01/11/2026
And that brings us to the final design, which ultimately made its way into metal and was used in the build.
To give you an idea of just how compact this manifold is, there’s only 52mm between the cylinder head fl**ge and the turbo fl**ge. It’s TINY!
With traditional fabrication methods, producing a log-style manifold within such tight space constraints would be extremely difficult, particularly when you factor in the clearance required for the turbo actuator. Not to mention the poor flow characteristics typically associated with conventional “tee” style steam pipe manifolds. Not to mention that even though the engine is a 3 cylinder, it has 6 individual exhaust ports.
This is where 3D printing really comes into its own.
By using additive manufacturing, we can make full use of the limited space available, allowing us to start the curvature of the individual primaries directly from the face of the cylinder head fl**ge, rather than having to work around the limitations of traditional fabrication techniques.
I’ve attached a few cross-sectional images of the manifold so you can see how each primary flows into the turbo collector. I’ve also included an image of the cylinder head fl**ge, showing how the primaries are integrated into the fl**ge itself to maximise the available space. The same principle applies at the turbo fl**ge, allowing us to make the most of every millimetre.
Hopefully, this gives you a better understanding of the design process, the challenges we faced, and why we ultimately arrived at this particular design.
It’s a pretty good example of how 3D printing allows us to produce something that would be incredibly difficult, if not practically impossible, to achieve using conventional fabrication methods.
It was a great experience working with someone as enthusiastic as Marty on opposite sides of the globe. We really are in an amazing era of evolving technologies. Sending a 3D scan to a guy halfway round the world to finishing with a product ready to fit and make power.
