REAL CAI....Out with the old, In with the new.

[wontonjohnny]

OHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAA

had the day off, so i picked up a 3inch mandrel u bent pipe and got busy... took me about 6 hrs to complete tha fuka.



^ start


^ finish


^ old

[paradizecityz]

[wontonjohnny]

^ fits


^ air goes in here


^ cut hole so air fresh gets in through the front and old air gets out the back

[CrawlingEye]

lookin' good, wonton, as usual.

[Ostornadoe]

That's some nice work, the welds look pretty smooth, did you weld them yourself and use an angle grinder to smooth them?

[wontonjohnny]

thanks

yeah i welded them, first time welding beside practicing on scrap.

yep i used a grinder to smooth it out.


i still need to paint it or something because its already starting to rust... how does one polish steel??? do i jsut sand it??
is there something i can put on it so it wont rust??? like wax??

[88 LE]

Originally posted by wontonjohnny
i still need to paint it or something because its already starting to rust... how does one polish steel??? do i jsut sand it??

Just sand it. Start off with something like 80 - 100 grit sandpaper and work your way up to 1500 - 2000 grit sandpaper.

After that you use buffing pads. They come in different sizes for air die grinders to big ol grinders.

You can get the buffing pads from a welding supply shop.

is there something i can put on it so it wont rust??? like wax??

Theres metal sealer, but the one I'm thinking of (Zoop Seal) works with aluminum, brass, and stainless steel. Doesn't say anything about mild steel.

http://www.zoopseal.com/zoopseal.asp

Other option is high temp engine paint, anodizing, powder coat, or chrome plating.

[amerikim]

Nice job.

One thing though, not trying to be a smartalec but are you using something that can rust? You will never know whats happening in the pipe. As rust forms it will get sucked into your engine. Disaster.

Chrome it?

[Mighty~Mart]

so FREAKIN cool!~

where did you get the mandrel piping?

nice job!~

[87Camry5Speed]

You can get mandrel pipe from a lot of places, check out www.jcwhitney.com for example

Steve

[wontonjohnny]

i got mine at mopac

[Hajoca]

Take it out again, and paint it, inside and out!

[wontonjohnny]

should i paint the inside??? wouldnt the fumes be bad???

its not rusting inside, it only rusting where i grinded it

[amerikim]

Originally posted by wontonjohnny
should i paint the inside??? wouldnt the fumes be bad???

its not rusting inside, it only rusting where i grinded it

Fumes would not be bad if its dry. Don't use acrylic or anything that could peel and ruin your day. Epoxy paint maybe?

Chances of you knowing about rust forming inside are slim until something happens. How often do you think you are going to look inside those pipes. Since air is always being drawn in so will moisture. Thats why you don't see bare steel in any fuel or air systems. Aluminium, ABS plastic...someone should make a carbon fiber CAI. Lightwt and doesn't conduct heat so readily.

For your case, I was thinking of something more permanant like chrome or powder coat. If your metal pieces are not too big, you can diy with the oven at home if you powdercoat.

Just be careful of rust forming from behind the airfilter to your engine.

[wontonjohnny]

what is powder coating???

how is it done??