Hole for 4 branch

[Scott Dabinett]

Buying a 4 branch manifold that exits as 4 going out the side skin and mine is standard and just has the single hole! Is there some kind of template or measurements I can follow or is it just buy it and cut? Haha!

 

Thanks

 

Scott

[Golf Juliet Tango]

I would find a local car with the setup you are planning and make your own template. It would be a negative one. I'd use the front and bottom of thr sideskin as reference points.

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Try and see if one of the new (presumably separate ?) primaries fits through the existing hole. Cut for the rest one at a time. Proceed with caution !

 

Do disconnect the battery before starting. Easy to short primaries onto alternator stud - instant welding !!

[Shad]

Scott, I've got some pictures of the process from when I did mine:

 

http://niknak.org/photos/cars/my-cars/02-caterham-7/09-01-24fitting-new-exhaust

 

Fairly straight forward if you've got a Dremel. Just use lots of masking tape and take your time

[Bob L]

for Stationary M25 Traveller

 

No 4 primaries are the same so difficult to use anyone else's template. Suggest you align one pipe at a time and carefully cut away the skin until the pipe settles comfortably against the block without touching the skin, aim for a 5mm comfort gap around the pipe then move onto the next one and repeat. They will all be on and off several times and more space you allow, the easier this becomes. Your only cutting ali so this does not take as long as you would think.

I have approx 10mm gap around all pipes on the finished hole (more of a trapezium) and can still struggle to get the last one bolted up so take your time and enjoy the process. Oh and only file on push stokes so as not to lift the paint.

 

Good luck.

[SBD762]

Apologies for hijacking your post. 😳

My question is sort of related.

Is there an opinion on fitting a 4 into 1 or as some have a 4 into 2 into 1

Are there advantages / disadvantages? If so what are they related to?

Goods luck with your fitting by the way

[Englishmaninwales]

Sorry for the hijack - just about to do this but starting with a virgin sideskin with no hole or template for a 421 type manifold. I don't have the original skin as very crumpled ☹️. Im looking for a reference point for the centre to start - can any one measure theirs for me ? Also what is the best tool for enlarging the hole? (I have a dremel and a 3mm drill attached nibbler).

[Paul Deslandes]

Use a small flap wheel on a flexible extension drive to finish off. Very controllable and gentle. Protect the paintwork with low tack tape and flat plastic from an old large plastic milk bottle, its tougher than newspaper if you do happen to slip.

 

edited to add re 4 into 2 into 1 exhausts, search the archives and you'll find lots of info or start a new thread and info will be forthcoming.

 

Edited by - Paul Deslandes on 15 Mar 2013 14:21:50

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

4-1 best for use at max revs.

 

4-2-1 best for max torque at mid range revs .... this is what I wanted for road use

[Richard Price]

Quoting Englishmaninwales: 

Sorry for the hijack - just about to do this but starting with a virgin sideskin with no hole or template for a 421 type manifold. I don't have the original skin as very crumpled ☹️. Im looking for a reference point for the centre to start - can any one measure theirs for me ? Also what is the best tool for enlarging the hole? (I have a dremel and a 3mm drill attached nibbler).

Malcolm,

I've got a dimensioned diagram I can send over

[ECR]

I used a nibbler attached to a variable speed battery drill. Worked well for me ...

It's a job that I never look forward to doing (the disaster potential is great) but it's always a lot easier than you think. The first hole is the important one and it looks like Richard has that solved.

Good luck

[Richard Price]

Quoting ECR: 

(the disaster potential is great)

I've seen a couple of very nervous looks when I've set to a pristine sideskin with and electric die grinder with an aluminium cut burr in it 😬

 

[skeetsy]

When I did mine a couple of years back it was, as others have said, one primary at a time, incrementally enlarging the hole to suit each primary.

 

Lots of masking tape around the current hole.

 

I also used a large repair washer to run round the new primary with a sharpie pen in the centre so that I got a nice clear line which was about 15mm larger than the primary.

 

for cutting the hole I initially tried a dremel, but wasn't terribly happy with the noise and vibration in the side skin, so I ended up using a Monodex shear to cut the aluminium, they work better on straight lines to be honest, but it worked fine with care.

 

If you'd like to borrow my monodex then drop me a blatmail

 

All the best

 

Richard

[7 wonders of the world]

If you know precisely which exhaust your fitting why not ask Bruce @ Arch if he could help with a template - maybe for a contribution to NtL, that way you will get exactly the right size and shape hole with a reference to a know point on the chassis for a start point.

[StuB]

Quoting Richard Price: 

Quoting ECR: 

(the disaster potential is great)

I've seen a couple of very nervous looks when I've set to a pristine sideskin with and electric die grinder with an aluminium cut burr in it 😬

 

Guilty as charged, but you did a cracking job Richard!

[Neil F]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I'm going through the same myself right now!

 

I'm fitting an R400 exhaust to my K Series Roadsport. I've stripped the old exhaust and manifold off and I can get no2 primary (assuming you count 1 as the front of the car) mostly in place through the single pipe hole. It looks at first glance however that no1 primary is going to come very close to the cap head bolt on the engine mount.

 

Can anyone with an R400 K series tell me if the cap head bolt is replaced with a cut down item or does everything clear OK once the panel is trimmed? Just want to check before I start cutting the ally!

 

Neil

[Englishmaninwales]

Neil

YMH

Malcolm