Yeah. I meant remove the engine, or get to it through the radiator bracket so you can remove the valve and timing covers. Just fix it all.

Yeah... I don't think that one is in the cards this winter. Probably next year. I'll probably want to pull the engine for better access, and if I'm doing that I might as well get the valve springs and updated camshaft thingamabobs, whatever part intermittently doesn't work on early years. And maybe replace the clutch. And...

I think it would be worth asking. Looking at PTuning’s site it looks like everything they build is 304SS. Most shops should be able to weld it

My main concern is that the Swaintech coating will be an issue. The inside of the joint is not coated of course, but it's coated right up to the point that pipes overlap. I just need to remember to call during business hours lol.

They will probably have to strip it back to keep what is in the coating from contaminating the weld. Not a huge deal.

I'm more for leaving the valve train alone unless it needs service but I hear you. Peace of mind.

Update time.

Finally finished the brakes. Centric plain rotors and Ferrodo ds2500 all around. Used instructions from the shop manual in Ultra's signature. All the dust boots looked fine, and I cleaned and reused all the clips, pins, and bolts with appropriate stick and nonstick additives. Replaced the little slide pin bushings with new (thicker/stiffer) OEM ones (pic1, new is on left). Found the special "Toyota rubber grease/lithium soap base glycol grease/08887-01206" for this online, looks like pic2. Rear rotors look like they had coating over spray and/or the coating was coming off (pic3).
Couldn't get it cleaned up by hand, but hopefully it will come off when I bed the brakes in.

Got tires mounted on wheels. (Pic 4)

Returned the header, tracking showed delivered late December but the manufacturer appears to be playing games and holding up the refund. Sucks for the vendor I bought it from, but if I don't get my money back in the next week I'll be looking at other means of achieving recompense.

Took the ptuning header to a reputable exhaust shop to look at and they weren't going to be able to weld it all shut because of clearance issues. Back to a diy solution I think. Going to try, in this order:
1. High temp RTV in the joint, and tighten a clamp around the outer pipe. This would theoretically pre seal the joint without heat.
2. Build a multilayer SS foil sleeve to clamp to both the inner and outer pipes with high temp RTV. This would theoretically form a seal around the joint, this not needing the joint to seal completely by itself.
3. Try putting anti-seize in the joint, hoping that it lets it expand evenly and seal it that way. The assumption would be that the pipe is slightly off center when it heats up, and then it is binding on one side before the other has a chance to seal.

Pics to come...

Oh, I also adjusted my handbrake. Much tighter now.

Clamps on the primaries, not gonna work. Everything is too close together. I guess I'll just stick my stock one back on and figure something else out...

Need to take advantage of warm weather and clean roads to bed in brakes...

I remember doing that the first week of driving it, "WTF? This is bullshit..."

Somewhere here I bragged about only needing to pull two clicks. I think @humfrz was the first to flip me shit :D :wub:

Is the angle of dangle correct?? I have noted on this Forum, over the years, that not all handbrakes are equal... They always look to be set at very funny angles...

I think 3 clicks is about right...

Uhhh what?

It's about 5-7 clicks to fully engaged to where I'd have to really pull hard to get more. One or two clicks should be enough to hold it in place by my estimation. At least I can't turn the hub by hand at 2 clicks. That's about as tight as I can get it before it starts significantly dragging on the drum when released.

Yeah. Three is the long-term sweet spot.