So myself and everyone I ride with crack and break off Muff pot/ Hot pot bases all the time. I've been wanting to make a base that is much stronger than these china aluminum ones. Has anyone done this yet? Was thinking of doing it in steel instead of Aluminum since the pipe is steel and pot is stainless steel. Any other ideas out there?
Great idea! My base is cracked too....don't really like the idea of having to buy a whole new set up when the pot itself is fine....yet I certainly don't like the thought of it breaking off while I'm out riding and whatever mess that might cause.
Well went ahead and made my own out of steel. The steel is a bit thinner gauge than the aluminum it replaces, but MUCH stronger. I got a 4x2 plate of steel at a local metal shop for $20. Will be able to make a bunch of these now if I want.
I drilled out the rivets on the clamp down plates (3/16" bit). Took the original Hot Pot base and hammered it flat for a template. Cut out the steel template with a jig saw and cleaned up the edges with a die grinder sanding disc. Bent the tabs on the new steel plate. Drilled out new rivet holes with a 3/16" bit. Then riveted back on the clamping plates. Took a cutoff to the backside of the rivets to make them more flush. Attached the clamps back on. Then painted with high temp paint to prevent rust.
If it weighs more than the aluminum one that was on it, then it's minimal at best. You can use the same hot pot template for the muff pot (I have both) and just extend the clamping side heights (cause the muff pot canister is taller than the hot pot canister). The base is just a tad bigger on the hot pot over the muff pot. Or you can just use the muff pot base as a template too.
Will put some miles on this and see how it holds up. I'm guessing it won't crack like the aluminum was doing all the time. And can clamp it down with a lot of force now.
Could be a bit more "purty", but it did only take me 30 min of my life...
I made another one using the Muff pot base as the template. Turned out good too. Mounted the hot pot after the Y on my M8 and the Muff Pot at the same location on my M1K. Nothing touching the hood. Used T-bolt clamps to hold both of them down.
Had the same issue on my Dragon. Got tired of welding it up after every other ride. What I discovered was that the y pipe had enough of a curve in it that it did not allow the base to sit level on the pipe when clamped down. Therefore when you tightened up the clamps it put pressure on each end of the base and drew the center in. What i ended up doing was cut a piece of 1/4 aluminum plate about 1.25 inch wide by 3 inch long and put it between the base and the pipe and this allowed the base to sit level when clamped down and did not put a bow in the base. Have not had an issue with it after this was done.
