The pipe bender has finally arrived!

Initial playing around with some old scrappy bits of pipe is promising, although it is going to take practice to get the feel for creating smooth large radius curves.

I intend to sell manifolds, Initially in two types, with a third to follow:

A bunch of banana type for under the car exhaust. To be used with side draft, semi down draft or full downdraft carb with separate inlet manifold (not included). This manifold I anticipate to be in the region of £130.

A outside exhaust for specials and "ulsteroids" 4 into 1 swept back to clear the front wheel. For use with semi down draft, up draft, or fully down draft inlet manifold. These I hope to be able to supply for £160 ish.

Eventually, a third type, when I have perfected it! This will be an Ulster style manifold, upswept, with tapered collector. My intention is to make these as close as possible in appearance to the genuine article. As Im sure many of you appreciate these will be quite difficult to make, will require a couple of jigs to be created and will take some time to build. I very much hope to be able to make these available for around £300.

I would appreciate notes of interest, if there is any, so I can gauge what demand there might be for each type. This would of course be just that, a note of interest, not any form of order.

I hope to make the prototypes of the first two types in April, once my Yacht work dries up as the boats go back into the water. So it will probably be May or June before any are ready for delivery. I am self employed and will make manifolds when there is a demand or when other work is short.

All the best

Stuart.

Location: Devon

Hi Stuart.

Please let me know when the "Ulsteroid" variety is available - £160 sounds fairly irresistable if it will overcome my wheel clearance problem! ("Plumber wanted" thread)

Location: Herefordshire (with an "E", not a "T"!)

Thank you Martin.

I have just invested in a quantity of pipe and other materials, so as soon as there is a wet day with no other indoors work to be done, its manifold play time.

Stuart.

Location: Devon

I made a complete inlet/exhaust manifold for a pre-war Minor and it cost the thick end of £250 just for the materials, including getting the pipes mandrel bent for me. Those sound like amazingly good prices.

Location: Just west of Cardiff

They will I'm sure, be reassuringly expensive, once on ebay.

Location: Devon

Would you be 'bending to order' for those of us planning something a little different? I found it awfully difficult to locate anyone interested in making small batches of bends in the right sizes. The minor needed 3 different bores for the exhaust and a different one again for the inlet.

I'd be very interested to see a picky of the kit you've bought, Stuart. Any chance?
hfh200 @ Hotmail.co.uk

Location: Just west of Cardiff

I know of sources of bends, ping me an email and ii will send you some info

Interested in the Ulster Manifold. What size tube will you be using?

Hi Sam, thanks for registering your interest.

The Ulster replica manifold is still in the planning stage at the moment.

If you would like to send me an email I will keep you informed.

Stuart.

Location: Devon

When I asked what size tube you was using, I meant for the Ulsteroid 4 branch manifold - as I understood you had already bought the tube.

Made a start on mine today, I'm using 32mm

Sam the 4 into 1 outside manifold will be in 30mm tube as will the bunch of banana type.

Stuart.

Location: Devon

Hello Stuart I would be very interested in the ulster style exhaust. I would like something as close to the original version as possible.

Thanks Ryan, I will let you know when I have something available, the Ulster type will be probably May/June.

The first 4 into 1 outside type is coming along between my other work, all the bends are now made. Bunch of banana type similar, 4 matching bends made.

Oh , I told you wrong, its 32mm tube.

I now have 3 weeks to cut back and polish three 30' yachts, antifoul another 4 and get my own ready, so manifolds will only progress on wet days.

Stuart.

Location: Devon

The first "Bunch of Banans" type manifold is just about finished, I'm just waiting for the paint to dry then I will take some pictures and post them here.

Stuart.

Location: Devon

So here it is, the first Palmer manifold!





This type is £160.

Location: Devon

Hi Stuart, I have just bought a 7 Special project, and see that your manifold looks like the one on my car! Are you producing any yet?
Many thanks, ian

Location: France

Hi Ian

Yes I have made a few bunch of banana ones, all sold now and a prototype 4-1 outside exhaust type, which it on our Ulsteroid for testing. At the moment I am building them to order as my other work is quite busy. I anticipate making some for stock in February as that is a slack time on my other jobs.





I am developing a proper Ulster type manifold with tapered pipes and upsweep, but lack of time is holding that up somewhat!

All the best

Stuart

ps if you post a picture I can tell you if its one of mine.

Location: Devon

Nice work Stuart. Certainly well outside my comfort zone.

I was always of the opinion that the most efficient exhaust manifold on a 4 cylinder engine would be a 4-2-1 system in order to optimise the exhaust pulses for better breathing - in addition the pipes should ideally be of equal length such as the one shown here?



but whether that's possible given the constraints of available space is another matter...

Reckless Rat

Nice work Stuart. Certainly well outside my comfort zone.

I was always of the opinion that the most efficient exhaust manifold on a 4 cylinder engine would be a 4-2-1 system in order to optimise the exhaust pulses for better breathing - in addition the pipes should ideally be of equal length such as the one shown here?



but whether that's possible given the constraints of available space is another matter...

Location: Devon

We did a fun trial in August. The engine actually produced enough power that we had to retire after 6 hills, as both me and my father had ripped an inner tube to shreds and we run out of spare wheels!

As an aside, tuned length manifolds are specifically banned for VSCC events, in the modified class. Other exhaust manifolds are available and used extensively for racing. These are also 4-1 with a significant difference in pipe lengths.

Location: Devon

Indeed Stuart this one I made for the RTC certainly doesn't hinder the engine making a healthy 70 BH

Location: Worksop Notts

How did you bend the pipes Ian?

I didn't Dave, it's made up of loads of proprietary bends welded together and took ages and loads of messing around to get it to go where I wanted it to end up.

Location: Worksop Notts

Location: Devon

What you need is one of these:



Simon

Location: Auckland

Wow ! . Simon I want one. It looks expensive though., and you probably need a degree in computer programming to use it.
Regards Ian.

Location: Work (sheffield)

There are some very clever people about!

Location: Devon

Not everyone can class themselves as a "Master-Bender" Stuart!

Location: Devon

Location: Near M1 Jtn 28

Hi Brian , they're available (usually to order) from motor factors or off of eBay in any diameter pipe, all of the more common angles and in mild or stainless steel.

Location: Work (sheffield)

Thanks Ian, I'll look into that.

Location: Near M1 Jtn 28

Hi All
I had a 4 to 2 to 1 on my "Holly Birket" Ruby in the 60's.The final join to 1 was under the pasenger's feet. With a 30mm downdraft Zenith and buffer inlet manifold it was brilliant. I've still got it if anyone wants to copy it. I'm considering fitting to our Pearl.
Great to know we have a source of A7 plumbing.

Location: Beautiful North Hampshire

Ian,
That's what I call neat!
Where the blue blazes are the welded joins?
I can't see any, nor hint of any.

Geoff - Beats my welding.

Location: South Norfolk - Next to Suffolk

Just be thankful we only have four pipes to worry about!

Location: Auckland

I received a pipe bend in the post today from Auto Silicone Hoses Ltd with which to make a tailpipe for my 1931 RN.
It is in 32mm OD polished stainless steel with a 45 deg. bend and leg lengths of 6 inches (150mm if you prefer).
I have no connection with this company except that they offered what I wanted at a reasonable price and free post and if anyone is thinking of making a custom exhaust, they could do worse that looking at their on-line catalogue
I have fitted it over the stub pipe at the back of the silencer so as not to impede the gas flow.

Location: Near M1 Jtn 28

Competition Fabrications at Old Buckenham did this for me:

Location: Sunny Suffolk

I am currently working on this to fit a 30MOV Solex to my Cup Model.

Nigel Hamlin Wright

Competition Fabrications at Old Buckenham did this for me:

Location: Dorset

Douglas

Looks like a downdraft manifold with 90 degree adapter fitted, both available from Tony Betts (7 County A7s)

Stuart

Reliant Robin is a possible source, Douglas.


http://www.1stcalldeano.com/images/DSCF1751.JPG

Location: Cardiff

Stuart

Thanks I was just looking at Tonys website, after googleing ALR Manifolds.

Douglas

Location: Dorset

It is decades since I pondered much on the topic, but in glancing thru the Internet I note a lot of emphasis on sizing for velocity. It would seem care is necessary in adopting calcs intended for 110 % vol efficency engines to sv Sevens where the gas throughput is much less. Similarly, for road cars peak power around 3500 to 4000 is probably desirable to maintain speed on slight gradients. Whilst any separated pipe system is an advantage, short pipes for racing and designed to peak far above these revs not ideal.

And re the stock manifold, has anyone tried the blind end stub as experimented with on a Reliant in early editions of the Philip Smith book? Could be useful in winter.

Bob Culver

Location: Auckland

Hi Stuart,

Sorry to trouble you; but have you any of the Speedex style manifolds for Specials available please. I have recently purchased a Speedex chassis and wish to use a period styled exhaust similar to what would have been available from Speedex at the time.

Kindest regards,

Mark

Tel: 07834032188

Tony Betts has a genuine Speedex one for sale at the moment for £275 - see his website and scroll down the page.

http://www.7ca.co.uk/used_parts.htm

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Jeff, I think Mark is referring to the outside exhaust type rather than the bunch of bananas one.

The type i currently make is based upon the speedex manifold, but has a modified no1 pipe to clear wheels larger than 15", unlike the original. I could however make one like the original speedex, the only real difference being the No1 pipe coming out in a constant curve rather than tucking in as mine does.

Location: Teignmouth Devon

Hi Stuart,

Would it be at all possible for you to give me a quick call or email reply regarding your manifolds, I have a need to buy one from you and to put to you a pattern for another that I may want replicated.

Kindest regards,

Mark Ranger

Tel: 07834032188

I wanted to make a new system for an odd-ball Alta engine in our Morris. Not wanting to buy a million small bends to weld together, I bought a motorcycle manifold from a bike that had been written off. The pipes are, strangely, double skinned. This meant that once the outers had been cut and the ends removed it was possible to get 2 different sized tubes from each section. Adding a couple of simple Ebay 90-degree bends for the inlet I made this...



This represents probably the cheapest way to make a design for a pro to copy if you can't do your own welding to the necessary quality. If someone needs to make a one-off then this might be useful info? The time taken to make this up was about 7 days in total so the ones Stuart makes are great value!

PS If anyone has an A7 Alta head going spare then I'd be keen to get one.

Location: Cardiff

Contact was made, unfortunately I was on the M5 at the time....

Rob, you are quite right the manifolds are quite time consuming to make, this has lead me to have to increase the prices slightly. The Bunch of bananas type are now £180 and the standard outside type are £200.

Rob, I have an Alta head I would be willing to sell, please email me.

rally200022@yahoo.co.uk

Stuart.