What was cost? I ask as I'm about to approach a company to fab one for me. I've a Cali 2.0 and the box is on last legs. The Heritage US spec doesn't fit properly and I thought a new one may as well outlive me and the van. Just looking for any pointers...
I've costed up making them (I've got a US spec one to make a jig from) and I was in the £350 to £450 range... I can't remember the exact cost as I've not got my note pad to hand!!
Not for a bus but for a fiesta rs turbo I used a guy in the midlands that traded for powerflow I told him what i wanted and he made it from scratch to match the car in a day and i think the cost was £350 pound Brilliant workmanship Im a picky bloke and was happy with it but he wouldent let me take the car back for another hour as he wanted to tweek the alignment of it all before i left
It'll be under the nappies/wipes/washing pile... have you budgeted for a sharp rise in the electric bill? Thanks both, I know the mob I'm about to ask took the best part of a grand off someone for a beetle exhaust - which I know was a bit more complicated to build. My existing setup is the one it came with and looks to have been cut/welded to fit. The issue with replacing is the triangular flanges to the HEs, but if I go down the custom stainless route that shouldn't be a prob for the fab guys...
Have a word with rickyroo dude i belive he went through a lot of hassle with strange american spec exhausts and heat exchangers
indeed para,i will face the problem in a few years again i guess? basically the problem seems to be that the american and especially california vans have a triangular flange with 3 bolts exiting the heat exchangers, my van came with the most rusted out empi 4 on it and i couldn't find a replacement - although at the time i was a newbie and didn't really know who to ask or what to ask for..... i had a stainless exhaust made for a focus once at a powerflow place in stafford so i rang them and they said they could make one by cutting off the flanges from the empi and grafting them on to the new box they made, in the interim @davidoft saw the post i put up and said he had a single exit silencer with the correct flanges so we did a deal on that, it's holding out ok but i kept the rusty empi in the shed as you never know...... the alternative i have thought of since then is to replace the heat exchangers with euro ones so i get the rectangle output (which faced with my exchangers being very rust free seems mad) or getting some rusted out ones and cutting the ends off and having them grafted on to mine.
I have the same problem. Bought the US spec exhaust from Heritage and it was about 2cm to narrow! Had to get one pipe cut and sleeved to make it fit. I did a review of this exhaust for Heritage and guess what, they never published it. I don't buy from them anymore and have found a local exhaust specialist who will do a custom exhaust for £350.
Turbo Thomas - http://www.turbothomas.com/ made me a rather handsome quiet pack style device for my van. I have no idea how much it cost, it's been on ages. ( with Bluebird Customs stainless manifolds).
you will need to find different tinware (Paul Wedding), alternator bracket and a few other bits, I think there is about seven additional pieces needed of you change the exchangers. I have the same system as you rick and most of the flanges and joints are leaking now so I've been collecting for a while and will be replacing with later US / Euro exchangers and stainless silencer... Does anybody need a kidney?
Good guess on the cost folks, came in at that bracket (lower end). Collected van today with its new stainless backbox. Relatively painless process, apart from paying... Looks the part and lifetime guarantee to boot!
Not to my knowledge, they look a different shape to my eye - hexagonal as opposed to the triangular they were. My brief was very simple - no lower, no louder... I'm quite pleased as it sounds nice and is actually higher mounted than the old one!
