Smoothed my exhaust manifolds, wondering if there is a better way...

looks great the way you have them, but smoothing them out like above looks nice if you're making a street rod. if you're not and still looking for that old school feel/traditional style, the one you fixed up looks great for that.

-Pete

 

I was wondering about that tube. I was also trying to figure out why the passenger side had one installed in the reproduction set but the driver side didn't. So, we DON'T need them? What was their original purpose? Also, are you saying to just mushroom the end closed? What would it hurt if left opened like it is?

 

The purpose of the heat tube "hole " is to allow air to be drawn thru and heated for the "climatic " (hot air ) choke. That is why it is only on the psgr side manifold.
You can leave it open if you want. If you really want to smooth it up, drill and tap it for a 1/4- 20 thread. then install a allen head setscrew...
Dave

 

I figured it had something to do with heated air. I think I will block it off and grind the screw down to smooth the top. Thanks

 

Nice job they look killer

 

I always have lines on my face after working with a dust mask on. I try to make sure both straps are at their tightest position. The metal nose piece should be tight all around the nose too. I have a narrow nose, so this can be difficult, but they still work.

When you breath in, the air will take the path of least resistance, so if you have a gap between the mask and you face, air will bypass filtration through the mask.

They aren't very comfortable, but since I am doing this stuff for a living, I imagine even a small amount everyday could cause serious lung issues over a long period of time. I just had a regular checkup with my doctor and my lungs sound great .

Another bit of info, is I highly recommend using earmuffs over ear plugs. They last almost forever, block noise better than plugs, and are installed and removed as easy as safetry glasses are. Perhaps my favorite part is that they keep your entire ear area free of of polishing grime.


Realistically, I doubt you will have any long term effects from breathing in a small iron job such as a couple exhaust manifolds that doesn't involve buffing (although everyone's tolerances are different,) but if you do this stuff regularly, it is critical to keep it out of your lungs.

 

Block it off unless you want a gnarly exhaust leak. It sucks.

 

I'd worry as much about whats coming off the grinding disks as the metal coming off the manifolds. If you're doing that grinding daily you should use a supplied air mask that has a constant supply of fresh air under pressure so you won't suck air around the mask. It's also easier to breathe.

 

The particulate masks are sufficient for grinding, sanding, and buffing; but only if they fit right. The biggest issue I see is people not fitting the nose piece right. They do restrict airflow, just like an air filter on an engine, but I'm still alive, so I must be getting enough air. As stated earlier, I have clean snot at the end of the day when wearing a dust mask (what better way to know it is working?) In the same shop, if I run in and take only a couple breaths without a mask, I get black snot.

In this shop full of spinning wheels and hot metal, I will not have a tube hanging off of me in any direction. I never claimed polishing is somehow comfortable; it really sucks sometimes .