My New Mod - funny story and lessons learned

cgreiner · 05-11-2009, 03:40 PM

After months of research, and saving, I finally purchased a partially divorced downpipe with integrated elbow for my 87 7MGTE. I installed it this weekend and learned a few things:

1. Steel + Time + Heat + Water = Bad Combo - the heat shield that connected the cat bolts were corroded and one was stripped. An hour under the car with the grinder solved the problem :-)

Lesson learned - don't be cheap buy a whole new exhaust if you can afford it. More power. Less stress. If not, invest in a good grinder.

2. Have spare parts. Aftermarket parts never fit the same as the original. The O2 sensor port on the new downpipe did not have threaded studs for the sensor to mount. A run to the hardware store provided two 8-1.25 x 12 that solved the problem.

Lesson learned - I was at a friends garage without all my spare nuts and bolts. Make sure you have everything you need before you start. Without those bolts I had to leave the car their in his garage overnight.

3. Stock is not the way to go (or a big hold makes a difference) In the original downpipe there was a crack at the flex section. Either the partially divorced feature, or plugging the whole has cut the response time of the turbo in half and boosted the power 2x. Now the car is beginning to have potential.

Lesson learned - partially divorced downpipe equals big bang for the buck.

4. More power = more problems on old cars. Don't laugh too hard. As I neared my house, I took a detour to a local long straight section of road nearby to test the new addition. I had been into the turbo on the drive home, but now I wanted to really see what a difference it made from a standstill. Sooo.....

I gunned it and squealed the tires a bit. Then...all of a sudden...pedal to the floor...the car went to idle. I had snapped my throttle cable :-(

At least I know what my next project is, and my next qeuestion

- How much of a pain will that be to fix ?

05-11-2009, 03:40 PM	#1
cgreiner 3" Exhaust Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 63	My New Mod - funny story and lessons learned After months of research, and saving, I finally purchased a partially divorced downpipe with integrated elbow for my 87 7MGTE. I installed it this weekend and learned a few things: 1. Steel + Time + Heat + Water = Bad Combo - the heat shield that connected the cat bolts were corroded and one was stripped. An hour under the car with the grinder solved the problem :-) Lesson learned - don't be cheap buy a whole new exhaust if you can afford it. More power. Less stress. If not, invest in a good grinder. 2. Have spare parts. Aftermarket parts never fit the same as the original. The O2 sensor port on the new downpipe did not have threaded studs for the sensor to mount. A run to the hardware store provided two 8-1.25 x 12 that solved the problem. Lesson learned - I was at a friends garage without all my spare nuts and bolts. Make sure you have everything you need before you start. Without those bolts I had to leave the car their in his garage overnight. 3. Stock is not the way to go (or a big hold makes a difference) In the original downpipe there was a crack at the flex section. Either the partially divorced feature, or plugging the whole has cut the response time of the turbo in half and boosted the power 2x. Now the car is beginning to have potential. Lesson learned - partially divorced downpipe equals big bang for the buck. 4. More power = more problems on old cars. Don't laugh too hard. As I neared my house, I took a detour to a local long straight section of road nearby to test the new addition. I had been into the turbo on the drive home, but now I wanted to really see what a difference it made from a standstill. Sooo..... I gunned it and squealed the tires a bit. Then...all of a sudden...pedal to the floor...the car went to idle. I had snapped my throttle cable :-( At least I know what my next project is, and my next qeuestion - How much of a pain will that be to fix ?