From: muratlanne@gmail.com   
      
   "Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1zfb9dwwe.fsf@void.com...   
      
   "Jim Wilkins"  writes:   
   ...   
      
   That is definitely an "outsourced" job.  Fortunately found local   
   machine-shop and then have friend who has good industrial lathe.   
   --------------------------   
      
   I found that I'd be lucky to get what I carefully specified (TL;DR) and   
   could forget about anything I’d merely hoped for. My small jobs were always   
   lower priority than bigger jobs for regular customers. Without understanding   
   machining I didn't know the easy versus hard ways to do things. I took a   
   night class but it didn't cover enough of the quirks of my R&D assignments   
   which were always about something not done before. That's why I bought a   
   lathe and mill once I owned a house to put them in. Being non-salaried I   
   could charge for the time I spent on them iteratively machining and   
   redesigning parts. For me that can be easier than fully designing them on   
   paper, as the incomplete part suggests improvements, and a modification in   
   the evening may make testing easier the next day.   
      
   I'm in the midst of outsourcing work I don't trust my ability for now, the   
   mild steel flanges rusted off the manifold pipe where it connects to the   
   catalytic converter, and off the exit from the OEM converter. I bought an   
   aftermarket converter locally and machined a mechanically clamped substitute   
   for the manifold flange. The connection is a graphite donut gasketed swivel   
   joint to isolate the engine's motion in its mounts from the exhaust. I just   
   replaced those mounts because the engine had destroyed one and torn the   
   other.   
      
   The hotrodder-recommended welders want to replace the swivel joint with a   
   fixed sleeve, apparently standard practice because it's easier for them than   
   replacing a flange in proper alignment. Next time showing the torn engine   
   mount should prove my point that this exhaust joint should remain flexible.   
   I've been making a clamp fixture to hold the new 304 SS flange in position   
   without blocking welding access as my current clamp does, and bought some   
   308L MIG wire to loan for this (or use myself) instead of the mild steel   
   ER70S6 they use now, even on stainless. I think I earned the necessary   
   respect by calling out the wire type before he looked to check, and having a   
   tank of Argon to loan. Monday I may talk to a supposedly expert stainless   
   exhaust welder if he's feeling better.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)