180 Mods.

[Barryh]

The chrome muffler tips I welded on are good for at least 10 more HP
The heat reduction in the engine compartment far exceded my expectations.

I'm not so much interested (at this time), in the larger carb. My PT sucks gas as it is, but the heat reduction in it's self, is a really needed improvement for longer engine life. Great out of the box thinking.

 

[Beechwood]

I'm not so much interested (at this time), in the larger carb. My PT sucks gas as it is, but the heat reduction in it's self, is a really needed improvement for longer engine life. Great out of the box thinking.

The conversion is a very simple solution and easy to do. The hardest parts to fabricate were the new manifold flanges. I have a Hyper-Therm 380 plasma cutter with worn consumables ( a real pain in the as.. to use, i'll be ordering new fine cut tips today ) so I had to do some grinding on the 1/4" flanges to get the proper fit.

 

[MossRoad]

On a side note, about how much does a low end plasma cutter cost and what types of consumables do they use? I know nothing about them and was just wondering. I also see some that say "includes compressor" so I'm assuming they need forced air for something? Also, how thick of material will they cut?

 

[Beechwood]

On a side note, about how much does a low end plasma cutter cost and what types of consumables do they use? I know nothing about them and was just wondering. I also see some that say "includes compressor" so I'm assuming they need forced air for something? Also, how thick of material will they cut?[/QUO

I paid $1075.00 for the 380 I think list is about $1200.00. My cutter will cut 1/4" stock with a fine quality cut, 3/8" cut with so-so- quality cut, and up to 1/2" severance cuts. My unit needs a remote air compressor with a good quality inline desiccant air dryer. The consumables are the electrode, swirl ring, retaining cap, and nozzle. Inline moisture is a plasma cutters worst enemy, it will chew up and distroy the nozzle tip and electrode very quickly

 

[Barryh]

Very nice, I will be curious to see what kind of performance gains you get once you add your your new carb / with your duals setup. I bet just the duals alone will make a big difference.

 

[Highridge]

Sweet! Love the chrome.

 

[pajoube]

Heres one more from the front.

Very nice job. Keep the pictures coming.
PJ

 

[J_J]

On a side note, about how much does a low end plasma cutter cost and what types of consumables do they use? I know nothing about them and was just wondering. I also see some that say "includes compressor" so I'm assuming they need forced air for something? Also, how thick of material will they cut?

David, A low end plasma cutter is only good for sheet metal work. Air condition work, duct work, any thin metal, you can cut fast and all day. These units will cut anything that is electrically conductive. Stainless, brass, steel, etc. For the kind of work that you and I do, I would recommend something like the Lincoln Procut-55. It cuts 3/4 in steel and will sever 1 in. It runs on 220V. Most units use external air, while some smaller units use 115v, and a built in air compressor. Good quality air is a must, oil free, and moisture free. The swril ring and tips cost varies with the machine. I use a drag shield on my cutter, it lets you lay the shield on the metal and just drag it, maintaining a set distance. That make it easy to get a good cut. I paid $1895 for mine about there years ago. If you shop around you can find deals. Ebay is a good source. Type in plasma cutter for your search.

 

[Beechwood]

JJ;
Where did you get your drag shield?, or did you make it up?. If I'm cutting patterns or straight line cuts I make up templates using 1/2" plywood, that gives me about a 1/16" stand off while I'm cutting. The drag shield would be a lot easier to use. Do you have the circle cutter adapter?, I was wondering how good the quality of cut is. My Hyper-Therm 380 gun is the pac110 , same as the miller spectrum 375, with fresh tips it will cut 1/4" stock all day ( sometimes I wish it were a little faster ) leaving a very clean edge. Its a great machine for my needs,budget, and amount of use, very rarely do I need to cut 3/8" + stock.

 

[J_J]

JJ;
Where did you get your drag shield?, or did you make it up?. If I'm cutting patterns or straight line cuts I make up templates using 1/2" plywood, that gives me about a 1/16" stand off while I'm cutting. The drag shield would be a lot easier to use. Do you have the circle cutter adapter?, I was wondering how good the quality of cut is. My Hyper-Therm 380 gun is the pac110 , same as the miller spectrum 375, with fresh tips it will cut 1/4" stock all day ( sometimes I wish it were a little faster ) leaving a very clean edge. Its a great machine for my needs,budget, and amount of use, very rarely do I need to cut 3/8" + stock.

Lincoln makes the drag shield for my plasma cutter. I do have a simple circle cutter, and it works quite well. For small circle cuts, I bend some strong wire into the shape that I want. They can be made el cheapo. The way it works is this, drill a hole in the center of the circle you wish to cut. Bend one end of the wire 90 degrees 1/2 in long. The longer wire will loop around the end of the torch tip. The radius is determined by the diameter of the circle you are cutting. You then light off the torch, and push or pull the torch tip around the circle. You could make several of these for say, 1/2 in, 5/8 in. 3/4 in, etc. Picture below is a commercial circle cutter, for plasma or gas cutting.

For more info, search the internet for plasmawiz.