Engine Drivetrain 2nd Gen S Most liked posts in thread: Make your own Walnut Shell Carbon Blaster

Nice work MM and if you don't use it for carbon blasting it would make one hell of a pipe bomb.:devil:

 

Thing makes killer espresso.

 

Crikeys! Looks like it's ready for take off!

The fab work looks......................fab!

Just got my Clubby back from the dealer, it has now firmly reached warranty escape velocity, so I can now play with it all I want. Waiting for warmer weather first, then I'm going to go after the intake and see if it helps.

 

"Range.......Mark........open torpedo doors one and two......stand by for firing sequence".

Jim

 

It needs a big USA on the side. Looks like a Redstone Rocket.

That damn carbon don't stand a chance! :incazzato:

 

I have to say, I can't tell a lick of difference, maybe after some time/mileage I'll see a difference in fuel economy, but to me it runs exactly the same. But I was pretty tired tonight when I drove home (I did the work up at the schools shop), maybe I'll have a different opinion the next time I drive it....we'll see.

 

thanks MM, I knew it was in here, but I didn't remember which post....

You NEED the factory tube for the vacuum cleaner, otherwise you don't need anything exotic to do this. I just took a foot long piece of 5/16" brake line, cut the flare off one end and put the fitting that came with the Harbor Freight pressure pot over the remaining flared end, then carefully bent a 90 in the middle......I made the radius fairly large so that I could remove the fitting again and use the pressure pot as a normal sand blaster. My first attempt I bent the 90 at too tight a radius, then I couldn't get the fitting on the pipe - learned my lesson there.

I did not go thru nearly as much of the walnut shells as I thought I might, maybe 5- 8 lbs of the 25lb box I got from HF - be sure to buy the "fine" sized shells.

However, it's easier if you have two men, one to operate the wand, and one to control the valves on the pressure pot. the factory setup has a dual feed handle, that allows you to blow either air or air/shells mix with one hand. I could have done it myself, but it was easier with two people. I did the work at the shop at school where I teach, they have a REAL air compressor, I think my little home sized compressor would have done the job but we would have spent a lot of time waiting for it to catch up again using a nozzle as large as this. There's no way to see inside while you're blasting of course, so you just have to sorta feel your way along, moving the wand thoroughly in one side of the port, then pulling it back and angling it over to make sure you get the other side too....it didn't take too long per port once I got the hang of it.

I also did not open the feed side valve all the way, rather about halfway turned out to be enough.....but had the air on full blast. You want a lot of air volume and pressure.

Here's a pic of the pressure pot and wand....

 

Obviously the most time consuming and hardest part of the job is getting the intake manifold off and on again, and the hardest part of that job is just learning where the hidden fastener is (there is one, way down on the left side as you face the engine) and how to unhook the control valves and such that attach under the manifold. One tip, the two control valves are only attached using rubber, somewhat like an exhaust hanger.....you don't have to unbolt them.

Since you can't see the valves except with an inspection mirror - and my car is an automatic - I took the valve cover off so I could see the position of the valves and make sure they were closed on the cylinder I was blasting. I just used a socket and ratchet on the crank bolt to turn the engine over.

 

More More More

 

Well done, Metalman!

I'm in the process of building my own set up too.....I went ahead and bought the part that attaches to the head from MINI (thanks for the part number), and I also bought the 20 lb pressure pot blaster and walnut shells from Harbor Freight.

All I have left to do is make the wand that fits into the MINI part to do the actual blasting....I went down to the MINI dealer and they let me look at the "official" wand, to me it just looks like a piece of 1/4" ID metal brake or fuel line bent into a J shape. There's no orifice to speak of.....

I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to mate that to the handle that came with the blaster, but it might take finding a fitting that fits and brazing the pipe to it.....

The only other difference that I can see between what I'm doing and the official factory machine it that it has a two speed handle, it allows you to blow just compressed air without the walnut shells to help clean out the ports after you've been blasting them. I have an air gun with a long nozzle, I figure I can easily modify it to do the same thing, I'll just need an additional air hose.

Of course, it goes without saying you'll also need a clean dry source of compressed air and a good shop vac, both of which I have already.

So far I've spent about $140 for mine, including 25lbs of walnut shells.....another $10 for the wand ought to do easily finish it......

 

These parts available from ECS Tuning
Home Page > Search > ES2166079 > ES#2166079 Extraction Adapter - 81292208038


Home Page > Search > 81292208032 > ES#2166078 Strahlsonde MINI - 81292208032

Could save some cash for sure doing it yourself.