SSautochrome manifold- worth it?

[Reign_Maker]

:aigo: *error 404: search button not found* :aigo:

So anyway: Im thinking, seriously thinking, about getting one of those ssautochrome tubular manifold and one of thier wastegates... What do you all think of that? Anyone on here have one? Any fitment issues? Anything I should look for?

Thanks,
Jake

 

[Slow Poopra 7MGTE]

the only fitment issue i had was my mani, rested on my oil fiter housing, i didnt liek that to much, i have to relocate my oil filter, but i later heard that the first batch of ss mani's had that problem, and was fixed and the newer ones dont do it anymore, i dunno im not gonna argue for 150 bucks,the only problem i've ever heard was there was a honda or something last year with a hanging style maifold and the weight of the turbo cracked the skinny tubing and the turbo fell in the engien bay... the tubing on mine isnt that thin and seems like its alright, plenty of people use them actually

 

[Reign_Maker]

Thanks man... I was thinking of trying this to take advantage of my turbo...

Did you find any gains by going to tubular? Did it do anything for your powerband? Any "seat of the pants" feeling?

 

[Slow Poopra 7MGTE]

havnt ran the car with it yet... sorry

 

[tubbie]

Worth every penny..............:bigthumb:

 

[abustiffy]

There were tests that showed they were hit or miss, some good some bad. I have 2 at the shop that say no. One for a b16 that we have the collector split all the way around the flange (it fell off), all but about 1/2" around the gate and the top of one of the runners. The other is for a ca18det, it did a little better one of the pipe sections split down the middle but no horrible damage. Both of these cars had braced DPs with flex sections, so the old "it was caused by stress" excuse is invalad. Others have had good luck but for my time and money, Id rather buy a quality tubular like an RPS, or a used greddy, or just use a stock manifold with an adaptor.

 

[IJ.]

I bought one it's due here Monday I'll post up what I think of it then !

I think the early ones were a different grade stainless and a bit thinner as well as the clearance issle Slow mentioned.

 

[935motorsports]

I have tried a few, hit the oil filter housing. Worth the cost? yes. Worth using? Not sure.

You have to custom fab a spacer, then you have to get around the oil filter issue, then it might not last.

I think a turbonetics cast manifold is the way to go, for it to least years and years. If you just need something for now then these manifolds do the trick.

 

[abustiffy]

You may also want to clean them out when you get it. The ca18det mani we got was the "better" design with the "better" metal. Though it was thicker and looked better after a few heat cycles, it still was poorly constructed, We had to spend about 2 hours removing jagged edges, and spots where they managed to get wire into it. Even with all of these percautions it still cracked, not on the weld, but straight down a pipe.

 

[Reign_Maker]

Thanks guys...

IJ, keep me informed, ok... I have yet to see one mounted, WITH the turbo... So please, post the pics...

Thanks again...

BTW: where can I find the other kinds of tubular headers?

 

[IJ.]

HPF have some on their site!

I have to make an adaptor from T04 flange to T3 anyway so the Comp Cover hitting isn't going to be an issue for me! (The Bigger GT series housings hit a runner)

Suprra Girl has some mounted pics in her thread.

 

[group a supra]

the one i bought for mocking up purposes was absolutley spot on worth the money not thin crap i might add

 

[jjh]

get a log type theres a company that offers them unwelded for like 200 shipped

 

[MDCmotorsports]

You know some one on the sf.com mk4 section bought the complete kit (turbo, IC, mani) and did a write up on it.

Said it was the best $1000 he had ever spent.

Yes the manifolds have some cracking issues because of the lack of support(s) and the flanges tend to be warped straight from the factory.

Other than that, they sound like a good deal.

 

[Adjuster]

There was a huge thread where the grandlordkhrome or whatever his name is over on SF actually took one of these manifolds and X-Rayed it. Then he tested the metal content and quality. Found it was a pretty dang good deal for the money. It is 321 Stainless. Low grade, but it qualifies as 321.

Welding is somewhat poor, but nothing a quick pass over the top of each bead would not solve with a simple mig feeding stainless wire. (Get wire that is designed to weld 321, and your golden.)

Braces and flange repair/porting is also a simple fix. Patience and a large belt sander will solve your flange being warped. (They have these at machine shops, or you could pay to have the flange machined flat, but the belt sander works just as well.)

I've decided that after the bills are paid off on the Supra, about next year sometime, then I'm going to pick up one of these 321 manifolds, make a pass over all the welds with my mig and the right wire, weld up the inside of the ports to clean up the crappyness (is that a real word? It should be.) and port everything nice and smooth where possible.

Then the whole deal is getting sand blasted, and thermal coated. (I'm going to build braces for this manifold, both welded into place, and bolt on that use the stock mounts, with custom hardware/brackets to further support the turbo/manifold.) It should be pretty crack resistant, and allow me to upgrade to a GT4088r turbo that I've been wanting for awhile. It's tempting to cut off the T4 flange, and re-attach it with a slightly new angle, placing the compressor housing further from the runner, and pointing the DP closer to the manifold. This "twist would be further enhanced by a "slope" so the turbo is sitting nose down slightly, making clearance for the intake and IC pipes to cross over the top.

I think by tucking the DP closer to the manifold, there will be more clearance for a 4" design that I want. The idea is to have a 4" inlet pipe, and 4" DP. From what I've seen, this setup should really rock, and I'm looking forward to doing it next year.

 

[abustiffy]

after all of that time and money, you would have been better off buying a quality product.

 

[shaeff]

after all of that time and money, you would have been better off buying a quality product.

where's the ingenuity in that? and all of what he said really isnt that expensive. it just takes some thought beforehand (which he's done already) and a mig welder. he could probably be done with this in 1 day, easy.

-shaeff

 

[VanSupra]

I spoke to a guy on the other forum and he said he knows a couple of guys running this manifold. One of the guys is apparently running a GT42 on his daily without any issuse. I just recently bought one from Mk3turbo91 from this forum and am just waiting for it to arrive. I personally don't think they're as bad as people are saying or making them out to be. I also have a GReddy manifold that is currently on my car and I paid $800 USD for it with a crack almost all the way around the bottom of the turbo flange. Talk about disenchantment after seeing that. I didn't even notice it till I was ready to install it. :3d_frown: I think for $200 bucks shipped if it cracks after a year file it and buy another one. You can do that 8x's before you reach the price of a GReddy manifold as even these are known to crack. 7MGTE's are getting cheaper to mod and to make horse power. I'm liking this alot.

 

[suprra_girl]

yep i bought one and think they're great for the money

no clearance problems so far, have yet to put it in the engine bay and but i'm sure i won't have a problem there just mocking up some braces to hold on to it as well... won't take much

 

[Reign_Maker]

Suprrrrrrrrra girl, that looks REALLY nice!

Thanks for the input guys, Im gunna go for it... BTW: it says its sus304 stainless, not 321... Which is better?