Exhaust Dented and reducing airflow
Discussion
Any advice for correcting this lovely pair to their correct curvature 
I have taken off the back part of the exhaust (it separates about 2 feet further back), stabilised the front and lower bits by wedging things, and tried tapping them out with a metal rod as a drift and some heat (from a small gas torch) but the metal is harder than I thought. I made very little progress for a huge amount of effort.
I'm hoping to catch up with the track day folk at Snetterton on Feb 8th with comfy tires on my NOS alloys, and the front left bearings sorted, and all the gauges working! Can't wait.
Paul
I have taken off the back part of the exhaust (it separates about 2 feet further back), stabilised the front and lower bits by wedging things, and tried tapping them out with a metal rod as a drift and some heat (from a small gas torch) but the metal is harder than I thought. I made very little progress for a huge amount of effort.
I'm hoping to catch up with the track day folk at Snetterton on Feb 8th with comfy tires on my NOS alloys, and the front left bearings sorted, and all the gauges working! Can't wait.
Paul
Sorry Paul, I agree with Mike. I take it they are stainless from the look of it. You have absolutely no chance of getting those out. The bending alters the structure of the steel. There are however quite a few stainless exhaust makers around who could bend a short section to match and TIG weld it in. I know of 2 within 15 miles of me but I am afraid I am a long way from you. Looking at your engine installation I guess these were custom made in the first place?
You could cut out the really bad bits with a modern, small diameter, slitting disk and bodge something out of some bent mild steel pipe. They will MIG weld together for the time being, as they are not structural, but it wont last long and certainly won't look pretty! Quite a lot of effort but it might well last a weekend and is the kind of bodge rally cars used to get mid weekend event.
You could cut out the really bad bits with a modern, small diameter, slitting disk and bodge something out of some bent mild steel pipe. They will MIG weld together for the time being, as they are not structural, but it wont last long and certainly won't look pretty! Quite a lot of effort but it might well last a weekend and is the kind of bodge rally cars used to get mid weekend event.
Cheers Folks. Replacing this section sounds like the way forward - they disconnect just after the manifold and just behind here so it's not that big a piece. Matt Smith at Downham Market knows the chap who likely made them in the first place, so I'll sort that out asap. Oh well. Next question - please don't shoot me - is it ok to drive? Apart from reduced performance at higher revs, will I muck anything up?
No idea when this happened either - epic grounding or not. I have slowly scraped over a few speed bumps in Cambridge (and then not gone that way again) but that's about it.
No idea when this happened either - epic grounding or not. I have slowly scraped over a few speed bumps in Cambridge (and then not gone that way again) but that's about it.
Daft as it might seem the possible crack or any air leak in the first section of the exhaust (manifold or downpipe) is a far greater problem than the part closure of the pipe. Yes it will significantly reduce performance and you should reduce revs as the hot gasses wont get away as easily and prolonged use might just cause overheating at the beginning of the exhaust tract. Fortunately you appear to have destroyed the two pipes to an impressively similar level 
so the engine wont have one bank working much harder than the other. That could become an issue if one was damaged and not the other.
Ride height check next?
so the engine wont have one bank working much harder than the other. That could become an issue if one was damaged and not the other.Ride height check next?
[quote=pcashman]Cheers Folks. Replacing this section sounds like the way forward - they disconnect just after the manifold and just behind here so it's not that big a piece. Matt Smith at Downham Market knows the chap who likely made them in the first place, so I'll sort that out asap.
If you're over at Mat SMith- would you check how he's getting on with mine- the red S2 with the re-arranged driving lamp?
If you're over at Mat SMith- would you check how he's getting on with mine- the red S2 with the re-arranged driving lamp?
Will do Wigglesworth - heading up on Thursday. I'll get mounts and suspension settings checked but the only scraping/contact I've had so far has been when going over speed bumps is under the middle of the car, and I have to say when I see one of these I go slowly so that I don't break my coccyx/teeth. The car is set up to ride firm. I might soften the dampers a couple of clicks (rear only).
No sign of any exhaust leaks but it could be quite subtle I presume - no sign of soot anywhere which is good. There is a little bit of a hunt at idle but there are 6 throttle bodies and no MAF as far as I can see - just a throttle pot. No O2 sensor in the exhaust either, although as I'm just a beginner with all this, I remain open to correction.
Cheers for all the help folks
No sign of any exhaust leaks but it could be quite subtle I presume - no sign of soot anywhere which is good. There is a little bit of a hunt at idle but there are 6 throttle bodies and no MAF as far as I can see - just a throttle pot. No O2 sensor in the exhaust either, although as I'm just a beginner with all this, I remain open to correction.
Cheers for all the help folks
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