Ordered Che Manifold, Elise twin-centre Exhaust, Strut Brace

[markiii]

christ the gaskets are what £10?

just change the bloody things everyone yet I've not changed has blown and teh 3 amigos (bolts that hold teh manifold to cat) are an absolute arse to remove

at teh risk of sounding like Stu, just do it properly  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[tom_deas]

christ the gaskets are what £10?

just change the bloody things everyone yet I've not changed has blown and the 3 amigos (bolts that hold the manifold to cat) are an absolute arse to remove

at the risk of sounding like Stu, just do it properly  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

its not the price, im ordering them anyway - not even a tenner, only £7 for a pair of rings - its just the fact it'll take 3 weeks to order in / get a chance to collect

yes, i should really be doing it properly, but... ill call up MrT and find out if they can get them in by Sunday, by any chance. If not, well, I won't be able to get up there for an unknown period of time, so... hmm. will chance it. blowing exhaust is temporarily liveable

[markiii]

pm your address and I'll post you 2 just send your new ones back when your done

[uktotty]

pm your address and I'll post you 2 just send your new ones back when your done

Now THERES a deal!!

[uktotty]

Strut brace fitted, rest of it going in on Sunday

[tom_deas]

pm your address and I'll post you 2 just send your new ones back when your done

Very generous of you, cheers  s:) s:)  ill call mrT tomorrow to see if they've got off their fannies and got it in, if they have then all sorted, if not will PM you.

was a shame i got a rear upper and not a front upper strut, but still makes quite a difference i noticed this eve on my drive about town...

Tom

[uktotty]

Having serious issues removing the 3 amigos!
Any advice?
Impact driver, torque driver, all failed so far!

Russ

[loadswine]

Application of heat and use a stud extractor to get max grip.

[uktotty]

Cheers Nige

This any good@
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/20084/Automotive/Mechanics-Tools/Stud-Extractor-Set-8-Pc?cm_mmc=GoogleBase-_-Datafeed-_-Automotive-_-Stud%20Extractor%20Set%208%20Pc

[markiii]

these

 m http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/det ... duct=26933 m

however if the heads aren't rounding but the they still won't turn your probably going to shear one

much as it's an arse workign on a hot car thats why I normally get teh car warm before removing them, and then let it cool down before I actually pull teh manifold off

[uktotty]

OK story so far, got 2 of the three amigos out with penetrating oil and stuff
Third will not budge.
tried the stud removal, snapped the drill off.
Tried nut splitter, cant reach, tried dremmel, wrong angle.
Gave up!
Went to put the CHE Lotus Thing on and I think CHE means CHEap
Exhaust and cat do not line up, compressed the springs on  the exhaust bolts and cable tied to give us more room but the new exhaust pipe is 30 degrees out from the main cat.

So manifold still in place with f*(&^d bolts, plus manifold brackets will not budge to remove and work on, off the car.
Old exhaust off, new exhaust will not fit.
It also seems the cat and the CHE exhaust are fouling each other so with both in place its a no go!


Any ideas guys??

[ChrisGB]

Sounds like a bad day in the garage. I would contact Che for some help. Could be that you have a duff system there. My single exit lined up perfectly.

It is not worth forcing stuff, it will only cause problems if not fitted properly.

Hopefully all will work out OK.

Chris

[Anonymous]

All I would suggest here is get the third bolt out, then align and bolt up  the manifold and the downpipe and the exhaust (ie nothing securing anything to the car) then offer up the exhaust to the manifold and adjust  the fittings to the car. Christ it's easy to say that when you're not doing the job   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:   But if the parts don't align when off the car then it's a manufacturing problem and return to base.

[tom_deas]

All I would suggest here is get the third bolt out, then align and bolt up  the manifold and the downpipe and the exhaust (ie nothing securing anything to the car) then offer up the exhaust to the manifold and adjust  the fittings to the car. Christ it's easy to say that when you're not doing the job   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:   But if the parts don't align when off the car then it's a manufacturing problem and return to base.

cheers.

thanks again loads for your help russ. so gutted. so gutted. its just shit luck. if that one bolt had gone fine we'd have been alright. but never mind, no point brooding eh.

will pass the job on to my uncle (mechanic by trade of 20yrs, really really good, trust him to do anything) - let him sort that shit out  s:) s:)  but will get on to che first to find out any specifics, if its supposed to be like that and/or if we've missed something stupid or your method is the proper way of doing it

*pops some valium*

its a beautiful bit of kit though, give it that due. will upload the pics tomorrow or something. very pretty bit of kit. im sure it'll be worth the hassle.

[Slacey]

Went to put the CHE Lotus Thing on and I think CHE means CHEap

its a beautiful bit of kit though, give it that due.

So which is it?

[Wabbitkilla]

I think what they mean is the fit is ***e, but it's nice & shiny   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

Guys, be sure you clean it off with turps or something before getting any heat into it otherwise it'll show all the greasy fingers that have been on it.   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:   And you'll never get rid of them once they been burnt on! (I learned the hard way)

Shame about the fitting problems, but i guess you get what you pay for.

[uktotty]

Shame about the fitting problems, but i guess you get what you pay for.

Hit the nail on the head Nick, what a nightmare day!
TTE all the way for me I think

[markiii]

you need a new exhaust already?

[tom_deas]

passed the job on to my mechanic. he said the cat definately needs to be removed to line that up which is why we were having so many problems - couldnt remove cat. and he's going to crack that botched nut off no problem

such a hassle though. its true, you do get what you pay for, but at the end of the day i took that risk. and to be fair to it, all thats wrong with it is lining up the cat exit / exhaust entry, otherwise it isnt a shabby bit of kit *touch wood*. if that amigo hadnt rounded off then it *should* have all gone on. never mind, no crying over spilt milk and all that. really appreciate your help though russ.

got loads of photos anyway. will post the new exhaust against the old one in a minute...

[uktotty]

you need a new exhaust already?

Oh sorry not me Mark, just saying how good mine was compared to the one we didnt fit this weekend, mine is fine and dandy ta  s:) s:)

Also defo gonna get one of these as per your many recommendations

[tom_deas]

in the last pic does appear as if the new exhaust has the entrance pipe at a funny angle. but that said, the entire unit may have been at an angle. OR, that might be how its deliberately designed, for some reason. either way ive asked Che - unfortunately due to time difference its probs about 6am there atm.

[uktotty]

Yeah that last pic certainly shows the different angles and could be the cause of the 30o offset from pipe to cat.

[Wabbitkilla]

That last picture does show the entry to the back boxes is out a tad.

This reminds me of Phils where the same joint didn't meet up with the de-cat pipe.
His friend had tightened them up to meet, which is probably what encouraged the cracking around the seam where to post-cat pipe enters the back box. Get in touch with Che for a replacement - i'm pretty sure it's not meant to be like that!

What a carry on eh?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[aaronjb]

I do believe the technical term is "a bit on the p*ss".

[evileye_wrx]

I'm wondering if Che's systems fit together properly as a whole, ie manifold - downpipe - catback. But start to fail when mixed with other manufacturers parts. Either that or they are just poorly made in the Chinese Knock off Factory. The numbers Che seems to order in his quality control must let a good few duds thru

Phil