As for the comment regarding the time/cost to build ... there aren't many guys on the planet who build "everything". At some point you have to look at things and consider that your time is better spent elsewhere - either in other area of your project or at a job that makes you more money than an item is worth. I'm all for building stuff - its how I make a living - but my time is way better spent building and selling my product than building something like a surge tank. I can buy three surge tanks with what I make in the same amount of time it would take to build one. Now if I wanted a custom surge tank to fit a specific area, no problem, I'd build it. But in some cases reinventing the wheel is just impractical.
Absolutely, there are things I cannot do, I can't weld well enough to trust my work, so I farm it out. I'll tack it then have someone better than me do the welding.
But a surge tank really isn't rocket science. Heck some metal pipe with a couple thread on caps would suffice if ugly doesn't bother you. Being on a budget I can't see spending extra money on something I could make (surge tank) when I could spend it on something I can't make (intake, cam, etc) and $400 buys a lot of stuff I can't make.
