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Shipping a manifold

Hendrik

Hendrik

Member
Need to ship an old brittle cast iron intake/exhaust manifold.
How best to package this manifold? I'm afraid it will be dropped during its journey breaking the ears with which it fastens to the cylinder head.

Was thinking about taking a larger sheet of plywood and drilling many 1/4 inch holes in it. Then fastening the manifold to it with a dozen zip ties. The zip ties will then act as shock absorbers and avoid high impact loads on the extremities of the manifold.

Any ideas you can put forward?
Your input will be highly appreciated. Hendrik
 
Hendrik,

Would it help to place a few sheets of spongy packing-foam in between the plywood and the manifold before you zip-tie it down? Just to help absorb any shock from impact, if dropped.

Then plenty of other packing material all around it, inside the box.
 
I would bolt the manifold to a board and build a (wood) 'box' around it.Then put some bands(or lots of duct tape) around it.We used to ship crankshafts/heads/cams.... that way.I'm afraid the zipties would break.
 

Choose a heavy duty box that is much larger than what you think is needed. Place tightly wadded up sheets of newspaper in the bottom. Make it several layers thick. Place the manifold on top of that newspaper, and then pack MORE wadded up newspaper all around and on top. Use enough newspaper to make it difficult to close the box. The goal is to pack that manifold tight enough that it cannot even begin to wiggle or move around, and to have enough of a cushion around it so that even if the box gets dropped, no damage will occur. DO NOT use those styrofoam packing peanuts. Those things are totally useless in a situation such as this.

I ran an online parts business for several years. I quickly learned what packing methods work, and which methods will guarantee a return with broken parts.
 
The important thing is reinforcing the cushions on the bottom so that the manifold does not beat its way to the bottom and get broken.
 
Find a box company and have them make you a custom box to size. Have the box made out of heavy duty cardboard. Heavy duty cardboard has two layers of corragated cardbox sanwiched together and they are very strong. I had several made to ship hydraulic pumps accross county and they arrived in perfect condition.
 
Your getting some ideas on packing. But don't forget to insure it. After running freight for 38 years I have seen some of best packed item get destroied and it has happen to the best of carriers.
 
Do FedEx and UPS employees have so much empathy that, if they accidentally drop a box, they drop it on their toes so the box does not sustain damage?
;-)
All kidding aside, the (few) boxes sent to me through US Mail were not busted up.
 
Yep, Here at work if we need something fragile to go out we ship truck freight. We have much better luck with less damage from them then UPS or FED EX
 
If I was the one buying it and its rare I would be taking a vacation out your way and pick it up in person.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions.

The basic idea being that I should devise my packaging in such a way that the part should be restrained in such a way that it will never touch the outer skin of the package. Bearing in mind that the package may be dropped in any imaginable position.
Will let you know how it turns out.
 
Here is a way I shipped a heavy item. Over size box and some crumpled news paper top bottom and sides.. Now take a plastic trash bag and shoot a little sealing foam in it. take your item and 'nest' it into the foam a LITTLE. You are making a sandwich. After it cured you do the same for the top layer. Have gotten electric motors and such at work. Some boxes were bombed but the item was fine. The plastic bags will keep the foam from sticking and allow the item to be peeled out. Worst case use MEK or paint thinner to remove the item. At the big box stores they have samples of the foam. Pick the softest type.Give it a shot.
ver size
 
If it is that delicate I would make a plywood box a bit bigger than it, drill holes through the side, and "mount" the manifold inside the box so it isn't touching any of the sides. Then stuff the bag in around it and fill that bag with minimally expanding foam. You will basically end up with a solid box like a manifold frozen in ice. Make sure the foam isn't the regular expanding stuff - it may break the metal as it cures.
 
(quoted from post at 09:59:14 06/27/14) If it is that delicate I would make a plywood box a bit bigger than it, drill holes through the side, and "mount" the manifold inside the box so it isn't touching any of the sides. Then stuff the bag in around it and fill that bag with minimally expanding foam. You will basically end up with a solid box like a manifold frozen in ice. Make sure the foam isn't the regular expanding stuff - it may break the metal as it cures.
Click to expand...

The United States Post Office will not accept a wooden box. Neither will U.P.S.
 
Whatever you do, do NOT ship it DHL. They destroyed an irreplaceable part for my antique car that I paid a small fortune for. Come time to settle up, they denied damaging the package, said it was received that way, and denied the claim. I would never again do business with them.
 
UPS will handle wooden and skided freight. They have a freight division ( bought out Over Nite Freight).
 

Hendrik,

I have been receiving and shipping
manifolds for more than 10 years as I repair
them. They have come from all over this country
and one from Italy , all have made it in fine
shape. These fellows have given you many good
ideas. Bolt it to a plywood and build a box for
it or build a box and stuff it with much bubble
wrap or similar soft material.

George
 
I've received manifolds and camshafts, etc,
from private sellers that were simply wound round and round with bubble wrap or plastic wrap, then clear tape.
no box at all.
And I do mean thick.
Must have took em an hour.
worked well, no damage, but it did take me a while to 'unroll' them!

ps also have received many parts in wood boxes. Shipper just put the wood box into a slightly bigger cardboard box.
What wood box?
 
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