Being determined to keep my vacuum-collapsing silicone elbow, I am going to try it with a spring inside. Where do you get a 3" OD light spring like that? Hellifin I know! I bought a spool of .063" music wire from McMaster-Carr and rolled my own. It took three tries on my mini slip roll. Getting it to stay in the elbow required sizing the spring enough bigger than the ID of the elbow to maintain tension. Too big and the spring turns sideways inside the elbow and blocks the cross section. Anyway I got it in there, and I'm going to try it and see how long it stays inside in service. I predict that it will unwind and snake up into the blower and ruin the rotors. There is a place in England that supplies wire reinforced silicone elbows, I might order one if shipping isn't too bad, and drive with my Mikegyvered one in the meantime.

 

I would eliminate the silicone and replace it with a manderal 90, then use two staight silicones. Just a thought thats if you have room?

 

No room. My next option is to do as Linda did and weld on a short radius cast 90°. Or Whippled496, I meant.

 

i figured as much

 

your wire coupling looks good, but i think you would be better off with the solid 90. I had some tight bends and the cast 90's worked out real well. Its not quite as tight as the silicone one, but very close.

 

dont tell me you are going to take the chance that the spring stuff gets sucked in!!! Get someone who knows how to weld and get them to stick a stainless 90* on there, dont smoke the blower to save 3 days or a couple bucks!!

 

Thanks, green. The only option is a cast aluminum 90°. (Everything is aluminum.) Any mandrel bend is too large in the radius department, the cast elbows have a very tight radius. The reason for the silicone elbow in the first place was lack of room, not lack of welding ability (although I don't think I could weld a stainless bend to my aluminum tubing ). I am ordering one Monday.

 

Good deal. Thats going to be a sweet setup!

 

You will be happy you did that..

 

so how are the elbows coming along? Get them welded on yet?