Hey Guys, give me a little advice on material you think I should use....

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.....building a 514cid Caddy motor for my second tbucket project and I want to build this intake, however I will use 2x4's instead of the Strom 97 setup seen in the actual pic....the drawing was done by a fellow tbucket club member and the only difference is that there will be no rect flaring out on the intake flange...will run straight tube...also, Caddy's use a valley pan so there will be flat plate stock running under the plenum....Ive got the intake flanges planned out to be cut for 3/8" steel, runners need to be 2.25" and plenum I am thinking of 4"...question is what thickness to use on the tubing for the runners?.....and what type?.....how can I bend them to these angles at home if possible?  Thanks in advance, will post pics when I get ready to start....initially I was going to build the intake BEFORE I had the machine work on the block/heads, but have since been advised not to as there will be some machining done to the cylinder decks as well as the cylinder surfaces, which MIGHT throw off the fitment when I try and installed AFTERWARDS....Starting on Numero Dos tbucket
Reply:You will need a dummy block and heads tourqued down before you do anything..I built a 427 Ford Intake that started out as sheet aluminum..Mucho hrs and alot of thinking...http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread...ghlight=IntakeDont get me wrong but have you attempted anything like this before??We'll take it from there.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Aluminum will be easier to work with if you want to do any port matching or anything of that nature.  Otherwise, mild or SS will work fine.  Wall thickness depends on material.  3/32 to 1/8" is common for the runners and plenum for AL, you can get by with less if using steel.  You could try to mandrel bend them yourself, but 2.25 is an oddball size to have on hand for a bending die.  I would either look into using prebent exhaust tubing for the runners, or for aluminum, try a company like Race Parts Solutions.
Reply:Zap....to answer your question, No I have never built an intake before and will only most likely do the cutting, mock up and tack it all together really well and either farm out the finish welding or if I get pretty good with the mig, try it myself......I'll use my block and heads and most likely make a few trips to the machine shop due to this.....right now, I'll gasket match the intake ports and do the bowl work, then send them over to get resurfaced to square......the block, I'll send over to have it shot peened again, zero decked, bored....then bring it home, torque the heads down and build the intake...then take it apart and send everything back to have cleaned and the cam bear's installed as well as the balancing.....the caddy's intake doesnt have any water in it and since I'll run the valley pan as part of the intake, shouldnt have anything else to consider as far as the construction goes....I know the using straight tubing isnt the most ideal setup, like you did on yours, tapering the runners down to the port, or the plenum isnt ideal for all out performance, but willing to sacrifice a little ft lbs of torque for the look....afterall, I think this Caddy motor will hav ea little to spare, 'specially in a 1900lbs car.........wasnt sure where your question was going, more toward the actual building (cutting, fab'n, fitment, welding) or the construction (plenum, runner size, cfm volume) of the intake so I hope I answered both...either way, I think I can and have enough good reliable sources, this board included, to ask any questions along the way if I should get stumped.Supe.....want to run steel as I have never even attempt Alum...well with a stick welder one time....ugly....anyway, steel would be much easier for me to use as I am set up to use it, except for the bending part...wasnt sure about exhaust tubing as I really never considered it as I thought it wasnt "thick" enough or might be tricky to weld....anyway, just never welded with it and may pick up a few pieces from Autozone and make a couple test runs. If it matters, most everything on the car will get powder coated so good solid, pretty welds are needed as I really dont want to smooth much out....like to the "raw" look of beads.....which has always been much easier for me to get pretty welds with thicker steelStarting on Numero Dos tbucket
Reply:Well just take your time..Make up cardboard mock ups before playing with real aluminum..Will save $$$$ in the end..I'll be happy to help..I just have a diffrent way about doing things.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Sorry I did forget to mention this and it is pretty important fact to leave out...the intake flanges and center section (valley pan) will be cut out using a waterjet that a fellow Caddy builder has used to cut exh flanges....we go back in forth, using a similair program pluggin in measurements for the flanges and will eventually get everything down....then he will cut one out and test fit it on a head he has....the valley pan, I'll have him make it about .25" wider on both ends and shave it down on the final fitment...so it will be a 3-piece, flange-valley-flange setup, that way I can trim, grind where I need on the steel.... I think this .25" should be enough to compensate for any machine work, after all I am hoping the deck doesnt have to be machined that much to get it to 0.Thanks for your advice and I have stocked up on cardboard, learned that the hardway on my first tbucket.Starting on Numero Dos tbucket
Reply:Thanks for your advice and I have stocked up on cardboard, learned that the hardway on my first tbucket.__________________