RE: Exhaust manifolds (AGAIN?!)

[Dave Lawson <dlawson@ball.com>]

Hi all,

I posted some exhaust manifold info last october for Dan Bocek, but didn't 
save it. Here goes another try.

Steve writes:
>I stopped by the parts department the other day and learned that the
>newer cars (200Ts) actually have a two-piece exhaust manifold, one for
>cyl's 1&2 + turbo, the other for cyl's 3-5 + wastegate, with a flexible
>hose that connects the two parts.  Are there performance advantages to
>this configuration?  Has anyone retrofitted this to an ur-Q?  How
>available are these manifolds in the *previously owned* market
>(read ... wrecking yards)?

I know of one ur-Q owner who has installed the 2 piece manifold on his 
engine. His name is Charlie Day, and there is a small article on him in the 
lates issue of Grass Roots Motorsports. In this same issue is an article on 
ur-Qs and sport quattros. I saw Charlie's car at Brainerd this past October 
and his mechanic was telling a few of us about the engine and mentioned the 
2 piece exhaust manifold. It seems to be working well on his car. As 
mentioned in the article, Charlie is the original owner and the car is 
driven to the quattro club events. The engine is also highly modified.

Glen writes:
>  I've been looking for a suitable alternative to the stock
>  exhaust manifold for some time for the Killer ur-Quattro Engine From Hell
>  project with no success. VW/Audi magazine had a short piece on an ur-Q
>  with a custom-built one-off manifold that had, you guessed it,
>  cracked.....
>

Alisdair writes:
>    Are we talking about the same article? Back in July, I think it was.
>    It started out with someone who built a custom manifold in stainless
>    steel to replace a cracked stock manifold, and then realised that there
>    was probably a market for the things. The cost of the new stainless
>    version was similar to a VAG replacement (ie damn expensive, but 
perhaps
>    less likely to break.)
>
>    One of the main reasons for the manifold's demise is tha fact that it's 

>    bearing the weight of the turbo. The same company offers a brace that
>    helps to take some of the weight off the manifold - a kind of belt and
>    braces approach.

This is from memory so expect a few errors :-), the stainless steel manifold 
is made by Haywards & Scotts and as glen mentioned it was starting to crack. 
In a later issue of VW/Audi car there was a follow up report where they have 
now solved the problem by using a split manifold mating surface which is 
bolted to the head. I have also learned of another aftermarket exhaust 
manifold from Dialynx in the UK. It is made from a material called 
Iconel(sp?). Not sure what this stuff is. In a photo, it looks to be highly 
polished with a mirror like surface. Didn't see any holes for the O2 sensor 
though. If anyone wants the addresses/phone numbers of these companies, I 
can look them up.

 -
Dave Lawson  dlawson@ball.com