Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut And Sometimes That Is Just Where You Are Getting Kicked

Oh the on going 951 headache. I think this car has been here since January with nothing but defective upgrade parts. The custom crossover and header came back for I think the 3rd time now because of fitment issues, and it actually bolts up to the turbo and head now. The wastegate is a totally different issue as it is obvious the exhaust was mocked up without a bellhousing in place, but other than that, it is a really nice exhaust.

After getting the crossover pipe installed, I bolted the top of the motor back together. Why, I don’t know, I hate loose parts laying around.

The FRF exhaust installed. The headers and crossover pipe are really nice. Version 1, 2, 3, and 4 fit like socks on a rooster…..seriously, go try and put a pair of your socks on a pissed off rooster and see how easy it is. Version 7.42 fit well other than a oddball vband clamp that didn’t fit, and of course the wastegate dump connection placement, but none the less we aren’t much closer to having this thing finished.

mmmmm really nice fitting headers. These things really are a thing of beauty. They weigh a metric ton, but horsepower has to weigh something right? Fitment of the header section was honestly the nicest fitting header I have ever installed.

And the vband clamp at the other end. This allows you to drop the oil pan without having to pull the entire crossover pipe off (to do a pan gasket or rod bearings for example), which is a pain on a turbo car as the intake has to come off, etc. BTW, with all of the time I spent pulling, fitting, installing this system and the POS Speed Force Racing system, I could have done rod bearings no less than 6 times with the stock crossover pipe in place. Just saying.

And then there is the wastegate pipe. I was so happy to see a short pipe show up in the box (minus the copper gasket mind you), only to find this.

Time to cut a chunk out of the bellhousing! Yippeee!

And our offending oddball v-band clamp. Different style than the other 3 inch, which used a bolt that was about an inch shorter….I hacked something together a longer version of the bolt for fitment purposes.

The current problem……It is kind of one of those things I hate to hack up because of the pretty welds. So I think we are going to push this one back into storage until we come up with a solution for the damn thing. Sometimes you just have to walk away.