350 SE manifolds
350 SE manifolds
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Discussion

Alan 1209

Original Poster:

157 posts

111 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
My 350se, 3.9 hotwire, has sprung a leak in the nearside exhaust manifold. At some time in the past a stainless on has been fitted to the offside but a the nearside is mild steel and has been repaired several times. Anyone know where I can find a stainless manifold?

BIG DUNC

1,918 posts

239 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
ACT.

Clive F.

Alan 1209

Original Poster:

157 posts

111 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Thanks, I know about ACT, they seem to come as a very pricey pair. Just hoping there might be an alternative.
Alan

mk1fan

10,770 posts

241 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Clive F doesn't do Wedge manifolds - afaik.

Alan, I have a set of ACT ones on Wendy. After 6-months of faffing and being mucked about during 2016, Chris gave up trying to get sets made up by alternative suppliers. No one seemed capable of reverse engineering a set of jigs. So we went ACT. Tim doesn't carry stock of them so they are special orders. I would suggest you speak to him and ask for just one to be made. I would be surprised if he wasn't flexible - he has been with me in the past.

Might appear pricey but the faff of trying to get someone else to do it just isn't worth it - imho.

Shame you didn't speak to Gary. He just off loaded a set of mild steel ones!

Alan 1209

Original Poster:

157 posts

111 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Thought that might be the case. The ACT ones are larger bore to suit the bigger engine so best replaced as a pair, better start saving up.......
Alan

BIG DUNC

1,918 posts

239 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
When I had my 350i I bought a set of S/S manifolds from Richard Thorpe / Wedge Automotive as it was then, or RT racing as it is now. May be worth giving him a call? (They were pricey, and that was 20 years ago)!

Sorry, I don't know why I didn't think of that when I replied earlier.

mk1fan

10,770 posts

241 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
If you do go with a pair from ACT ask for the '500' headers as well.

adam quantrill

11,609 posts

258 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
500 - is that how much they are??? ;^)

Alan 1209

Original Poster:

157 posts

111 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
A few pence short of £800 with gaskets and delivery. Don't think I could pass that off as a birthday present.. Here you are Darling, happy birthday. Yes it is a pair of manifolds for my car, but I will be able to drive you down to McDonalds for your birthday burger...

mk1fan

10,770 posts

241 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Chris was unable to find someone capable of delivering versions cheaper / at all.

While I am sure there must be someone out there who can do it, the time and effort needed to find them for such a small market place is, frankly, not worth the effort imho.

Your efforts on an alternative pod mech / system would be much better biggrin

Alan 1209

Original Poster:

157 posts

111 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Is that a challenge? At first glance it is very crude. But I think the control of it is more of an issue. Been scratching my head for a better way but it will have to wait. Manifolds and Emerald first.

Engineer1949

1,423 posts

160 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
making manifolds is very time consuming especially in stainless as they need to be tig welded and if you have to first make a jig just very labour intensive i made tubular headers for my ls3 engined cerbera race car took at least 2 weeks overall.


john

adam quantrill

11,609 posts

258 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Grimmers have these off the shelf, not too expensive.

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-RA1071FRHWS

I wonder if they can be chopped around at the bottom to fit the wedge...

It beats making the whole thing from scratch.

mk1fan

10,770 posts

241 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
I agree, £420 plus delivery then £500 of re-fabrication and they will fit a treat biglaugh

ETA: Plus gaskets. At least they come with sensor bosses so a small saving there. But looks like small headers so they'll need opening up.

Edited by mk1fan on Monday 12th February 19:03

adam quantrill

11,609 posts

258 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
I make my own gaskets now... copper sheet. They are reusable and effectively last forever. Well, I only had to make one set, of course!

mrzigazaga

18,659 posts

181 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Alan 1209 said:
A few pence short of £800 with gaskets and delivery. Don't think I could pass that off as a birthday present.. Here you are Darling, happy birthday. Yes it is a pair of manifolds for my car, but I will be able to drive you down to McDonalds for your birthday burger...
laugh

rev-erend

21,586 posts

300 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
adam quantrill said:
I make my own gaskets now... copper sheet. They are reusable and effectively last forever. Well, I only had to make one set, of course!
Interesting .. how did you cut the intricate shape ?

adam quantrill

11,609 posts

258 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
Tinsnips!

The only thing that has to be reasonably accurate is the two locating holes and the rectangular port.

So I traced the outline on the sheet, drilled the holes plus a third in the middle of the port, and snipped it out.

Then put it in the vice to flatten it.

The port itself needed a little filing around the edges but copper being soft didn't take very long.

The gaskets get a coat of paste before use which I let go a little hard. The paste expands with heat to fill any small gaps.

Some of them have been off and on 4 or 5 times now and are as strong as day 1.

anonymous-user

70 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
Had a full stainless exhaust fitted to our 3000m (fitted with 331engine).
Super quality and fit. £1400 ish front to back, a real one-off.
http://www.aas-exhausts.co.uk/
Car went there as previous specialist manufacturer known for supplying ACTual TVR people could not fit an exhaust to the car..

Convert

3,757 posts

234 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
quotequote all
Try JP exhausts in Macclesfield.