Someone should try it.

I was hoping for a plastic/fibreglass design with longer runners.

 

My guess is that you have not actually done a manifold this way, have you?
I believe you would have more than 2 pieces...many more. You won't believe the costs.

There is a reason most aftermarket manifolds are cast aluminum. Just making a "simple" curved fiberglass duct involves multiple pieces.

Hey, if it were easy we'd all would be doing it!

 

The molds/forms to do it would not be as simple as described (especially if you expect to reuse them), but it could be done in 2 pieces.

Will polyester resin hold up though? For that matter, ‘glass tends to get nasty and fall apart if you let it get soaked with something. I would expect that there would be enough gas vapor, oil and assorted other BS in there to cause ‘glass to get nasty and fall apart quickly.

 

My air duct plug took me way over 200+ hours to get the desired fit and form needed. I wouldn't touch this "build it your self plastic intake" with a 10 foot pole.
And to who ever said just grind up some stock LS1 intakes for the plastic... NOT
There are two family types of plastic Resins.
Thermoform and Thermoset.
The thermoset family is a one time use and can not be regenerated.
Thermoform resins can be regenerated and used as a filler in a smaller percentage of the whole of the process. If one was to use 100 percent "regrind" from LS1 intakes "IF" it is molded from a Thermoform family resin it would split in to during the first couple of heat cycles it would go thru on a motor...
...if it even made it that far.
Sorry to brake your bubbles but take my advice, all 23+ years of plastics molding and first time mold try out
"JUST SAY NO"

 

If you could buy a block of material of which the LSx intake are made from then CNC that out into the intake.

 

Thanks for the background info on thermal plastic, I thought it would be alot simpler but apparently not. So long story short you need some very deep pockets to make this intake a reality.

I know the Mustangs had (not sure if its still available) a thermal plastic intake at their disposal.

Johnny

 

So any more info on the FAST plastic intake coming to SEMA? Will it outflow a ported LT1 intake? Runner size?

 

I wasn't even aware FAST was in the process of producing a plastic intake for our rides? I talked to them a couple years back and there was just no demand for it.

Johnny

 

It isnt for "our rides", but one might be able to adapt it.

The CNC process at that level for a one piece is physically impossible. There is a good reason the LSX is a 3 piece. Getting the insides of the runners with even the best CNC machines would be a nightmare. Then there's the fact that this is a composite - and the "grain" from a solid block would be very different from an injected mold. Some materials suffer heavily from this, some do not. Carbon Fiber, for example, is very strong when pulled lengthwise with the threads, but otherwise is like breaking saltines in half if it isnt done exactly right.

And if you wanted to program even the outside of our intake manifold to be duplicated for fitting purposes (like the plastic mockup engines used all over) you'd be looking at easily 100 hours of programming time and then testing the program once or twice to make sure it was accurate.

Then you'd have to get all the metal threaded inserts in there...

This is VERY difficult no matter how you do it.

 

no i havent made a manifold, but have used fiberglass before and the materials really werent that expensive, and with practice you can make pretty impressive pieces.
the labor would be expensive, but if youre making a one-off piece for yourself, thats free!

 

I've done a lot of work with carbon fiber and fiberglass. The biggest issue is selecting the proper resins and cloth. Then once that's done its molding it properly. I built a manifold at one point for a project - but I ended up making the "runners" out of wax, mating them to the main "plenum" and then coating it with a thin layer of resin, then glassing it like crazy, then all the finishing work. Then I melted the wax out.

I wouldnt do it again. Getting good flow and proper cross-section out of a single runner would take a lot of sanding and work. Then you'd have to match all 8 of them. Is it possible? Sure. But you'd be better off building other parts for your car with the time. Would I do it? Maybe for a one-off as you said. But for me, it's just not worth the 100-200 hours of time to do it when I barely have enough time to get to work, get to class, get home, fix things around the house, and do minor things and see friends.

I'd rather build another boat anyway

 

Here's a link to Wilson's website. It has a picture of the FAST/Wilson SBC composite intake on the front page. OldSStroker...this may be the one that you saw at PRI. I walked by their booth the first them, then glanced back and did a double-take at the manifold...pretty trick stuff!


http://www.wilsonmanifolds.com/

Kevin

 

So nothing for an LT1 yet ?

 

I said FAST is working on a plastic SBC http://www.wilsonmanifolds.com/news/12_30_04.jpg intake [it's a carb intake], not a LT1 plastic intake. I'm sure you could just change the bolt pattern just like I did on my "SBC" EFI intake thats bolted to "LT1 HEADS".
THen how would injector bungs and fuel rails be delt with???

 

I remember seeing that now!

Good question about converting to EFI. Maybe revert back to TBI