nick
10-09-2009, 12:39 AM
I've seen similar writeups on some other forums but I thought I'd take a crack at it and see how hard it was to do. On my project, I have some very tight funky bend that normal hoses won't make. Hard piping it with some mandrel pieces was not an option because there is only 1' of pipe between the engine and the intercooler. The geometry made it impossible to insert a hump hose to add flex so I thought I could make my own.
Supplies:
I got everything from McmasterCarr http://www.mcmaster.com/#
2” fiberglass tape – No. 8817K66
Silicone Adhesive (10 oz.) - No. 7545A462
Self-Fusing Silicone Tape - No. 7643A72
Home Depot Door Jam sealant (expanding foam)
Box of latex gloves (you WILL need them)
Cellophane (reynolds wrap)
To get a feel of how far the supplies go, I was able to make 1' of 2.5" dia tube and about 2' of 3" tube. To do this I used:
~40 feet of the fiberglass tape
~2 1/2 tubes of the silicone adhesive
~12 yards of the silicone tape
~1 1/2 can of the expanding foam
Cost me around $60 for it all.
Here's the procedure...
I was not sure how the foam would work (most use floral foam) so I decided to make a test sample...looks like a foamy mocha.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1909.jpg
Ok so I concluded that the foam was pretty good for what I was needing. The start is as simple as 'spraying' out the pattern you wish the new pipe to take. It really is that easy. The foam doesn't always support itself at first so you may have to coak it into formation. You can always build on it later so don't feel you need to get it fully defined the first go around. Wait for it to setup and come back and shoot it again. This part takes a little patience. A word of caution, don't get the foam on your clothes, it does not come off. Basically pretend you are painting and dress accordingly. This stuff expands beyond what you think it would. Be careful around intercoolers because it can 'grow' into the endtanks.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1910.jpg
Did the other side as well...I could probably use standard couplers and pipes but I thought what the hell, I want to see how it does under some heat. The pipe sticking out is just to keep the correct diameter for the intercooler endtamk.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1911.jpg
Once you are certain the diameter of the foam 'path' is greater than the diamter of the pipe dia you are shooting for, you can begin to cut and sculp it down to the correct look. The foam cuts really nicely with a blade. I used some 80 grit to finish off the angles and make it smooth. Once it is smooth, take some cellophane and wrap it around the foam. The tigher the better. This will let the male mold release from the silicone coupler. Without it, it would be a major headache to try and chip away the silicon hose from the foam. The inside would be bery rough and probably have a little more pressure drop than a smooth surface.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1918.jpg
Now you can begin to apply the first layer of the silicone wrap. Before you wet the tape with the silicone, wrap it dry to see how long of a section it takes. I tried to maintain 50% overlap on the pervious section. Try to keep it a continuous section if you can. If you cut it, you risk a weakpoint in the hose. Once you've found the correct length, you can now wet the fiberglass.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1912.jpg
To get the silicone on the fiberglass, I made a simple cantilver to hold the fiberglass while I work the silicone in. Some people use tables but it seems like they waste a lot and this stuff is fairly expensive. The procedure is fairly simple. Just make sure that the silicone has penetrated or 'soaked' through the entire section. I had to work it though with my fingers. It may look coated but when you pry the weave apart, there might be pockets of dry fabric which is bad.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1920.jpg
The silicone has a pretty strong smell. So you may want to do this with some ventilation or a fan. Basically its like wrapping a bandage. Make sure that there are no voids between the layers and keep a constant tension when wrapping. There should be no wrinkles. For the 2 1/2" dia. section I did three wraps and for the 3" section I did four. You could get away with less layers but as a rule of thumb, the larger diameter the larger the associated hoop stress and the thicker your hoses need to be. If you wrap clockwise the first layer, then run the second layer counterclockwise (or vice versa). I ended up with about 1/4" wall thickness which is way more that I need for the amount of boost I will run. This is halfway though wrapping...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1924.jpg
Once you are confident in the thickness of the hose, you can start the final layer of silicone wrap. This is the first time I have actually used this tape. It really is amazing stuff! Not at all sticky but if you even lighty touch it to itself, it will fuse and not let go. Same principle applies with coverage. I tried to maintain a 50% overlap.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1925.jpg
And your done. Usually I need to clean up the ends with a razorblade but that's about it...oh and you need to dig the foam out. Important step, don't forget!
All done and installed...
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/?action=view¤t=100_1931.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1932.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1932.jpg
They look bumpy on the outside but the inside is super smooth. Next time, I think I could make them quite a lot smoother looking on the outside. I pressure tested them to 50 psi and they held fine. I actually think they are stronger than some of the store bought couplers. They are big, they are ugly, but they are incredibly strong.
Hope this helps!
Supplies:
I got everything from McmasterCarr http://www.mcmaster.com/#
2” fiberglass tape – No. 8817K66
Silicone Adhesive (10 oz.) - No. 7545A462
Self-Fusing Silicone Tape - No. 7643A72
Home Depot Door Jam sealant (expanding foam)
Box of latex gloves (you WILL need them)
Cellophane (reynolds wrap)
To get a feel of how far the supplies go, I was able to make 1' of 2.5" dia tube and about 2' of 3" tube. To do this I used:
~40 feet of the fiberglass tape
~2 1/2 tubes of the silicone adhesive
~12 yards of the silicone tape
~1 1/2 can of the expanding foam
Cost me around $60 for it all.
Here's the procedure...
I was not sure how the foam would work (most use floral foam) so I decided to make a test sample...looks like a foamy mocha.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1909.jpg
Ok so I concluded that the foam was pretty good for what I was needing. The start is as simple as 'spraying' out the pattern you wish the new pipe to take. It really is that easy. The foam doesn't always support itself at first so you may have to coak it into formation. You can always build on it later so don't feel you need to get it fully defined the first go around. Wait for it to setup and come back and shoot it again. This part takes a little patience. A word of caution, don't get the foam on your clothes, it does not come off. Basically pretend you are painting and dress accordingly. This stuff expands beyond what you think it would. Be careful around intercoolers because it can 'grow' into the endtanks.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1910.jpg
Did the other side as well...I could probably use standard couplers and pipes but I thought what the hell, I want to see how it does under some heat. The pipe sticking out is just to keep the correct diameter for the intercooler endtamk.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1911.jpg
Once you are certain the diameter of the foam 'path' is greater than the diamter of the pipe dia you are shooting for, you can begin to cut and sculp it down to the correct look. The foam cuts really nicely with a blade. I used some 80 grit to finish off the angles and make it smooth. Once it is smooth, take some cellophane and wrap it around the foam. The tigher the better. This will let the male mold release from the silicone coupler. Without it, it would be a major headache to try and chip away the silicon hose from the foam. The inside would be bery rough and probably have a little more pressure drop than a smooth surface.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1918.jpg
Now you can begin to apply the first layer of the silicone wrap. Before you wet the tape with the silicone, wrap it dry to see how long of a section it takes. I tried to maintain 50% overlap on the pervious section. Try to keep it a continuous section if you can. If you cut it, you risk a weakpoint in the hose. Once you've found the correct length, you can now wet the fiberglass.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1912.jpg
To get the silicone on the fiberglass, I made a simple cantilver to hold the fiberglass while I work the silicone in. Some people use tables but it seems like they waste a lot and this stuff is fairly expensive. The procedure is fairly simple. Just make sure that the silicone has penetrated or 'soaked' through the entire section. I had to work it though with my fingers. It may look coated but when you pry the weave apart, there might be pockets of dry fabric which is bad.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1920.jpg
The silicone has a pretty strong smell. So you may want to do this with some ventilation or a fan. Basically its like wrapping a bandage. Make sure that there are no voids between the layers and keep a constant tension when wrapping. There should be no wrinkles. For the 2 1/2" dia. section I did three wraps and for the 3" section I did four. You could get away with less layers but as a rule of thumb, the larger diameter the larger the associated hoop stress and the thicker your hoses need to be. If you wrap clockwise the first layer, then run the second layer counterclockwise (or vice versa). I ended up with about 1/4" wall thickness which is way more that I need for the amount of boost I will run. This is halfway though wrapping...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1924.jpg
Once you are confident in the thickness of the hose, you can start the final layer of silicone wrap. This is the first time I have actually used this tape. It really is amazing stuff! Not at all sticky but if you even lighty touch it to itself, it will fuse and not let go. Same principle applies with coverage. I tried to maintain a 50% overlap.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1925.jpg
And your done. Usually I need to clean up the ends with a razorblade but that's about it...oh and you need to dig the foam out. Important step, don't forget!
All done and installed...
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/?action=view¤t=100_1931.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1932.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/talonvoodo/100_1932.jpg
They look bumpy on the outside but the inside is super smooth. Next time, I think I could make them quite a lot smoother looking on the outside. I pressure tested them to 50 psi and they held fine. I actually think they are stronger than some of the store bought couplers. They are big, they are ugly, but they are incredibly strong.
Hope this helps!