JSM
Active member
Being I am doing a few vortec intakes for people I thought I would take pictures and show how its done and my tips.
Need List
Step 1
Clean/blast the intake. Aluminum must be clean to weld properly.
Step 2
Bevel the edges of intake and bar to be welded to intake.
Red is intake, blue is the 3/8" bar, and gray obviously the weld.
Step 3
I tack weld the bar on, then I weld the injector side first to get some heat built up in the intake. I then do the gasket side followed by the ends.
Step 4
You will also notice I put extra weld on the valley side of the front and rear water jackets. This gives the gasket a bit more surface area to seal. I have seen a lot of people not do this, and it works I just feel that extra bit of weld is a lot of insurance to help prevent water into the oil, which if gone unchecked could ruin a motor.
Step 5
After welding you obviously will need to remachine the gasket surface. I have a jig I built that allows me to hold the intake at the proper angle. I then use a dial indicator to align it within .001. With a fly cutter you can machine the complete surface in 1 swipe, taking minimal off. I usually only need to machine .005 off the main surface, of course the welded area will be up highter.
In the picture below you can see I am on the 2nd side, the first gasket surface has been milled and deburred. Looks factory. :tup:
Step 6
Deburr, clean up and ready to install. (assuming you have the heads drilled already)
Need List
- Syty Lower Intake
- 3/8" 6061 square aluminum bar
- Tig welder
- Milling Machine
- Sandblast/Beadblast
Step 1
Clean/blast the intake. Aluminum must be clean to weld properly.
Step 2
Bevel the edges of intake and bar to be welded to intake.
Red is intake, blue is the 3/8" bar, and gray obviously the weld.
Step 3
I tack weld the bar on, then I weld the injector side first to get some heat built up in the intake. I then do the gasket side followed by the ends.
Step 4
You will also notice I put extra weld on the valley side of the front and rear water jackets. This gives the gasket a bit more surface area to seal. I have seen a lot of people not do this, and it works I just feel that extra bit of weld is a lot of insurance to help prevent water into the oil, which if gone unchecked could ruin a motor.
Step 5
After welding you obviously will need to remachine the gasket surface. I have a jig I built that allows me to hold the intake at the proper angle. I then use a dial indicator to align it within .001. With a fly cutter you can machine the complete surface in 1 swipe, taking minimal off. I usually only need to machine .005 off the main surface, of course the welded area will be up highter.
In the picture below you can see I am on the 2nd side, the first gasket surface has been milled and deburred. Looks factory. :tup:
Step 6
Deburr, clean up and ready to install. (assuming you have the heads drilled already)
