Spuds' Vroom Machine

[Spuds]

Part 2! Now I just gotta install valve stems and find somewhere to mount tires.

[NoHaveMSG]

Pretty.

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by Spuds

My options:
A. Get a different header, this time without slip joints.
B. Get some slip fit band clamps and high temp putty.
C. Disassemble the headers and try to figure out what is going wrong.
D. Have someone else cut off the slip joints and attempt to weld new ones on or a solid pipe in their place (which is extra difficult because of the ceramic coating).
E: ??

I don't want to take them off/apart unless I have a good idea how I'm going to fix them...

I might be ignorant here but is it not possible to just weld the slip joints?

As far as another headers JDL EL as mentioned is about all I can think of that's quality and will get you similar power. Hard smack to the wallet but worth it if you like EL sound. pairs nicely with a CSG touring if you want a mellow tone without the tinny OEM CBE.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by RToyo86

I might be ignorant here but is it not possible to just weld the slip joints?

As far as another headers JDL EL as mentioned is about all I can think of that's quality and will get you similar power. Hard smack to the wallet but worth it if you like EL sound. pairs nicely with a CSG touring if you want a mellow tone without the tinny OEM CBE.

Not really weldable I think, but I'm not an expert on welding. Ceramic coating aside, these are right before the collector and arranged in a square format so after the first 3 are on, it's going to be difficult to get the inside of the 4th.

Right now, the joints seal up pretty quickly except for the bottom of the lower joints. I think there's some minor misalignment, or there's a difference in thermal expansion between the top springs and the bottom. One of the bottom springs apparently broke on the previous owner and was replaced, so that might have something to do with it. I'm going to take a closer look next time I am under the car and try some things.

[Clipdat]

lol it looks like skunk2 made a knock off of the ptuning design but with welds there instead of slip fittings: https://www.ebay.com/itm/391366387168

[autoracer86]

Those wheels look great ! I will be copying you for sure lol. I am on the fence about if I want TPMS or not though

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by autoracer86

Those wheels look great ! I will be copying you for sure lol. I am on the fence about if I want TPMS or not though

My current DD summer set of wheels don't have TPMS. The only time I really wished I had it was when I saw 5 or 6 cars pulled over with flat tires in the space of 2 miles and became concerned about what caused such misfortune. I check pressures all the time so it's only a puncture on a long trip that TPMS would help with.

[autoracer86]

Originally Posted by Spuds

My current DD summer set of wheels don't have TPMS. The only time I really wished I had it was when I saw 5 or 6 cars pulled over with flat tires in the space of 2 miles and became concerned about what caused such misfortune. I check pressures all the time so it's only a puncture on a long trip that TPMS would help with.

its a requirement here to pass inspection and my plan is to get a BBK then my stock wheels won't fit anymore. Having two sets of wheels both with TPMS might make things easy in the long run. IDK.... Need to see how much work is needed beside just buying the sensors lol

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by autoracer86

its a requirement here to pass inspection and my plan is to get a BBK then my stock wheels won't fit anymore. Having two sets of wheels both with TPMS might make things easy in the long run. IDK.... Need to see how much work is needed beside just buying the sensors lol

Yeah, in that case I would plan for TPMS if I were you.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Not really weldable I think, but I'm not an expert on welding. Ceramic coating aside, these are right before the collector and arranged in a square format so after the first 3 are on, it's going to be difficult to get the inside of the 4th.

As long as it is cleaned up well and the proper filler rod is used, it can be welded. Probably be best to media blast and then degrease. Looks like PTuning likes to use 304 for their stainless exhaust components.

[Spuds]

/sigh. Thought I could try fixing the header with it still on the car by removing the clips at the double slip joints and the v-band, then reseating the merge piece. The bottoms were annoying, but there is no way I'm getting the top clips off without pulling the header.

Should have saved my original header gaskets to test with. They seemed to be a design that would leak less on reuse than the new ones lol. Next question is whether it's worth fixing or if I just get something else. Wife is starting to ask how much this all costs.

Next autocross in 2 weekends...



Edit: To relieve my frustration with the header, I added more negative front camber. What does that have to do with the header? Absolutely nothing. But for some reason it makes me feel better. Need more camber

Second edit plus picture. On second thought, maybe there is something to the whole replace the clips idea...

[Clipdat]

Personally I'd put about another hour or two of work into trying to fix it, and if it doesn't work I'd just order that welded Tsudo version I linked.

But I hope you can fix it somehow, those clips/clamps look like they've seen better days.

[Spuds]

Well, I tried just putting an hour or two into fixing the header. Took the header off at the v-band, which is actually pretty easy once I figured out how it all worked. Demounted the retaining clips and discovered that the top set of pipes had somehow fused to the collector, which made sense as to why the bottom was leaking I guess, with thermal expansion and all that jazz. Anyway, got everything pulled apart, inspected everything and it looked fine outside of a broken clip and the top pipes needing some percussion, I mean persuasion. Put everything back together again and proceeded to seize a lock nut to the header stud. The local Toyota dealership got me the part in time to replace it today and was the only place able to get it next day, but almost ordered the wrong part. Damn near cried from joy when I saw the parts guy come out with the right part lol. It's a good thing I ordered extra studs because I got another nut stuck pulling the header off again. Got everything sorted out and back together.
The best part is all that did not completely fix the leaks.

New header time... Maybe...

[Spuds]

Figured I'd try some grimmspeed gaskets. These things are quite thick. Not sure that's much of an advantage over OEM. OEM seems to have worked just fine for my purposes though. Might even be able to reuse the ones I put on earlier this year. Pic doesn't do the difference justice. GS has like 6 layers of metal to the oem's 2.