Exhaust elbow to down pipe

[306Puggy]

Hello fellow XUD tuners, I was interested in ways and methods to make an exhaust elbow that will fit into the down pipe.

My current idea is as follows:

Get a spare standard exhaust elbow to use as a template and a donor for the flange to the downpipe.

Get a short 3 inch mandrel bend exhaust elbow, 3 inch to 2.25 inch reducer and v band flanges/clamps to make angling the elbow easier.

Then get the v band flanges welded, one to the adapter plate for the elbow to turbo exhaust housing and one to the 3 inch exhaust elbow.

Then get the reducer welded to the elbow, cut the flange off the standard elbow and get the flange welded onto the end of the reducer.

This way if there is any problem with the new turbo I can fit a standard one back on with the minimum of hassle. The only thing I am not sure about is the v band clamps/flanges as they are very expensive, £28 pounds last time I looked on eGay. Apart from that how does the above look?

[Diggers]

Something like this?

[mr_fish]

Here's a couple of mine. Bit of a restriction on size due to the bolt holes around the outside. Believe its a 2 1/4"



and how it looked when lining it up to go down the tunnel (not welded)

[306Puggy]

Some very good photos lads. Yeah that is pretty much what I am hoping to achieve. Those look longer than the standard elbow though? Is there a lot of tolerance, in which case I wouldn't have to worry too much?

[306Puggy]

Right, what do we reckon guys?

One of these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...ink:top:en

Or one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIVERSAL-SHOR...2a1b6403c4

Which one is more suited to the original elbow length/angle?

[306Puggy]

Okay, I have decided to go with the cheapest one, since it is longer I guess it can be chopped/changed in length anyway

[mr_fish]

yeah thats what I would of done. only thing is that its stainless. Will have to pop down the welders to tack it up to your turbo exhaust plate.

[306Puggy]

Is it still compatible with mild steel then? I was gonna get it welded anyway, but the plate is mild steel.

[Tom]

Yeah if your welders competent it should be fine.

[ste91]

Does anyone know how much it would cost to get an elbow/downpipe like this made at an exhaust place?

[306Puggy]

That's a good idea actually. But they would have to know the dimensions, I doubt they would know off hand how much it would be. Edit: yeah, just phoned up, 3" mandrel bent exhaust elbow reducing to 2.25" estimated to be about £90 pounds from here:

http://www.fastroadconversions.com/

That is a lot of money for a home brew setup and I forgot to tell him about the flange as well. When you consider home made would be £15 for the elbow pipe, £20 for a spare standard elbow, £10 for the reducer and maybe £30 quid to weld it all up/to the adapter plate. Which would be £75 all together, but not that much cheaper when you think about it!? Have I missed anything?

Edit: Almost tempted to take the whole setup to them and ask them to make an elbow that will fit it and the exhaust downpipe and pay whatever it costs for it! Rather than all of this messing around getting parts from here there and everywhere and taking them to my welding guy who (although he is good) has no idea what I am really trying to achieve!

What do we think guys?

[Tom]

You'll be lucky to get a perfect fit, all depends how your turbo sits! Hence i said get that one on then make the exhaust

[306Puggy]

Hmm, that just made me think. I was hoping that I could get away with the elbow welded directly to the plate? But it looks like I might need V-band clamps after all? Trouble is they cost a fappin' fortune! Just trying to weigh up my options and make the right choice?

[Tom]

What you want is turbo fitted, bolt the plate on, then hold the elbow upto it and work out the angles, then tack the front half of the system or whatever your doing then if its ok unbolt get it on the bench and weld that bugger up!

[306Puggy]

Does that mean taking the manifolds off the car and half fitting the bugger to get the measurement and then putting it all back together again? Sod that for a laugh! I think in that case I will just get the V band clamps, can't face doing the job twice.

[Piggy]

I spent probably 10/12hrs on my turbo pipes...

on, off, on, tack, off, weld, on, break off, tack again, refit...repeat. that was for relocation.

but you wana do it right, you need to jig it up.

just get on with it. gee

[Tom]

No, put the turbo, the car is now useable and all. When you get time get under the car, bolt your plate on, then hold your downpipe where you want it and tack it in place, then get your bend at the bottom or a bit of straight or whatever then tack that inplace. then once the whole downpipe is there and looking good, join it up to the original system, make sure it fits nice, tweak if you have to. Then and only then when its perfect, unbolt the plate from the turbo remove the whole tacked lot and get it all welded together with some nice solid beads. Simple as that

[306Puggy]

I spent probably 10/12hrs on my turbo pipes...

on, off, on, tack, off, weld, on, break off, tack again, refit...repeat. that was for relocation.

but you wana do it right, you need to jig it up.

just get on with it. gee

Well if I had a welder to hand I would do that. But it doesn't sound good considering I would need to do the following:

remove std turbo
put new turbo on
mark the right way to align the elbow
put std turbo back on with new mani gasket
drive to garage to get the elbow welded
then take everything apart again to fit the new turbo

and then add on to the fact that I would have to walk to and from work 5/6 days a week and then work on the car in the afternoon, that's going to be a f*cking nightmare. We don't all have a barn to work in with 5/6 spare cars hanging around you know

No, put the turbo, the car is now useable and all. When you get time get under the car, bolt your plate on, then hold your downpipe where you want it and tack it in place, then get your bend at the bottom or a bit of straight or whatever then tack that in place. then once the whole downpipe is there and looking good, join it up to the original system, make sure it fits nice, tweak if you have to. Then and only then when its perfect, unbolt the plate from the turbo remove the whole tacked lot and get it all welded together with some nice solid beads. Simple as that

Not sure I understand the above? I don't have a welder for starters hence why it is such a problem getting it all welded up. Not sure which plate you are referring to? I am finding it hard to visualise what you are trying to explain I notice you are referring to tack welding a lot which I assume without a welder to hand the above is not possible?

This is so friggin' complicated! Anyone want an unknown condition GT2052S with a few dodgy adapter plates?

[Tom]

See you need to get your car and a welder in the same place. And someone that knows how to use it if you do not, although from what i've heard "point and shoot" is the just of it!

Im referring to the exhaust downpipe plate. the bit that goes on your turbo that your 90degree exhaust bend will be welded onto th point down the tunnel.

[Piggy]

if you got no welder...tbh...you're pretty stuffed.

and as the guys who came round few weeks ago can atest to, I have no spare cars and no barn to work in...just a pain in the ass (literally) gravel drive

[Tom]

Not stuffed by any means, fit the turbo, get it all good and running just loud as f*ck then drive to your welder. If he knows how to weld im sure hes familiar with the underside of a car!

[306Puggy]

See you need to get your car and a welder in the same place. And someone that knows how to use it if you do not, although from what i've heard "point and shoot" is the just of it!

Im referring to the exhaust downpipe plate. the bit that goes on your turbo that your 90degree exhaust bend will be welded onto th point down the tunnel.

Heh, that is the trouble, I can't afford a welder right now, I am tryna do this project on the cheap! It is already looking like it is gonna cost half of what I paid for the car!

if you got no welder...tbh...you're pretty stuffed.

and as the guys who came round few weeks ago can atest to, I have no spare cars and no barn to work in...just a pain in the ass (literally) gravel drive

Heh, thanks for the vote of confidence Piggy! Hopefully that gravel drive is being niiiiiiiiiice and itchy for you And I am not sure but I don't think you are supposed to use a jack and axle stands on gravel?

Not stuffed by any means, fit the turbo, get it all good and running just loud as f*ck then drive to your welder. If he knows how to weld im sure hes familiar with the underside of a car!

Hmm, that changes the order in which I do things quite a lot. Maybe as a last resort but is there much leeway in how the downpipe can be fitted? Like if it is too long or too short is there much to play with or...?

I am tempted to just throw something together that has roughly the same dimensions as the standard elbow and see if it will fit with a V band clamp to allow me to adjust the angle.

[Tom]

With a v band you only get that up/down movement, so if your turbo is a bit wonkey the pipe will go off at an angle and not go down the tunnel right. I personally dont see another way to do it. I made up my downpipe on the bench, thought yeah that'll work it looks great! Did it? f*ck no! The turbo was slightly pissed so by the time it had a long pipe on the end that tiny angle was exaggerated and it was miles out!

[306Puggy]

Hmmm...yeah...it's a difficult one! Okay, okay, how's this for an idea? Exhaust elbow welded to adapter plate, exhaust flexi welded to exhaust elbow with reducer and flange on the end of flexi? Surely that would account for any dodgy angles? The only thing is, the strain from the downpipe pulling on the flexi might be too much for it, since the downpipe was originally designed to bolt to a rigid elbow. But yeah, tell me what you think.

[Tom]

The flexi imo is only really good for taking up the engine rocking around, i have a flexi in mine but wasnt enough to take up the angle it was off by!

[306Puggy]

Right guys, got all the bits and decided to do a mockup. What do we think of this?

   
   

Short enough or need more trimming? The standard elbow (minus the flange) is there for scale. Edit: Obviously this is gonna be welded at a 45 degree angle to the adapter plate for the exhaust housing.

[Tom]

I think its a great idea, might hold it back abit but not loads like that. But i am standing by whats been said above without the turbo attached to the car your going to struggle to get the elbow at the right angle.

[Chris_90]

Doesn't look to bad tbh, gonna be restrictive tho where it hits the reducer, also as I said in your thread it's gonna be hard to get everything at the right angle with out mocking it up on a car

Edit Tom got there before me

[306pc]

Bolt on turbo?

[Jonny81191]

If you're adamant about keeping the stock downpipe, then TBH that's not bad at all. Just go careful that you don't move the downpipe too low, it'll hit the subframe.

And echoing the above, you now need to fit the turbo, otherwise you'll need all the luck in the world.