Look what I got at Gaydon.....

[William]

HUGE thanks to Sal, who after putting up with pretty much a year of questioning and enquiring, sorted me out the exhaust I've been needing for so long. It looks amazing and I can't wait to get it onto the car to see and hear it properly. Couple of questions though....

1. Can anyone post part numbers or diagrams for the bits I will need to hold the end of the downpipe to the centre section? (sal did tell me but I can't remember the exact bits)



2. The car currently has a 2 part system, does anyone know which brackets will already be there and appropriate for the 3 part system, and which brackets I will need to buy new?

thanks a lot

[Simon]

William, you need a 3 piece downpipe, available pretty cheap from GSF/ECP, and could probably do with some new olives, and rear hanger bushes.

The centre hanger (just before the back box) will become redundant, as 3 piece systems (apart from scrapirons) don't have the hanger welded on.

[William]

O shit, does this mean Simon that the downpipe pictured is not for a 3 piece? I was very careful with my specification when I spoke to ECP so I hoped I had got the right part. Just looked up and realised I haven't shown a full picture with the downpipe, the mild steel coloured pipes in the bottom pic are what I thought was a 3 piece downpipe!


As for brackets then, I need one for the centre section and one for the back box?I presume the downpipe does not have its own bracket, but uses the manifold and centre section for support? Sorry to be ignorant but what exactly are the olives?

[Chris-W]

Olives are rounded profile metal gaskets, effectively, which create the seal between the two flared flanges between your downpipe & centre section (the right hand / upper one in your pic).

[Simon]

William, sorry to shit you up! I can see now, that you already have a 3 piece downpipe! Didn't spot that, thought you were asking what you needed altogether to convert from 2 piece to 3 piece!

You should have had a fitting kit for the back box, 2 metal straps.

There should also be a bracket that mounts to the gearbox, this clamps to the downpipe section, and should already be fitted to your car.

On a 2 piece system, there's a bracket near where the exhaust passes under the trailing arm, on 3 piece systems, this bracket is missing so won't be used.

Basically, the exhaust will be held on by, 2 brackets around the back box, a bracket that mounts to the gearbox, and the manifold to head bolts.

[William]

thanks so much Simon that's just what I wanted to hear. Now I know exactly which brackets I need and can avoid that annoying situation of being under the car at 12:05 on a Saturday and realising you are missing one bracket and the parts dept. has closed!!

No fitting kit with it, Sal said it doesn't come with one??

[Simon]

It should....the box is smaller than a standard E30 box.

I had the same problem when I bought mine, they claimed there was no need for a fitting kit, tried fitting it some shape, took it back to them to show them, and they managed to get hold of a fitting kit! Straps that are a perfect fit for the back box.

I think you will be very pleased with the sound!

[William]

Good good, thanks for all the help Simon, Sal is now sorting out a fitting kit. I'm still unsure though on quite how I fit the downpipe to the centre section - as you can see in the 2nd pic, both pipes on the centre section (black) have collars with bolt holes but only one of the pipes on the downpipe (steel) has the same. On the centre section both pipes have outwardly flared ends, but on the downpipe only one is flared, I'm a little confused as to how this all goes together?? I have a gasket now (£8!) to go between the manifold and downpipe but nothing else. HELP!

[Simon]

OK, William, you should have 2 olives, one is a small one (this fit's in the top pipe in your picture) and a thicker olive which slides onto the other pipe (the bottom one which fits inside the sebring).

There should also be a clamp fitted to the other downpipe, looks like this has fallen off and got lost in transit along the way somewhere, either need to phone whoever you bought it from, or I have a couple spare here I could pop in the post.

[William]

Thanks a lot Simon, will give ECP a ring tomorrow and see what they see. Will let you know the outcome, really appreciate your help