Tubular exhaust manifolds (Audi twin turbo V6) using schedule 10 304.

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I am just starting this project and as a welding noob may be biting off WAY more than I can chew, but I've always wanted to learn how to TIG weld so I'm using this project as an excuse/opportunity to try my hand at it. I'll post pictures and ask questions as I go. Any advice/trips would be appreciated!

Here's the "holy grail" as far as I am concerned... the kind of thing I can only dream of doing right now. This guy Markku at Agtronic Motorsport does amazing welding & fabrication work on VWs and Audis:





Here are some parts & materials I've collected so far for my project (including "brain lube"):




2002 Audi S4 Avant (wagon) engine bay:



My "welding corner":



I also have a "build thread" over on Audizine with more detailed info about the car project:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-build-thread.

[jakeru]

Looks like a fun project, Bradley! And a nicely equipped workshop.

Is that a 60CF argon bottle? IME, welding on stainless tends to really consume the Argon. Who are you going to for your gas? I like Central Welding the best here locally.

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Thanks, Jake! Other recent additions to the workshop include the Jet band saw and an 8" bench grinder. A chop saw might still be nice to have.

The argon bottle is an 80 cubic foot cylinder I got from Pacific Welding Supply down here in Tacoma (where I work). I think it cost me $200 after tax (filled with argon of course). They told me it's $25 to refill a 40 cu foot cylinder but I can't remember the refill price on the 80. In retrospect I wish I'd have gone with the 125 cu foot cyinder. That seems to be the largest size cylinder that's still manageable for one person, fits in your car, etc. I definitely need to shop around a bit, see how much AirGas charges. You're absolutely right... the argon goes fast! I have thought about getting a 2nd bottle, but for now I'm just tee-ing off the main feed to separate regulators for shielding gas and back purge.

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Since a couple people asked... here are some pictures of my old project car (which I no longer own). It's a 1988 Scirocco 16V with a 2 liter upgrade and custom GT30R turbo system. The car made 260 whp at about 10-12 PSI. I upgraded or modified almost everything as far as the mechanicals go: ported & polished head, dished pistons to lower CR, custom short runner intake, programmable engine management, late model 02J cable-shift gearbox with hydraulic clutch, custom 2.5" stainless exhaust, 11" brakes, etc.

I really wished I could weld back at that time, around 2004. It would have made a world of difference!

[Jason]

Nice cars. May I suggest that you try to make the manifold equal length. I don't think that motor is like the VR6 where it has different lengths in the head so all the primary's should be equal for best results. This is not required but it will be a benefit. I am a little bit too much into VW's. I have a few of them and one is a 94 Jetta that is getting an R32 motor built with forged internals, 3.6L crank, Lower compression and getting twin turbos. I am converting the car to AWD. Then my other current project is a 99 MK3 Jetta 12v VR which is in the process of a full list of stuff. The 12v will eventually get a turbo setup and be swapped into my 90 Jetta. Since your into VW/Audi I will post the build threads on our local forum.

12v VR build
R32 AWD MK3

I would love to see how your manifolds come out.

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Normally I would agree with you about the equal length runners but there just isn't much room to work with. The manifolds are extremely close to the frame rails, so space is limited and heat is also a concern. Here's another picture from Agtronic of a 2.7T with the type of turbos I am using (Garrett GT28xxR with the OEM/Nissan style compact 5-bolt turbine housing):



Mine will look similar but minus the external wastegates. I'm going to see if I can fit the internal WG canisters on my application. Easier said than done, of course.

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Here are a couple of pictures showing how little space there is between the exhaust manifold and frame rail:







Agtronic actually has an entire S4/A4 front clip that they use to test fit each custom turbo solution. The engine and gearbox in the pictures are actually empty (no internals) to save weight and make it easier to move around.