Hello,
In considering my trip to get a scrap of top material for my maybe-patch project, I also remembered that I need a "spare" exhaust header.
The only parts I have pulled at a yard were some leaf springs off a couple of GM Jimmys that my son wanted to make knife blanks. Nothing beats the thrill of reaching under (NOT crawling under!) a car lifted with janky junkyard spare tire jacks, but we managed to get two sets. This risk plays into what I am considering here. I do not want to crawl under any car at a yard.
So I need to try to pull the header from the top.
Now, all ye of little faith, stick with me here, I might have a viable plan, but wanted to get opinions from you notta-idiots before I do something asinine or impossible.
I think the bolts attaching to the block are not going to be a problem. Sure, rust is a problem anywhere, but I am talking about access. The Amigos, however, might be another story.
I am also a bit hazy on the layout and anatomy, and will double back to do a dry run before going too much further, but, here is the rest:
The tentative plan involves my new kickass cordless angle grinder and some metal-cutting wheels. And PPE. That thing has enough power and I have enough spare batteries to cut the block in half. Yes, seriously, its a beast. So it seems to me that I could simply cut the downpipe while the header is still attached to the block, then take it off the block and haul ass with it.
In addition to technical advice that I would love to hear, is this kind of thing considered bad etiquette?
Should I just buy the whole hulk and part it out? Door panels and other stuff is getting scarce, but I dont really have a place to store it other than my side yard, and Mrs The Frog Dad would never go for it... Phatts, do you pay finder's fees? Say, one gutted exhaust manifold, perhaps? This one is a front-end wreck. Looks like someone drove straight into a light pole. Hard. (But I will check out the frunk insert, LT. Don't get your hopes up though, whomever was driving it probably didn't survive, and I dont think anything in the front did either, but have only seen pictures).
🐸, 2003, Electric Green Mica
Topic starter
Posted : December 7, 2020 12:29 pm
Oh, just realized that there are also mounting bolts underneath, not just Amigos. But still wondering if those are accessible from above?
And even so, in order to avoid the full-from-underneath "Amigo Experience", I wonder if cutting just after the flexi-pipe where the pipes converge (before the main cat) might still be a good option?
🐸, 2003, Electric Green Mica
Topic starter
Posted : December 7, 2020 12:48 pm
Wouldn't it be simpler to buy a manifold from a member who has replaced theirs with a "header"?
There must be scads of used OEM manifolds in the "For Sale" sections of the various Spyder fora.
What is the politically correct term for "euphemism"?
Posted : December 8, 2020 9:18 am
1
Yes indeed, it would. I have tried this on several occasions, with no luck. This is not to say they aren't out there, only that the few times I have looked, I have not found any. Timing is everything, as they say.
🐸, 2003, Electric Green Mica
Topic starter
Posted : December 8, 2020 9:19 pm
I'm not sure why anyone would need an extra exhaust manifold .... maybe if you don't like fixing busted off bolts . So I do have a couple I can pull off if you're not in a hurry . It took like 10 months to sale these .....
https://www.spyderchat.com/threads/fs-1zz-oem-exhaust-manifold.152563/
Posted : December 9, 2020 10:50 am
I will PM you about this, and I am not in a huge rush until after the holidays, but the reason I want an extra one is that the one I have is "probably" still in good shape on the inside. I was able to inspect one cat grid when I changed my O2 sensors last year and it looked "pretty good" but might have had a few very slightly damaged cells. It was somewhat hard to get a really good look, though. Not sure how much degradation is tolerable or normal, but I am sure that "none" is preferred. It is a MY 2003/facelift, so I'm already ahead of the game, but it is an early manufacture date on the engine, 12/2012, so there is some doubt there too. And I know some of the the facelifts have also failed.
Anyway, I would like to keep the one with probably-good cats in it in case I fail emissions and have to put it back on. I simply cannot NOT have The Frog. I hope it doesn't come to that.
That being the case, if you have one that is either fully gutted, or has trashed cats, that is perfectly fine. If I end up with two of them without cats, well, that's my problem, now isn't it?
PS - I was just kidding about the finder's fee. If you want to know where it is I can tell you, but central NC might be a bit of a haul for you. It's green though, and that means something! But probably not in the shape it is in. I am thinking I will grab the engine hood before you get here, however. I haven't seen it yet, and it might be picked clean already, or <gasp> flattened into a cube. Going to try to get out there this weekend for a look-see.
🐸, 2003, Electric Green Mica
Topic starter
Posted : December 9, 2020 6:16 pm