Flanges

Anyone else have trouble with a Vintagespeed exhaust ?

I went for vintagespeed as reading on here and other forums it was meant to be one of the best

i have been down the route of fitting a new Empi quiet every 2 years so decided to spend a lot of money on a fit and forget exhaust

but from day 1 it's always blown from the flanges , i have had several new gaskets and tubs of gum gum but with in a few weeks it blowing again

i have messaged the Vintagespeed guy on here and emailed vintagespeed them selves but no one ever got back to me

this morning i decided to remove the whole thing and have a good look









every flange was warped and not a little

are these exhausts meant to be surfaced after welding ?

after around 1/2 an hour with a file i was starting to get them flat







but as you can see there's still not much of a flat face to join together

anyone else had any trouble or did mine miss a step being made ?

 

Crikey! Well done finding the cause though. Hope it works bit better after this

 

just a bit disappointed after spending a lot of money

if i had wanted a badly fitting exhaust i would of saved my self a few hundred quid and bought Empi

 

Looks like you should be able to rectify by taking it to a blacksmith or metal fabricator and using a belt sander or big sanding disk to sand them flat?

 

The slotted flanges are IMO insubstantial. Either you have them barely tightened and they rattle loose or you tighten them and the flanges bend. I lost my temper with mine and welded it all together without the gaskets.

For another reason I now have a replacement one and using much thicker washers (engine case/head) and a smidge of assembly paste I've been ok so far.

 

Slotted flange !

 

Glad to see it's not just me Zed

 

I think I knocked mine straight with a lump hammer before I seam welded them. No problems with any of the flanges with holes, just the slotted ones.

 

Why do we put up with this rubbish. Suppliers get a good name and then sh1t on their own doorstep after a while. Do they stop caring when the money is rolling in and rest on their laurels. I've read so many times on here these bits of kit are the dogs wotsits and people have bought them based on that recommendation. Shame.

 

I have one and its a superb bit of kit ......I bet the flanges were flat originally before tightening ...

 

You can't beat a good tight slotted flange
you could always make a gasket with fire paste on both sides

 

it would seem it's not just me

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7398903&hc_location=ufi

 

Send it back to VS. It's not fit for purpose.

 

Ive read enough on the net over many forums to the point i wouldent run a vs exhaust


Lets let dan have the chance to have his input though @Dan

 

Dan@vintagepeed

 

Can someone tag him for me please

 

Vintage-peed ?

 

he's been on but seems doesn't want to reply , that's the problem i have had before