So i got some mail...this pretty much sums up the parts list. The only things i need now is some extra vacuum hose, some 3/8 heater hose, some hose clamps...

now it's time for more fabricating...so here's the exhaust components i got...the pipe i got a few different mandrel bends in case i need to get creative...it's not going to be a simple 90 degree downpipe...For the flanges, i got 4, this is because i'm going to cut my stock pipe behind the flex pipe, weld in two flanges, so my stock downpipe can be removed and reinstalled during the fabrication process...and of course the other 2 are for both ends of the down pipe...




I also had to purchase some specialty silicone couplers, as i'll be selling my AEM intake, i needed a reducer that will fit the throttle body 2.75" to 2.5". Also i needed a 2.5" 90 degree coupler to join the pipe coming from the throttle body over the transmission, to the driver side intercooler pipe. the other reducer is for the compressor inlet 2" to 2.5", and the other 90 degree is a 1.75" to 2" that will mate the j-pipe on the compressor outlet to the charge pipe that goes to the passenger side of the intercooler...

 

I know pictures of parts aren't too exciting, people want to see work done, and installation progress, but i promise i'll begin fabrication of the downpipe soon, i'm just really busy with work right now, things should settle down at the end of the month, and i'll have some free time to work on the car...thanks for following, stay tuned...

 

I saw that you picked up the act stage 1 clutch, How does it feel? is it much stiffer than stock?

 

at least twice as stiff...maybe more...but grabs really well, but the engagement is not too abrupt, nor does it jerk...it does chatter a little bit, but i really like it...it's how a clutch SHOULD feel...

 

tell her I said whats up.....


nah for realz... i stumble on this thread every once in a while... cars gonna be a beast man, i really cant wait till you crank her over good luck :mit su:

 

i'm dying of anticipation here...i hope it turns out...if it works well i'll be upgrading the turbo, exhaust and injectors very shortly after getting it running, then i'll be using the 440cc's and 14b on my 03 Lancer ES...

 

What injectors are you upgrading to?

and also, did you go with the quaife or the wavetrac LSD? figured i'd ask while i was already replying

 

look in my signature, it's a Quaife...and i'll likely get the RC 550's

 

good call. I was looking on my phone earlier. doesnt show sig's for some reason. but i see it now.

 

Ok, so it's been a while...let's start by saying that i ran into a few minor hiccups...First being the crushed mid pipe...i want to the get rid of it... problem was that it's very difficult to do on jack stands etc. so i took it to a shop, to have them do it...

The other problem was the downpipe...originally i had purchased a section of mandrel bent steel to fabricate the downpipe myself, after the shop replaced the crushed pipe, and flanged it to my stock exhaust...problem there was it would be easier for the shop to fabricate the entire thing from the turbo, to the cat, and then chop it in half, and flange it so i can put the stock exhaust back on...more money, but easier than welding exhaust laying on my back with the car only a foot and a half off the ground...so i went for it...what the hell, right? So i have a useless section of mandrel bent pipe...worse things have happened...

The Good: I didn't have to do any work

The Bad: They only had a press bender

The Ugly:



So, here's how it went...oh and it's all 2.5" by the way...so the press bends don't really concern me...

Stock exhaust removed...




Turbo mounted on finished manifold...


High flow catalytic converter mocked up


Everything tacked and aligned..


Not shown, but the downpipe was fabricated at the same time, i missed the installation cause i was outside smoking, anyway here's it all done with the stock exhaust connected to the new...


Here's a nice shot of the replaced "crushed" pipe...


and finally, here's the finished downpipe without O2 bung...

 

Beautiful. Thank you. Any seat-of-the-pants performance improvement, and any change in sound?

 

seat of the pants tells me throttle seemed a bit more responsive, low end torque suffered slightly, but we got lots of that, it definately breaths better higher in the band and you can feel the difference in MIVEC...

So basically it's a nice happy medium that will work well for N/A and turbo...

If you plan on staying N/A though, i would recommend replacing the crushed mid pipe with 2-1/4" rather than the 2-1/2" i went with, and i would imagine you'd get the best of both worlds as far as low end torque and high end power go.

oh yeah, and the sound is beastly, even with stock headers, partly i'm sure, due to the high flow cat...

 

we're there, dude

btw, flow tests show that press-bends of less than 45 degrees flow only about one-percent worse than mandrel bends...

 

Well these guys at D&D Automotive here in Trenton did a great job fabricating the whole bit, and i'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to just replace the pipe from the flex pipe to the cat...the reason they put my new flex pipe after the flange was cause my stocker was shot and had a mean rattle...

 

What diameter is stock from header to cat ?
Also what is the stock post cat diameter ?