covers intake and exhuast tuning?
Also, how many of you actually build a custom header?

[leclercjs]

We do, each year, we custom made a new set of headers. Last year (03) it was a 4-2-1 configuration and this year a 4-1 configuation. The 4-1 config was a bit tricky since we did not found a suitable collector that fitted what we intended. But a 4-1 config is worth the art, just listening to the sound, it pays the long hours of work.

[Marc Jaxa-Rozen]

Design Techniques for Engine Manifolds and Theory of Engine Manifold Design by Winterbone and Pearson are a good reference for wave action analysis. I'd also recommend Advanced Engine Technology by Heisler.

[Charlie]

I am a fan of Winterbourne and Pearson's book as well.

I made the headers for the 2001-2004 cars (with some help of course! http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ) Before that we cut up bike exhausts.

Its tough work but fun too. You can build an entire header in less than 2 days if you are really into it and have what you need.

[alfordda]

Back in 2000, our header guy was dragging his feet a little, and another guy claimed you could build a header in a day. So the header guy called him on it, and he came through. He had a header built in a single day. It looks like a big ball of knots, and was never supposed to be on the car, but the header guy got so frustrated that he didn't try to finish his design.

[Chris Boyden]

We also built our own headers in under 2 days. The longest lead time was the analysis and getting the order for the bends in, which included 3 2-1 collectors for a tri-y setup. We ordered the kit from S&S headers. The setup we bought was for an F4, which caused a little grief. The stubs to the head with the slip clamp sleeves didn't fit the F4i head. So we had to machine up a mandrel where we flared the slip clamps with a press and made little trumpet slip clamps that were smaller and it worked great. From there it took a fair amount of good visualization skills, but cutting and prepping the tubes went really smoothly with a band saw and disc sander. Actually, it was fun. Our chassis welder, James, did a great job laying down the beads. We did have to make a trip to a muffler shop to have some tubing flared slightly, which they did for free because it took two seconds for them to do it.
We were going to try to get some outside help at first through a guy that is pretty good at headers, but it was too hard to work out the scheduling so we dove in head first and I'm really glad that it worked out that way. Now, I'm looking forward to the next time I have to build a set of headers.
-Chris