Exhaust Manifold Repair 

What is the purpose of selecting a straight flute drill bit? I understand why you'd go with carbide, but don't understand the advantage of the straight flutes....

Hey Adam, Good job, Sometimes cast iron welds can be a real problem. All the extra carbon in the cast iron basically makes tool steel out of the molten weld metal. Its always the simple ones that are a challenge. Thanks for sharing. I'm happy to see you using the bent coolant nozzle rod. Cheers, Tom

Hi Adam Enjoyed watching the video on your setup up in the mill. As a novice I have a question....could you have turned a short mandrel on the lathe to lengthen the drill bit using silver solder to hold the bit in the turned mandrel? This is for my education...any issues doing it? It appears the drill worked on the second hole with the first hole assisting with the alignment...as you said tolerances were not a big issue. Chuck

Great job Adam, that was a tricky setup. Got me feeling a little philosophical... I just spent 30 minutes watching a man drill a hole, and was enthralled. It reminded me that the existence of people who really care about doing the best job that they can do are the reason we're no longer living in caves.

Your videos have taught me so many techniques for problem solving. This amateur really appreciates the talent you share. Many Thanks!

Great work, I would suggest a long center drill, but you made it without it. Easy for us to make suggestions after the fact. Nice vids, keep up the great job.

Hi Adam what is the butterfly valve's function. Yamaha used to fit a valve in the exhaust of bikes like the RD350 (which was a two stroke) and when that opened, at something like six thousand revs (I forget the exact RPM) the bike accelerated very quickly, selling that bike was in hindsight stupid. Ho well life goes on.

My HS machine shop instructor use to say never use oil when cutting cast iron, it will harden up the cutting area. [I don't know why but, he seemed to be right, as you see here the HSS bit dulled] Great repair job, carbide is best as you started out with.

Nice job Adam, I wasn't doing the job but I had that feeling every time it made a squeak that something was going to snap, I'm sure you know what I mean. looking forward to part 2

Hi Adam, great way to handle a tough situation! that nickel rod can be very tough to deal with, it really can cause voids, carbon pockets and a chilled condition. I have been much more likely to do all cast iron repairs the last few years with bronze, be it by flame or weld, I've never tried the straight flute drills, they look like a great way to go. Another great video, thanks ....... Mike

This job presented some unique challenges for sure. Looks like you handled them expertly. Great Job Adam!

Hi Adam, I think I'd have ground a split point on the HSS drill for a little less chance of drifting on entry... But it seems to have worked out... :o] O,

Running a round column mill for 10 years I got real used to using the feed handwheel on a regular basis. It's good for slow controlled movement. Looks like you've got the tough part over with in drilling the manifold. the bushes should be a piece of cake now! :-) Colin

Your attention to every small detail reminds me of something my grandmother used to repeat oftentimes as she raised me, “Everything matters...EVERY THING M A T T E R S!” Some things you just never forget.

Great idea using the level to help set things up. But with that carpenter's level you're off by a "country mile". LOL There's a story from my uncle and grandfather. My uncle had set up a work bench in his basement and was proudly showing his father how level it was. Well, my grandfather got out his machinist's level and the bubble all but disappeared. It took something like a piece of cardboard under the one leg to bring the bubble back into range. LOL

We have to all chip in and buy him a DRO

Wonder if a fellow could sharpen up/split point a masonry bit and carefully peck away. Being carbide tipped and all. Think I just gave myself an experiment project for a slow day in the shop here when I get around to fixing the manifold on my car.

Yikes. Close encounters of the 4th kind, when your drill can't get past certain obstacles. Goes to show that careful measurement and a level mind can get you through anything.

Quick Draw MaGraw, what else can I say. Interesting Video.

Hi Another good job. I was wondering why you didn't use a pilot hole for the bottom hole or even a long series end mill instead of a drill. Anyway you did it. Your videos are better than a lot of stuff on Netflix Adam.

Hi, Good work. Interesting approach. It would be easy to just measure, cut the pin and re-install since you already have the 0 point calibrated, just a suggestion.

Good job Adam, that was interesting to see how you rethought your approach and got the hole through.

Ive worked on those old exhaust manifolds and there not to hard to work with. Especially with old broken studes.

Well that was interesting, nice work Adam, thanks for the hump day video

Keep wondering if it sits flat or 90 flipped. Given i am just another idiot giving an opinion, for free. Like the vids and workshop.

Good job Adam. Boy that sounded like a hard material! Could you have made an extension with a couple of set screws to extend the bit?

Good job, in a situation like that I would normally drill through the top, then chuck up a long centerdrill (I have a set that is about 6" long) and spot the bottom, then drill the rest of the way through. With the top of the bit supported in the upper hole and a center drilled spot on the bottom you are assured of having a good straight bore. Love the videos, its a great learning experience to see how all the guys on youtube approach a job differently. Its amazing how many tips and tricks I have picked up from seeing how other people approach a job.

Nice work, Adam. It's always a bitch when you have to change horses in the middle of the stream. But your knowledge and tenacity came through. BTW, when are you getting your little anvil like Tom? Thanks again! Regards Dave

50 mbg and we are set .... Just joking Adam

hey Adam what about a long and bigger center drill might help.

I hope I never have to drill through a weld I have never seen it done till you did it !!!

Steve, the butter fly is called a heat riser. It is old school used on carburetor cars. when the engine is cold the butter fly is closed. This forced exhaust gas from one side of the engine the flow through a passage under the carburetor heating it up faster. There is a bi-metallic spring to open the value when the engine warms up.

Great job, Adam! :) Is there a continuation to this? Love seeing your machining videos! :)

Got behind on my video watching. Glad to see it is working out for you. Was happy when I saw that little pile of chips start falling from the bottom when it started coming through.

Quick question, when you have to buy a tool for a specific job, do you bill it out with the job or just a portion of it to help cover the hard costs?

i watched the whole series and saw no mention, figured people would like to know these parts are from a 1960-1961 MOPAR 413 cross ram.

Should've used a cobalt drill bit

Nice work Adam looks like the hole is spot on.

That single flute drill worked great. I've made a few for drilling soft materials and they never grab exiting the hole. Have a good one.

Your text message notification is the same as mine but, man I was looking at my phone thinking I was going nuts for a minute before it dawned on me what happened. Ha! Hey, thanks for your videos Adam.. I appreciate what you're doing.

Adam, as I was watching I thought of the drill extension idea but figured keeping it straight would be tricky, and then I thought you might make a fixture from a plate with an alignment pin on it, centered under the chuck, then flip the manifold over with your first hole on the alignment pin and drill the second hole from the other side. Then I saw your solution...get a longer drill bit. I guess that's the difference between a pro and a newb! LOL! Thanks for the edumacation! -- Mike

Years ago I was working in a machine shop where they had a similar situation on a pump that had been weld repaired on a cast iron component. Drills would dull in seconds. One of the machinists came up with an idea. He took a piece of solid rod and machined it to the appropriate diameter. When he was done, he machined a groove centered across the end about 1/4" deep and 1 radius wide. We had some Stoody tubular welding rod that was filled with tungsten granules that was normally used for hard banding drill pipe. He knocked the flux of the rod and used tig to apply it fusing it on the high sides on the end of the rod and ground the outside diameter back to size. Although it took three applications, the tungsten was so course and rough that it eventually ground its way through to the other side. The slot acted as a receptacle for the cuttings that was blown clean with compressed air every time he retracted the homemade bit.

Could you chuck the drill in a small boring head or small mill holder that will clear the manifold pin? Maybe you can cut a flat on the carbide drill shank for the setscrew, with a diamond abrasive some way. Of course the job is long gone by now, LOL.

This video calls BS on most of those who claim to work within .0001" tolerance. Y'all can see how hard it is to simply adjust to within .0005" because of how sensitive the indicator is.

Adam, I must say that was the most interesting hole I have ever watched being drilled. The attention to detail is something else. I am always picking up little things that I hope I can apply to my projects sometime or another. As always, thanks for taking the time to share your work here!

I've never seen a HSS drill bit struggle that much. Then again, I've never drilled anything but mild steel. Quiet surprising.

I know this happened four years ago, but I couldn't help wondering, when the spindle hit the pin and the carbide drill couldn't go on: why not cut the pin off, go on through with the carbide drill, then return the spindle to the place where the pin went, and drill a hole for a stud that would serve as a replacement for the pin? That hole was already located, and would have had a centerline that was parallel to the centerline the carbide drill had traversed.

The pin couldn't be removed? Thanks for the video Adam.

Next time try a masonary drill bit. They have the length, plus the carbide tip. You do have to do a little rework on the cutting edge though. Great video bro.

hi adam nice little interesting job i used to hate drilling cast especially snapped exhaust flange bolts i used to heat the hell out of the piece before trying to remove the bolts if the snapped 9 time out of ten the holes would go oval so i used to take the manifold off and drill them on the drill press so they wouldnt go out of shape i used to drill them out just short of the bold size so i could get a tap down and clear the threads out or if that didnt work drill the threads out and put a helicoil in for the bolt by the way feeling a bit better today antibiotics are working with the steroids and the new inhaler keep the great videos coming

Hi Adam,looks like a cast iron manifold ?don't lubricate it has carbon already,Rich

I'm glad the HS drill worked. My first thought was to make an extended mandrel to hold the carbide drill but it would have doubled the work to make a tool you'd probably only use once.

Your making a reparjob to a very interessing Movie! Thanks!

good job on the maifold drilling and set up. thanks for sharing.

You couldn't just bend that pin..or remove it and weld it back on???

Tom, why don't you use a concrete drill bit? They seem to work at low speed in hard metal.

already zero'd on the pin I would have cut it off a put in a new one...its rusty anyways :)

I would have just gone with an extra long length center cutting end mill. But, what do I know.

Too bad you couldn't have pulled that pin once you got your measurements out of the way.

Would a collet mounted drill chuck have solved the pin interference issue?

Does he shower ?

There was a moment there I thought we might see some silver soldering of an extension for that bit to get through to the bottom hole. damn maybe next time!

Man, I wish I had somebody close to me who works like you! Nice job!!

I see now a reason for a new tool. ME TOO! ME TOO! Awesome video.

Great job

Nice

You never did mention why there is a valve in the manifold.

Nice repair Adam.

Forgive my ignorance, but that straight drill bit looks a lot like a reamer. What is the difference?

Good job.

Another interesting watch, thanks for the upload, and i had a question if you don't mind. That alignment pin, it is just pressed on isn't it? Can't you pull it out to make the job easier?