ninjette.org - View Single Post - Group Buy: EFI (Fuel Injection) Conversion Kit

greg737 · December 22nd, 2011, 03:40 PM

I used the blue-colored prep cloth that comes in pipe-soldering kits instead of sandpaper and, yes, I thoroughly cleaned the area afterwards with alcohol.

I know you guys have been tossing around the idea of where to go to have the welding of the O2 sensor bungs done, so here's my experience.

When I got my O2 sensor welded to my Area P mid-pipe I took it to the Automotive Hobby Shop guys at Fairchild AFB here in Spokane. They're friends of mine. They did a great job of making sure the placement/angle/alignment of the bung was perfect which was very important for my installation because, as you can see from the picture that @flynjay linked to in his next to last post in this thread, it had to be precisely placed to fit in the space between the engine oil pan and the Unitrak linkage. And I mean really precise because there was only a few millimeters of play in the installation that would allow me to get a wrench on the O2 sensor and turn it to install and remove the sensor. So that part turned out great.

But, as you can also see from the picture, the guy who did the welding wasn't that neat and tidy. It looks like a bird took a crap on my O2 bung. Oh well, I'm grateful for the careful placement and I can ignore the lumpy welding.

But here's where I could possibly have done better:
As I was taking the mid-pipe home that day I stopped off to pick up some stuff at a place where I bought a lot of my fuel system tubing and connectors. It's called "House of Hose" and they deal in all sorts of hose, tubing and connections needed by Spokane's auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, hydraulic mechanics, etc.

I happened to show them the mid-pipe and they all laughed at the weld. Then they went in back and got the guy who's job it is to weld up custom connections all day long. He showed me a few pieces of his work and it was beautiful (you know that type of weld that looks like a continuous row of perfect little fish scales?). He told me he could have easily done that on my mid-pipe, and he could have easily gotten the alignment perfect also.

So, I'm suggesting that there's probably an equivalent to "House of Hose" in any medium to large city in the U.S. And there's almost certainly a guy there who welds stuff all day long. He's the "welding artist" you're looking for, not some ham-fisted auto shop guy or muffler shop guy.

December 22nd, 2011, 03:40 PM	#199
greg737 - Name: - Location: - Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): - Posts: A lot.	I used the blue-colored prep cloth that comes in pipe-soldering kits instead of sandpaper and, yes, I thoroughly cleaned the area afterwards with alcohol. I know you guys have been tossing around the idea of where to go to have the welding of the O2 sensor bungs done, so here's my experience. When I got my O2 sensor welded to my Area P mid-pipe I took it to the Automotive Hobby Shop guys at Fairchild AFB here in Spokane. They're friends of mine. They did a great job of making sure the placement/angle/alignment of the bung was perfect which was very important for my installation because, as you can see from the picture that @flynjay linked to in his next to last post in this thread, it had to be precisely placed to fit in the space between the engine oil pan and the Unitrak linkage. And I mean really precise because there was only a few millimeters of play in the installation that would allow me to get a wrench on the O2 sensor and turn it to install and remove the sensor. So that part turned out great. But, as you can also see from the picture, the guy who did the welding wasn't that neat and tidy. It looks like a bird took a crap on my O2 bung. Oh well, I'm grateful for the careful placement and I can ignore the lumpy welding. But here's where I could possibly have done better: As I was taking the mid-pipe home that day I stopped off to pick up some stuff at a place where I bought a lot of my fuel system tubing and connectors. It's called "House of Hose" and they deal in all sorts of hose, tubing and connections needed by Spokane's auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, hydraulic mechanics, etc. I happened to show them the mid-pipe and they all laughed at the weld. Then they went in back and got the guy who's job it is to weld up custom connections all day long. He showed me a few pieces of his work and it was beautiful (you know that type of weld that looks like a continuous row of perfect little fish scales?). He told me he could have easily done that on my mid-pipe, and he could have easily gotten the alignment perfect also. So, I'm suggesting that there's probably an equivalent to "House of Hose" in any medium to large city in the U.S. And there's almost certainly a guy there who welds stuff all day long. He's the "welding artist" you're looking for, not some ham-fisted auto shop guy or muffler shop guy.