Twin Turbo Update...

[sdelanty at sonic.net]

>Is T-304 SS a light weight stainless steel tubing?  I used tubing found at
>the electrical contractors warehouse.  It seems to be slightly lighter then
>exhaust pipe, cost about $9 for a 18" 90degree bend, the matching pipe is
>really cheap.  It is lite weight so I had trouble welding (I'm not that good
>yet) it up.

   304 SS is denser than mild steel tubing. If You have a piece that
  is lightweight, it must be fairly thin. If it's too thin to weld
  easily, it may be too thin for turbo exhaust.

   304 and 316 would probably be adequate if the wall thickness
  is great enough. I wouldn't hesitate to use either for N/A, but would
  want it pretty heavy duty for turbo apps. 316 may be marginally better
  than 304 for this because it has better corrosion resistance.

  309, 310 or 314 have much greater heat resistance and would be a better
  choice for turbo manifolding I think. 314 has a lot of silicon in it
  and may be harder to machine if needed.

  My chart shows the following max service temps for various SS:

  304  continuous- 1550F    intermittant- 1650F
  316  cont        1550F    int           1650F
  309              1850F                  1950F
  310              1900F                  2050F

>My preference would to have an aluminum piping to move the hot gases, but
>don't know where to find it.  Does anyone know where I can buy aluminum
>piping?  My 300ZX is using 2 1/8" piping, but my next project will be using
>a larger diameter pipe (the intercooler is going to be huge!).

  No, don't use aluminum for the exhaust side. It will go away before
  You even get full boost up!  Meltdown city!
  Aluminum is molten at about 1200F, and useless *way* before that...

  Any of You aviators with pyrometers out there wanna comment on exhaust
  temps for turbo and N/A applications?

   Happy motoring,

                Steve Delanty  <sdelanty at sonic.net>