408 replies to this topic

[Simonty]

I was going to install my new pipe the other day too but the y-pipe > manifold nuts were utterly rusted shut and deformed.  There's no room to cut them off so I've been thinking about what to do and yesterday bought a set of Irwin Bolt Grips - these apparently cut into the nut/bolt head when you tighten them and grip really well.  The other day I did bash one socket onto a nut and using my 18" 1/2" breaker bar I turned it - but the stud itself was actually turning!!!!  I've not yet figured out how to deal with this.

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[Simonty]

Here are some used exhaust gaskets.  You can see clearly how badly the aftermarket items leaked vs the original Fords (10,000 miles vs 125,000 miles).  The aftermarkets look very different with dimples and are much thicker.  They also fall apart easily.

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[thegfb]

Nice to see good progress there.

I agree, those aftermarket gaskets are shite.  I've got two sets - some that came with my Racebits headers and some that came in my Felpro HG set.  I would only consider using them as a very temporary measure, ie to get the car MOT'ed.

I am very lucky that I picked up a genuine Ford full exhaust gasket set on ebay about two years back (manifold gaskets, studs, nuts, cat, flexi and centre section gaskets etc) for about £5.  I knew it would come in handy eventually

I've got some of those Irwin bolt grippers and they certainly do work.  The other great thing about them is the flats on them that you can get a spanner on.  When I was prepping my rear suspension ready for a full geometry, the nuts that were on the eccentric bolts in the rear arms were absolutely fubared, there is no way that a socket would ever have gone on them.  I bashed on one of these grippers, but still couldn't get enough torque on it with my 1/2" breaker bar, so used a MASSIVE adjustable spanner on them and it worked nicely, but still look a long time because they were so hard to turn.  The grippers didn't let go though

[Simonty]

I'm glad to hear more good things about the bolt grippers!  I might go and have a play in a bit now the morning rain's drying up.  You did VERY well with your gaskets, that's about £60+ worth there I would guess.

I have very itchy arms and a slightly sore throat as I've just wrapped my headers with heat wrap.  I had spare (10m is almost enough to cover a set of headers) so covered the rest of my de-cat / Y.

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[Simonty]

The combo and the Y-pipe fully clothed up!  Looking at this lot you can see 10-15bhp and 5lbs torque right there - can't you???

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[stevmo3691]

can deff see that will bring more power. annoyingly means I will have to buy new gaskets as my msds headers came with those same perforated things and they feel very un-substantial. damn - more money

[Simonty]

Annoying but if you want it to run properly you'll buy them.

[stevmo3691]

Simonty, on 13 April 2012 - 05:46 PM, said:

Annoying but if you want it to run properly you'll buy them.

problem is no money might just use lots of exhaust paste as theres no cats for it to ruin

[Simonty]

I know the feeling.  It's worth a go I guess.

[PRC Ghost Rider]

I got a set of those shoite gaskets with my headers and I threw them away as soon as I opened up the box. I didn't need them anyway as my head gasket set came with some nice laminated ones anyway

[mk3_turbo]

Simonty, on 13 April 2012 - 01:47 PM, said:

I'm glad to hear more good things about the bolt grippers!  I might go and have a play in a bit now the morning rain's drying up.  You did VERY well with your gaskets, that's about £60+ worth there I would guess.

I have very itchy arms and a slightly sore throat as I've just wrapped my headers with heat wrap.  I had spare (10m is almost enough to cover a set of headers) so covered the rest of my de-cat / Y.

makes me itch just to look at it - i gave them a quick once over withe the vac and wrapped them in thin plastic bags and insulating tape (easy to rip off after) before fitting... the black looks good - i got natural (the extra thick only came in that color) - its sort of cream and it looks krap when it gets dirty- i think the black would sill look good for a long time....

The heatwrap- apart from increasing exhaust scavaging dramatically reduces underbonnet temps and heatsoak into the intake manifold, hoses airbox etc - probably worth upto about 10hp on a NA engine (depending on conditions) on its own

have you ever ran a breather catchtank or total-lossed the breather?

[Simonty]

Great, I'm quite excited about fitting these parts, especially as the heatwrap is on there.  I've not messed with the oil breathers before, what would the goal be there?

[mk3_turbo]

The breather/s allows warm oily air into the inlet (its an emmision control thing) from the crankase
On a racecar the intake end is blocked and the crankase end gets a catchtank (so that only cool clean air enters the engine) vented under the bonnet

On a (very?) badly worn engine with worn bores (or valve guides) quite a lot of gas gunge and oil spray/ particles come out of the breather, so the mod has a significant effect, on a newish engine its mostly warm burnt (oxegen free) air -not a significant - but worth doing

i have ran a long pipe right under the car to the side - some just stick a small k&n style filter on the engine breather
ive seen a catchtank fed back into the inlet (i may have given them the idea)

whatever- its to stop the heat/burt air/ oil going into the inlet  

[PRC Ghost Rider]

I would imagine it would also stop your UIM and LIM and your head ports getting all caked in that black shite

[Simonty]

Yes, I just wondered if there was a possible performance benefit as well as the cleanliness issue.  I'll think about fitting a catch tank at some point, it does sound good.

[mk3_turbo]

its probably not going to make a huge difference to performance (i forgot the "oil" can foul the spark plugs on a petrol car) but it looks like you are "going the extra mile" on this car- if you know what i mean- + you get trendy catchtanks   a chrome/ polished alloy one would set of a polished inlet manifold nicely !  

[Simonty]

I haven't got spare money for bling but if something looks good, keeps things cleaner and offers even a tiny performance increase then of course I want to know.  You have to work hard for every small advantage on a N/A car.

[stevmo3691]

I'm fitting a catch tank to mine and its not an emissions control thing. its to vent the excess crankcase pressure as you dont want the oil/air pressure in the crankcase to get too high and blow a hole in it so it vents it but venting oil vapours to atmosphere is poisonous and having it right in front of the air vent pick up would mean putting oil vapours straight into the cabin where you are.


Mine will have the 2 breather pipes going to a y piece then into the catch tank and the outlet for the catch tank will run down to a small filter that will then be placed at the base of one of the intake pipe so just in case any gets through the little filter it would get caught in the inlet pipes and worst comes to worse get a tiny, microscopic amount on my air filter

[stevmo3691]

I got a black round version but essentially same thing and from same seller and same price. the do other colours too

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2eb37c0e33

given that its toyosport i'm surprised racebits dont do them

[Simonty]

Wow, that's cheap and nice-looking!  I'm sure Shaun would sell one just the same if you asked him.