Toda V1 Manifold. Inconel or Stainless????

[KieranEG6]

Hi just wondered if anyone could confirm if the early Toda V1 B series manifolds were made from Inconel or Stainless. I have one and was thinking of welding up the sleeves but need to find out what its made of first before I start splattering it.

I have researched metal Identifying techniques but most include me taking a grinder to it and observing the sparks or extreme melting temperatures. Neither of which I want to be doing to my Toda.

I was sure I read I while back that the early V1 Sleeved and sprung manifolds where Inconel. (Nickel-chromium Super alloy)

 

[fljoshua129]

This may be a bit of a shot in the dark, but Nickel-chromium is noticeably lighter than stainless steel. I don't know if it would be possible to find the weight of the V2 and compare your V1?

:Edit: Actually scratch that, they probably just use thinner stainless steel on the V2 to keep weight down.

Maybe contact Toda?

 

[oscarsayco]

Nickel / chrome if im not mistaken that is the coating if that is comfirm by the experts that leads me to think that your header is from a different material other than stainless...
either way as long as is not cast you shold be able to tig weld it either with stainless filler rod or carbon filler rod with 100% argon gas....

 

[Puggie]

I believe from talking to the UK distro, if it has a bolt type flange from the manifold to the cat than its stainless, if the whole system (Manifold, B pipe and rear box) is slip fit and springs with no cat, then that is the 'race' version which is inconel. Weight wise there is not much in it (inconel is actually slightly heavier than stainless, its just much better under high temps) but you often find 0.6 and 0.4mm thickness inconel used in exhaust systems, stainless is rarely thinner than 0.8mm.

 

[KieranEG6]

Thats what I was hoping. It was said to be a slip jointed manifold that was inconel. An the confusion must have spread that it was all early v1 manifolds that have slips on throughout before the collector.

I'll give it a test with stainless.

 

[Filo83]

I have V1, slip joints are only for look

 

[Puggie]

This was my old Toda system and this was all inconel except for the tailpipe beyond the silencer and silencer hanger which was (probably 304) stainless:

Note there are no flanges on the entire system, all pipes are slip fit. If your manifold has a bolt on flange to fit a cat then I believe its a 304 stainless manifold, if it straight slips onto the b-pipe with springs to secure it as above, then its inconel. A simple test is try and polish it, I tried to polish up a 10" long section of that manifold using wet/dry+WD40 as lubricant then hard (sisal/cotton stitched) buffs with a decent hard polish (Menzerma), after half an hour it still looked crap, I got the tail pipe looking like a mirror in less time.

EDIT:

the far right primary is the one i tried polishing for 45 mins!

ok this is after 2 years on the car, but you can see how its just not taken any real shine.