Hey, I bet you have tens of hours into that manifold dont you? How did you get into the cracks and crevices? You should explain what process you undertook. When I did mine, I started out with 120 grit, then i went to a red buffing pad on a anglehead die grinder, then to a blue pad, then wetsanded it, then polished it, but i didnt do a perfect job, left some cracks and crevices go. Also, on your fuel rail, did you just sand/grind down all of the ribs? Everything looks great and clean, good job, I can tell there is a lot of time into that engine bay!
The manifold was and is a nightmare. It's also incomplete, and it bothers the living hell out of me. It took me forever to finally get an HO for starters. I bought two different LO's before finally getting an HO (I just posted pics of them in Performance today actually).
For port matching it to my head, I used the Mantapart flange. It's runners are a bit bigger than the 2.4 head, but everything lines up. When I had my head port and polished, I got them to port it to to match the mantapart flange. Then I took the manifold to a machine shop 2.5 hours away from me to get extra material welded on because there isn't enough on there to port match it to the flange, and the flange itself would be a lot of work (think lots of cutting, then lots of tig welding) to be put on the HO manifold. I got it back and later took it to a local machine shop (same one that P&P'd my head) to be redrilled to fit the 2.4 head, port matched to the mantapart flange (and thus my head), and decked so it was smooth on the side that goes to the head.
Then I started my polishing process. Gotta love polishing crappy cast aluminum, hehe. I started with an angle grinder and 150 grit flapper wheel to get the 'nubs' off that the quad uses for lines/map sensor. Then, after working at it with 60 and 80 grit for some time, I finally got it a lot closer to smooth than it was. Casting lines, pits, and covering up the many grooves I left with the angle grinder was a pain in the ass. What was worse was getting in between all the runners, and especially at the base of the runners where they meet the plenum. I spent over a year working on this thing polishing it by hand (mind you a few times I gave up on it alltogether for more than a few months). I finally decided enough was enough, and I had to get this thing done, so I half assed it, and didn't do anywhere near a perfect job. I was at about 600 grit sandpaper, and switched to a die grinder with buffing wheels and polishing compounds. The runners and part of the plenum look great, as long as you look at it from the top. I want to finish it and do a complete job, but it takes hours that I don't want to commit.
Next I was back to the die grinder with a grinding bit to make notches for the injectors. I butchered that quite a bit, but after a little bit of 120 grit they looked a little better. No matter, the fuel rail hides them anyways. I wanted to keep my cruise control and still have the 56mm tb, so I took a spare tb and the quad tb to the machine shop and had them bore it out and put in the 56mm plate from the quad. Then I drilled out the two necessary holes, drilled out my spare throttle cable bracket, and tapped the hole for the bracket on the tb that didn't have a bolt through it. I modified my cruise bracket so that the module could fit in the other way pointing the CC cable to the driver's side instead of the pass. side (die grinder and a cut off wheel did the trick nicely). Then I made gaskets for head and tb, and was ready to install. I had every angle covered. Or so I thought.
I had the manifold installed and uninstalled about 6 times trying to get rid of a vac leak. I was idling at 1700 rpm at the worst of times. Trying to drive like that is impossible, as some people on here know. Finally, after lots of troubleshooting, a lot of silicone RTV, and a bunch of different gaskets, I realized my tb was messed up and wouldn't close on it's own after opening the throttle, and that the manifold wasn't decked properly. I didn' t find those out at the same time, and fixed the tb myself with some 600 grit, and got a new machine shop to redeck the manifold. This time it finally runs good, and I'm liking it. The machine shop messed up the already crappy polish job on the mani, and one of these days I'm going to take it off and finish it proper, but for now I'm just happy that it runs.
Cliffnotes: Getting that manifold on the car was a long and painful experience, but it's finally done, although not to my standards. It was polished mostly by hand, and needs a lot more work before I'm satisfied.
One pic of the manifold just after I finished with compounds, and before it went on and off the car repeatedly, getting scratched and scuffed.
Sask GM Performance (formerly SaskJbody) president
I dare someone to read all that lol. And sorry, I didn't answer the second part of your question. I did the fuel rail back when I was too stubborn to use electrical or air tools. It was done completely by hand, got rid of the ribs with 80 grit, then sanded up to 2500. Started wetsanding at 600. It too used to look a lot better, but got scuffed a lot when I was messing with the mani...
Sask GM Performance (formerly SaskJbody) president
wow that manifold is beautiful man, great work.
I like the IDI cover
hahaha, I totally feel your pain, I have 35 plus hours sanding polishing in mine, and its not where I want it but, o well, and trying to polish cast aluminum
sucks, pits every now and then.
Where did you get the IDI cover? That is awsome!
Engine is looking good!
Yeah,
Great work.
Really liking the IDI cover.
Thanks for te write up on how to get rid of those nubs.
You being auto, I know those nubs are an annoyance with the fuel plugs from what I can remember.
And of course the ghetto fabbed ebay intake.
Quote:
Finally, after lots of troubleshooting, a lot of silicone RTV, and a bunch of different gaskets,
Someone should make an adendum for the swap write up. And really emphesize how it really has to be a tight real at the gasket area from the runners to the head.
Oh, and I read it all in betwwen chasing four 5 and unders around.
Excellent
-M
Remember....syringes go in the RED waste basket.
bump.... still trying to find out where the 2.4 High Output IDI cover can be found.
97CavfireZ wrote:bump.... still trying to find out where the 2.4 High Output IDI cover can be found.
Thats an HO IDI cover and a 2.4 IDI cover, cut and welded together. Its been done a couple times before.
honestly awesome totally cant wait till my parts get back from chrome after seeing the polished mani over my painted one i have now
gtpsunfire wrote:97CavfireZ wrote:bump.... still trying to find out where the 2.4 High Output IDI cover can be found.
Thats an HO IDI cover and a 2.4 IDI cover, cut and welded together. Its been done a couple times before.
Yup. Easily said, very difficultly done. It took me a long time to find a TIG welder even willing to attempt the job. As far as I know there is only one other out there. He did it first.
Sask GM Performance (formerly SaskJbody) president
