Serioussly Hi-Flow Turbo Elbow

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Neodeuccio

Addicted to boost...
Sep 30, 2006
846
0
16
Schenectady NY
Ok, we all know the stock turbo elbow on a 7m sucks dead ones. I've see a few "high flow" elbows out there, but they all look to be pretty much the same: a stock elbow that someone too a grinder to the inside of.

I'm thinking of putting together a replacement elbow that is literally just a very carefully cut/bent/welded section to steel tubing with same-sized flanges designed to be a direct bolt-on replacement for the stocker. It will shave a few pounds over the stock one, and it should flow a lot better.

Now, I've seen the aftermarket downpipes with divorced wastegate tubes that either dump to atmo or pull back into the exhaust further down. What I don't know is the benefits of a divorced wastegate.

Has anyone built a replacement elbow like this before? If so, how did it work and do you have any tips? Also, any input on how to handle the wastegate?

Thanks!
 
F

figgie

Supramania Contributor
Mar 30, 2005
5,225
16
38
50
Twin Cities, Minnesot-ah
yes,

becauseican (Randy) has a Downpipe that has a built in elbow into his downpipe.

Suprasport has an elbow that they designed themselves which is alot bigger than stock.
 
Grimsta

Grimsta

Supramania Contributor
May 30, 2007
1,081
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Santa Rosa, Ca.
/\/\ I doubt you'll be able to produce it for less or better than them. But it was a good idea you had, just should've dug deeper
 
suprafanatic

suprafanatic

New Member
May 25, 2007
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Greenwood, IN
Im using the divoreced down pipe and it is amazing. it really added some power and woke the car up. not to mention the great sound when the wastegate opens up :). since you dont konw why theres an extra pipe for the waste gate i'll inform you.. its pretty simple really. It simply dumps the wastegate exhaust gases into the atmosphere instead of back into the exhaust system. By doing this it frees up the exhaust alittle more, and adds a good amount of power. It is said that the divorced down pipe adds about 30hp MORE than anyother after market 3in down pipe.
 
N

Neodeuccio

Addicted to boost...
Sep 30, 2006
846
0
16
Schenectady NY
The elbows I've see all run a few hundred bucks, which I haven't got to spend. I've got a local welder who I've had do a lot of work for me, so I think I'm gonna try mocking this up and have him put it together for me. I have a megan racing dp on there now, since my stocker fell apart a few years back, but it doesn't have the elbow built in so my goal is to make something that will work with that.

It sounds like you guys all think I'm wasting my time, but I think it's worth a shot. I'll let you know how it turns out, even if I do end up wasting it all. :icon_bigg

Grimsta;1257776 said:
/\/\ I doubt you'll be able to produce it for less or better than them. But it was a good idea you had, just should've dug deeper
Click to expand...
 
shaeff

shaeff

Kurt is FTMFW x2!!!!
Staff member
Super Moderator
Mar 30, 2005
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Considering that most aftermarket downpipes now integrate the turbo elbow, it's not really worth it in my opinion. And there have been a few commercially available, mandrel bent products around for quite a while.
 
N

Neodeuccio

Addicted to boost...
Sep 30, 2006
846
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Schenectady NY
FullNelson;1258547 said:
Seriously? Cant spend $200 for a DP? Why reinvent the wheel?
Click to expand...

It's that I don't want to spend $200 on an elbow. The dp I have is still in excellent condition, so I was hoping to just replace the point of constriction. However, I didn't remember that the Megan Racing dp isn't 3" the whole way, so replacing the elbow doesn't solve the problem as I originally was hoping.

So who's got the best dp out there for the money?
 
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ft413

learner
Sep 23, 2008
90
0
0
EL
i would recommend the becauseican(bic) downpipe, thats the best bang for your buck. but sense you were skeptical on paying 200.... the 935 motorsports split downpipe will work fine for you.
 
carter

carter

"The Ninja"
Nov 1, 2005
743
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Ohio
www.myspace.com
bic ftw alot of people like them. but some just dont like how loud it is when the wastgate opens. its actually next on the list because i dont know if i trust ebays ddp
 
C

CATarga

New Member
May 22, 2008
82
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Grass Valley, CA
The elbows I've see all run a few hundred bucks, which I haven't got to spend. I've got a local welder who I've had do a lot of work for me, so I think I'm gonna try mocking this up and have him put it together for me. I have a megan racing dp on there now, since my stocker fell apart a few years back, but it doesn't have the elbow built in so my goal is to make something that will work with that.

It sounds like you guys all think I'm wasting my time, but I think it's worth a shot. I'll let you know how it turns out, even if I do end up wasting it all.
Click to expand...

Making one can be done and rather cheaply, however since you can't weld, the cost will depend on how much your welder charges you an hour to fabricate/weld. If he is a friend and is willing to do it for free/cost of the consumables, it would be really cheap $5-10 depending on how much you have to spend for materials and his consumables. I built my own out of leftover pieces from making the accordion replacement. I certainly wouldn't build it for another for that amount, and the $200 market price for the ones available is fair considering the amount of work that goes into one, and that it is being sold from a business.

I cut out some flanges, and tacked some bracing to keep them aligned w/the elbow. It took a few attempts at trying to figure out the best way to use the left over tube, the mandrel bent pieces weren't tight enough to work as they were w/in the oem space. I ended up cutting open the inner bend and enlarging it to fit the flange opening.

It by all means isn't pretty, and looked a lot less frankensteinish before I added a second layer of exhaust tube. I added the second layer after thinking about the amount of heat it was going to be exposed, and figured the extra layer might help w/its longevity. So far it seems to work, it doesn't leak, and it cost me less than $5 to make. Right now it is a win-win, of course how long it lasts/performs wont be known until I have the car restored enough to be road worthy.

It would have been easier to do the divorced tube set-up, but here in CA you have to have both cats to pass the visual test, unless you get a tech who doesn't know/care, just as long as they see one.
 
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wiseco7mgt

wiseco7mgt

dirty mechanic
Aug 12, 2007
811
0
0
queensland
I found an easy way to build a decent one.
Get some 12mm steel from memory and cut out your top and bottom plates
(use you gaskets as a template if you have too)
Get a 4" mandrel bent 90 degree section of exhaust pipe.
Have your local exhaust guy flare one end of the 4" pipe into a oblong shape so it fits over the turbos exhaust houseing and welds on to the turbo flange you made up.Obviously you also need to weld a nut on the top of the mandrel bent pipe for your oxy sensor and there you have it, a cheap dump that works pretty good for the standard run of the mill ct26.
I have pic if you need it for my old one i made for my 4wd.You'd be surprised how well it works.
 
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pimptrizkit

thread killer
Dec 22, 2005
1,572
0
0
vancouver Wa
so far i have built 2 full exhaust, saving's tremendous.

i bought the flange from mdc or supra sport, the down side is the flange was not thick enough to bolt to the stock stud's, i.e the stock studs have to much of a collar/shoudler
and i had to build spacers for both down pipe's i built.

i think it cost me less then 100 bucks to build each exhaust.
 
sneakypete

sneakypete

Regular Member
Jul 18, 2007
1,129
0
0
Central NJ
what i like about the lipp elbow is that its cast. if you consider the stresses on the exhaust manifold and turbo from the exhaust, i wouldnt want a welded part to be the last link between the exhaust and turbo. if you bottom out, a welded elbow might crack.
 
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