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MorrisonFab

Supporting Vendor
314
1,069
May 28, 2017
Johnson Creek, Wisconsin
Hey fellow members!

We recently released a tech article about what a turbo manifold does and took part in a podcast with HP Academy that briefly went over some of it, too.

We had been thinking about doing an Ask Us Anything (in relation to our work) and right now seems like the perfect time!

What questions do you have for us? Is there something you’ve always wanted an answer to about exhaust manifolds or our business or about what we do differently, etc. but never asked?

We may not reply in a super timely manner as we are diligently working at getting caught up with current orders and getting our lead time back down- but we will respond!

Cheers,
Matt and Samantha
 
You cater to the customer's every whim and build the manifolds around what the customer wants, but you rarely talk about your own favorite setups.

What turbo/turbine/manifold/downpipe/wastegate configurations do you think best suit specific applications and goals? Is there a turbo/manifold combination that shines more than others? Are there setups that you think are looked over, or underappreciated? Are there things that customers routinely do that don't work?
(coming from a guy who ordered an unnecessarily complex system for a modest goal, with a lot of special requests)
 
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I listen to the podcast. Great information that will help me decide my personal setup in the near future with you guys. What size is the detached garage that you guys work out of? What are some other machines you guys use in there besides welders?
 
How long will take a newb to get to your level of welding?
Everyone picks up tig welding at different speeds. I've taught people who caught on with a one hour lesson and i've had people who barely made progress with 4 hours worth of lessons.
 
I enjoyed the HPA podcast too and I am looking forward to placing an order with you in the near future. Thank you for continuing to support the DSM community!
 
Years ago I was running a tdo5h 20g with an open 3" downpipe. I ended up bolting a 3" in/out muffler directly to the downpipe and I feel the car picked up a ton of power everywhere under 3.5k rpms. When telling ppl that they always say there's no way, that we want zero backpressure post-turbine wheel as possible.

Will a open exhaust perform better EVERYWHERE on a turbo car? Or are there times that a little backpressure is beneficial?
 
Show us more about your DSM's Matt and Samantha, short video with builds. I've only seen a short dyno video where Samantha had on ear muffs.
 
In your opinion, what is the most complex turbo manifold to construct? It doesn't have to be a DSM manifold. :hmm: :)
 
You cater to the customer's every whim and build the manifolds around what the customer wants, but you rarely talk about your own favorite setups. What turbo/turbine/manifold/downpipe/wastegate configurations do you think best suit specific applications and goals? Is there a turbo/manifold combination that shines more than others? Are there setups that you think are looked over, or underappreciated? Are there things that customers routinely do that don't work?
(coming from a guy who ordered an unnecessarily complex system for a modest goal, with a lot of special requests)
Can honestly say we really enjoy every setup and appreciate the nuances of each. Simple T3 setups making 900whp+, modest turbo sizes that have a ton of area under the power curve, bolt on, v-band, all business, at the compressor limit, effortless power at lower boost, just what gets you the most excited about the car/setup. Too many offerings to mention everything but if there is a specific one we can certainly list off a bunch of things we like about it. Our current "favorite" highly depends on what we are welding up at the time :)Can never decide on our own cars, either.
We have personally had great experiences with divided setups, and divided T4 being the most common and plentiful for turbo options. Also a well matched runner size for the goals.
Often saw the more basic setups overlooked/overshadowed when standard placement stuff works out really damn well. Potent is a word we've often used for them.
There is often a misconception that larger wastegates are for more boost. But a larger wastegate is for allowing a lower boost level. Or the same idea of using two wastegates on an open setup- allows less boost to be run. There can be reasons to do so, and very different requirements depending on the turbo and setup, but that overall idea of more wastegate=more boost is backwards.


How long will take a newb to get to your level of welding?
Likely not very long, there are tons of better welders out there. There are some tricks/trial and error to overcome the more difficult aspects that you accumulate with time though
I listen to the podcast. Great information that will help me decide my personal setup in the near future with you guys. What size is the detached garage that you guys work out of? What are some other machines you guys use in there besides welders?
Thank you! The main workspace is the size of a one car garage with the welding area partially partitioned off in the back.
Bandsaw, belt grinder, multiple bench grinders/wheels, hydraulic press, drill press for the main machines we use.
Years ago I was running a tdo5h 20g with an open 3" downpipe. I ended up bolting a 3" in/out muffler directly to the downpipe and I feel the car picked up a ton of power everywhere under 3.5k rpms. When telling ppl that they always say there's no way, that we want zero backpressure post-turbine wheel as possible.

Will a open exhaust perform better EVERYWHERE on a turbo car? Or are there times that a little backpressure is beneficial?
For a turbo application, we can't think of a situation where backpressure after the turbine is beneficial for power unless there is another underlying cause that is being masked or band-aided. That starts to get into a lot of speculation though.
It would be interesting to see an improvement if all else was the same in a log.
Not saying this is it, but have personally noticed a stronger "feel" of a car when it's far less noisy to get up to speed after putting an exhaust on. Feels like it takes less effort even if it's just a different noise to "go" ratio
Show us more about your DSM's Matt and Samantha, short video with builds. I've only seen a short dyno video where Samantha had on ear muffs.
There are some old ones floating around somewhere of track passes and events but mostly street cars doing street stuff ;)
Will have to sort through sometime
In your opinion, what is the most complex turbo manifold to construct? It doesn't have to be a DSM manifold. :hmm: :)
The two that first come to mind are DSM manifolds, the old style "Mr Peepers" divided T3 with the single wastegate provision, and the consolidated 4-2-1 style top mount. Some of the stock replacements are up there with very involved/specific collectors and very tight space constraints.
The T3 divided single wastegate provision and collector tailored to work with it required a lot of time, attention, and extremely precise fitment. More than some entire manifolds and many points of no return if there was any mistake welding the difficult to access parts (and there are many).
The consolidated top mount took a LOT of trial and error to get the routing to work out just right and clear everything, with multiple dedicated fixtures to make sure it all lands where it needs, and is kind of like fitting up 2x manifolds at the same time and each affecting the other. A top mount is already a bit trickier accounting for weld shrinkage at each weld seam and requiring extra paired segments to exactly line up leads to a lot of back and forth triple checking.

Thank you all for the great questions!
 
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Well I am Pleased and Proud to show off my manifold. It kinda sticks out like :WOW...WTFIT?.
Thank you Matt & Sam!!! :thumb:
 
Though I changed pace with my car and went with a completely different set up to where my large runner t3 manifold was no longer in the equation, I will say it was by far the most quality hand made piece I’ve ever purchased for any of my junk. Now if Erik would bolt that thing on to his car already and shoot it into the 8s…
 
I want a nice daily setup, I currently have a small 16g with 3" turbo back including the housing; would replacing stock 2g manifold be beneficial or the gain is not that much to make a difference? I do plan on in the future to maybe go big 16g or 20g.
 
Well I am Pleased and Proud to show off my manifold. It kinda sticks out like :WOW...WTFIT?.
Thank you Matt & Sam!!! :thumb:
Proud to be a part of your build!
I appreciate you guys and everything you do for the platform! Do you plan to support any more modern platforms?
Thank you!
Maybe but these cars, the people and community are very near and dear to us :)
We know the in's and out's of them pretty well and can apply that to the final product while still continuing to learn a lot from them every day
No questions but wanted to say thank you for continuing to support our platform :hellyeah:
Thank you for the support :)
Though I changed pace with my car and went with a completely different set up to where my large runner t3 manifold was no longer in the equation, I will say it was by far the most quality hand made piece I’ve ever purchased for any of my junk. Now if Erik would bolt that thing on to his car already and shoot it into the 8s…
Thank you for the kind words and really liked that whole setup! That one photo after a few heat cycles was real nice, too.
Awesome that Erik went into the 8's and reset the record the other week! Crazy that how effortlessly he is making it look with a stock block.
I want a nice daily setup, I currently have a small 16g with 3" turbo back including the housing; would replacing stock 2g manifold be beneficial or the gain is not that much to make a difference? I do plan on in the future to maybe go big 16g or 20g.
For that setup we wouldn't be looking at the manifold. The gains tend to come with more aggressive camshafts with more overlap and where things tend to go the wrong direction during overlap with a factory manifold.
It's still likely that you'll require less boost to make the same power, and it's nice to do things more efficiently, but there is more to "clean up" once more aggressive camshafts are part of the equation or opening up the tuning window once you start pushing the setup harder and still want to stick with a bolt-on turbo.
 
What are the best value tig welders for a beginner. Name brand and off brands.
 
What are the best value tig welders for a beginner. Name brand and off brands.
Hey!
That's a great question and we wish we had a really awesome response; however, the only machines we've worked with were in school (Samantha) and they had decent ones to learn on or the one she bought back in 2015/2016 (a used Miller Syncrowave 200 which has been awesome for us and we are still using it).
We've heard great things about the Everlast machines (not sure if they're considered best value) and know people who have had good luck with the harbor freight ones for basic hobby stuff (not sure about full-time welding with them as we haven't heard anyone doing that).
 
Did you guys ever have trouble adapting to 321 stainless? I’ve been welding for several years and the whole 321/347 filler seems to just be harder to keep a consistent puddle profile. I’ve tried everything I can think of (angle of torch, amperage, flow, pulse settings, etc). For some reason, I just haven’t been able to get a decent looking bead with 321. I think the only thing I haven’t tried is going above a 1/16” filler.

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Did you guys ever have trouble adapting to 321 stainless? I’ve been welding for several years and the whole 321/347 filler seems to just be harder to keep a consistent puddle profile. I’ve tried everything I can think of (angle of torch, amperage, flow, pulse settings, etc). For some reason, I just haven’t been able to get a decent looking bead with 321. I think the only thing I haven’t tried is going above a 1/16” filler.

321 with 347 filler definitely took some adapting to. It wasn't as different to weld as we initially expected years ago but definitely requires more attention. It doesn't seem to be as forgiving with any discoloration ahead of the weld puddle (if you did try to weld over any discoloration it will wander all over) and you can't get away with poor prep/cleaning (not to say yours is poor, but things like hitting the inside of the weld joint with a flap wheel as well). The base material itself plays a large role too, with some being better than others, and thicker (sch10) is more finicky than sch5 or 16ga as far as balancing full penetration, a nice cap, and minimizing heat input etc. Everything has to be just right to "flow" well and still has a smaller window for a consistent weld.
Make sure gas coverage is spot on, often a larger cup, trying different filler dabs/frequency, just getting more accustomed to how the puddle moves and the slightly "thicker" feel of 347 filler. Also make sure to end the final weld spot well.
I wouldn't think larger than 1/16" filler would help on a sch10 butt weld (likely upset the puddle more when filling) but each person's weld style can suit different filler sizes.

It makes 304 feel like a breeze afterwards :)
 
321 with 347 filler definitely took some adapting to. It wasn't as different to weld as we initially expected years ago but definitely requires more attention. It doesn't seem to be as forgiving with any discoloration ahead of the weld puddle (if you did try to weld over any discoloration it will wander all over) and you can't get away with poor prep/cleaning (not to say yours is poor, but things like hitting the inside of the weld joint with a flap wheel as well). The base material itself plays a large role too, with some being better than others, and thicker (sch10) is more finicky than sch5 or 16ga as far as balancing full penetration, a nice cap, and minimizing heat input etc. Everything has to be just right to "flow" well and still has a smaller window for a consistent weld.
Make sure gas coverage is spot on, often a larger cup, trying different filler dabs/frequency, just getting more accustomed to how the puddle moves and the slightly "thicker" feel of 347 filler. Also make sure to end the final weld spot well.
I wouldn't think larger than 1/16" filler would help on a sch10 butt weld (likely upset the puddle more when filling) but each person's weld style can suit different filler sizes.

It makes 304 feel like a breeze afterwards :)
Thank you for the detailed response.
 
Hello everyone

I’m in limbo right now i can’t make my mind if i should go t4 twin scroll or V band ?

Turbos I have in mind g45 76mm or the 73.9 from PTE

This will be on a race car automatic transmission.

Any suggestions


Bottom mount ? Or top

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Hello everyone

I’m in limbo right now i can’t make my mind if i should go t4 twin scroll or V band ?

Turbos I have in mind g45 76mm or the 73.9 from PTE

This will be on a race car automatic transmission.

Any suggestions


Bottom mount ? Or top

You must be logged in to view this image or video.
While I’ve never personally ran a v band set up I have had some hands on with them on a few local dsm’s I’ve worked on. What I can say we have found that what one company seems to use for a v band on their turbine housing is different from the next company locking in your options unless you’re willing to cut the flange off the manifold and change it if you go to a different brand. You go t4 twin scroll for say a Garrett, that flange is universal to PTE and Borg and everyone else not to mention eliminates dicking around trying to line the turbo up in the same position every time you take it off. Both routes have their ups and downs but it’s for these reasons if I ever went back to a “big turbo” I’d stick with a typical flange over v band.
 
While I’ve never personally ran a v band set up I have had some hands on with them on a few local dsm’s I’ve worked on. What I can say we have found that what one company seems to use for a v band on their turbine housing is different from the next company locking in your options unless you’re willing to cut the flange off the manifold and change it if you go to a different brand. You go t4 twin scroll for say a Garrett, that flange is universal to PTE and Borg and everyone else not to mention eliminates dicking around trying to line the turbo up in the same position every time you take it off. Both routes have their ups and downs but it’s for these reasons if I ever went back to a “big turbo” I’d stick with a typical flange over v band.
So t4 ? Because is universal ?
 
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