N12Turbo.com lanyards are now available! Click here to visit the shop

1983 exa turbo - bayside blue and 81POLR!!!!

The place to introduce yourself, post photos and specs of your car.
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

manifold gasket has blown again, guessing the manifold is warped and needs to be machined, all in good time. Almost ready to rebuild the brakes all the way around the car, and a possible master cylinder upgrade at the same time. Stupidly put the car into a gutter by not driving to the conditions, rain + corner + fwd = straight, so have had to replace the wheels and will have to also replace the bent control arm before it's back on the road. Was very lucky not to have hurt anyone, crashed into the car next to me or written off the exa so just a lesson i guess...
User avatar
tassuperkart
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 5578
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:39 pm
Location: Southern Tasmania
Contact:

Post by tassuperkart »

Is your exhaust bracketed securely to the ENGINE, so it can rotate around with it, and then a flex joint fitted directly behind the mount?

If not, youll spend your life replacing manifots gaskest AND stripped manifold studs.

Oracle
Forcd4 wrote:Oh fuk no dude it's you a again, the oracle.
User avatar
JETETT
Posts: 357
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:59 am
Location: Wollongong

Post by JETETT »

Jesus this car has been around. I remember seeing it as a painted shell with no motor
Image
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

tassuperkart wrote:Is your exhaust bracketed securely to the ENGINE, so it can rotate around with it, and then a flex joint fitted directly behind the mount?

If not, youll spend your life replacing manifots gaskest AND stripped manifold studs.

Oracle
Yes it is Evan, I'll take a pic to show how the exhaust is set up over the weekend

haha yep this car has been around, but i've owned it for a while now and the gf says that i'm keeping it no matter what (unlike every other car i've owned-she's hated the lot!!) and that i can rebuild/replace/modify anything i want

speaking of replacing, the rear shocks are shot, the passenger CV is problematic, the driver rear drum brake cylinder is leaking and some suspension bushes are screwed as well so it is going to be an expensive week :/
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

car's going in the garage tonight, have managed to get some good deals on parts so have:
-custom rear braided brake lines
-new rear brake cylinders
-new rear brake shoes
-front brake pistons (already had)
-front brake rebuild kits (already had)
-front passenger control arm
-lower ball joint
-nolathane sway bar bushes
-kyb rear shocks
-stock rims on 185/60/14 tyres, need to pick up two more from Jerome though

All these will go on in one hit, then probably replace the tyres and get a good alignment
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

everything got done without any major problems (other than limping it over to Chris' place to get the brakes bled properly). also picked up a set of 15" impul rs wheels which look pretty sweet, which will probably get a polished lip and the centre spokes plastidiped either white or fluoro blue. they are the exact same tyre size and offset as my previous rims, although the rear tyres have decided to hit on the trailing arms. 3mm spacer time haha.

found out that the columbus shocks in the rear were from a VL commodore.

Chris also realised that not running the gusset bracket from the stock exhaust manifold to the block could be the reason for blowing this gasket so frequently. Sounds more than likely that this is the cause, given that a gt2876 is hanging off a steel manifold without a supporting bracket, further indicated by the stress on the manifold studs.

Image

Image
User avatar
baz
Posts: 1298
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Hobart / Tasmania

Post by baz »

Just picture your exhaust like this..A big ass leaver bar pulling down on your exhaust manifold, ofcourse your going to go through a shit tone of gaskets...have the front section secure to somewhere on the motor, then just after the secure mount, have a nice flex joint, that way the front section of the exhaust is solid, then the rest can flex as it pleases
My old exa I created from granny spec to a neat little BRIGHT car: http://forum.n12turbo.com/viewtopic.php?t=3903

Current Car: 2004 Vz SS Ute
User avatar
baz
Posts: 1298
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Hobart / Tasmania

Post by baz »

Also check your exhaust manifold studs (from the head) & make sure their straight..I've seen a few cases where no exhaust flex joint has been used & the studs have either broken & or bent in the exhaust housing of the turbo or the studs in the head have slightly bent
My old exa I created from granny spec to a neat little BRIGHT car: http://forum.n12turbo.com/viewtopic.php?t=3903

Current Car: 2004 Vz SS Ute
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

baz wrote:Just picture your exhaust like this..A big ass leaver bar pulling down on your exhaust manifold, ofcourse your going to go through a shit tone of gaskets...have the front section secure to somewhere on the motor, then just after the secure mount, have a nice flex joint, that way the front section of the exhaust is solid, then the rest can flex as it pleases
I'll use the threaded hole in the block from the original gusset to do this, and yep studs will be slightly bent already i reckon haha

passenger side cv has been clicking for ages, but the boot finally gave way yesterday so now there's grease everywhere and the car's awaiting a new cv. also the steering wheel is about 10 degrees anti clockwise when going straight since the accident, i had a closer look at the steering rack and i reckon i'll need to replace it too (pending what a suspension shop says). expensive hobby this!
User avatar
tassuperkart
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 5578
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:39 pm
Location: Southern Tasmania
Contact:

Post by tassuperkart »

Baz is right.
It can NEVER be stresseed enough the importance of having the dump securely bracketed to the support bracket on the rear engine mount and the addition of a big arsed flex joint from there to the main body of the exhaust system.
I think I can safely say that the absolute majority of dudes who repeatedly chase leaking and loose manifolds, turbos and dump pipes simply hang a big arsed exhaust with NO flex pipe directly off the turbo and not bracket the dump to the place on the rear engine mount just for this purpose.

Just take a look at how far the engine can rotate under normal driving and think about whate all that engine movement does to the end of the dump pipe.

Oracle
Forcd4 wrote:Oh fuk no dude it's you a again, the oracle.
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

wait, i have it braced off the rear engine mount with a flex pipe there too. i mean to brace it a second time from where the stock gusset would attach to the block. would having stuffed side engine mounts be another cause of blowing the gasket all the time, given that the engine could move around alot more under torque?
User avatar
tassuperkart
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 5578
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:39 pm
Location: Southern Tasmania
Contact:

Post by tassuperkart »

Nope. So long as the dump is SECURELY mounted to that back of the engine.
"IF" the dump is solid, with the flex pipe behind the rear dump mount, then the manifold flanges are warped.
Oracle
Forcd4 wrote:Oh fuk no dude it's you a again, the oracle.
User avatar
baz
Posts: 1298
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Hobart / Tasmania

Post by baz »

Brace it at the rear engine mount, then ad in a flex join, the flex join will let the engine move whist the rear section of the exhaust just chills..Pretty simple really
My old exa I created from granny spec to a neat little BRIGHT car: http://forum.n12turbo.com/viewtopic.php?t=3903

Current Car: 2004 Vz SS Ute
robbo
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:39 pm
Location: Sydney

Post by robbo »

the manifold flange is warped, although the dump is secured to the rear engine mount and with a 20cm piece of flexipipe too.

replaced the passenger cv last night which was fun...

getting a new gt28 copy next wednesday after pay day and a stock manifold, this time for real as the middle manifold bolt blew out under every day driving :S
User avatar
tassuperkart
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 5578
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:39 pm
Location: Southern Tasmania
Contact:

Post by tassuperkart »

Dude, forget the t28. see my other post.

Oracle
Forcd4 wrote:Oh fuk no dude it's you a again, the oracle.
Post Reply