Still kicking around exhaust ideas.
I'm aware it's only worth so much effort on a NA motor, even a 1.9, but what mechanical pride I have left demands
I make some sort of effort. Begin rambling exhaust thoughts...
I got my manifold off, downpipe still hanging in there while I do other stuff.
The manifolds outlets at inch and 3/4, and look like they will gasket match up to
a hair under 2". I'm assuming this is the most tiny of the US dual ports.
It has no EGR or O2 fittings in the mani, not sure if the DP did but I don't think so.
If I run this mani I want to do one of two or three things.
The stock downpipe blows, and when I put in some extensions to make it clear
with the tall block, I didn't have a sway bar, I'm pretty sure it's going to hit.
Also, that cast iron turn toward the rear is tiny and I want it gone.
It looks like between the offset and the bend back and then clearing the
swaybar, it's going to be a *** to fab a new one. I considered merging the two
downs from the mani into a 2.5" on the vertical to simplify routing, but it's still going
to be funky. I envision heating and flattening the tube and some other unpleasant bending.
And somewhere in there has to be a flex piece, and some bracing to the block/trans.
I considered two small "primary" stainless mesh flex sections in the vertical downs then doing the
bend rearwards a solid piece, it'd give some wiggle there.
Several alternatives.
I put the A2 offset outlet mani and the DP from TT.
And have almost $500 in a NA exhaust before it ever hits the middle of the truck.
Not loving that idea but I've done less economically sound things to make stuff be
how I wanted it.
Related: The AEG tubular manifold is nice looking, has the offset outlet that I'm not sure how easy/harder
would make DP fab, fitting it with engine in place looks annoying but doable. It works with the TT
ABA DP or so I've read.
I've looked at cheap headers, if they were not stainless which I'm not setup to weld, I'd
consider hacking one up and modifying it to hold up to a diesel, they seem to fit ABA gassers
pretty often. It's a shame there isn't a "shorty" style header for this chassis with the flange
horizontal, it'd be pretty easy to alter the height to fit the short or tall deck motors. I haven't seen one
though, and I wouldn't spend much on a header I had to modify a lot and very well might still
crack anyway.
I saw this on ebay last night, they seem to have several, but I dunno where I'd find a DP flange
to make one. If I could find the flange, this might be the easiest/best to fab being it has it's own flex with the
ball socket, and it could be a single largeish pipe rather than two. No clue where to even start looking for the proper
DP flange though. Thoughts? Surely it's larger than the one's we had here.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230664514544?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITedit, same as this?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-GOLF-MK1-CABRIOLET-1-5-1-6-1-8-CARB-1-8-GTI-EXHAUST-MANIFOLD-VAG-055253033K-/251496357749?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a8e59df75#shpCntIdThat's about where I am.
If I gave up the sway bar it'd probly simplify things yet again.
It's possible but kind of a bummer, I have the lower K bar and an upper bar
to go in too.