teamcrossworks

Thanks for "taking 1 for the team"

Hopefully it won't hurt too bad...staying tuned.

JohnKoaWood

No they don't, and a solid flange doesn't mean a better seal to the head...

I am not interested in debating one vendor over another, I was merely pointing out the lack of any expansion joint the factory found a need to introduce!

There are MANY different options available, and at least on the surface these OBX setups apear to be viable, if they last... and IMHO that is a big if at this point.. ANY header will crack if tortured enough, the stock ones do, as do all the options currently available.. it will be interesting to see if these go the diastance, as they are HUNDREDS less than the next best option...

Another comment on these, I would look VERY carefuly for leaks at the welds, and when installing take care to not pre-stress them leave all the hardware loose, untill it is ALL installed then start tightening the hardware..... just my 2C... when I install my new headers / crosover / up-pipe I will be doing so with the engine sitting on a stand, so I will have an easier time of it than installing them on the engine IN the car...

fast951

The 951 headers pictured here share many similarities to some of the 930 headers sold over the years, maybe by the same supplier.

Make sure you inspect and clean the inside of the headers! Some 930 guys reported seeing weld beads on the inside, necessitating a good cleaning prior to install or risk a damaged turbo.

Also, use a exhaust gasket and match it to the headers. Based on the picture above, the pipes at the ports can use some work. A good exhaust shop can expand the lip of the inner pipes to blend them with the ID of the flange. As is, I suspect turbulence in the flow will be a issue. (not putting down these headers, I have seen the same issue with a much much more expensive header system).

cjbcpa

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86 951 Driver

Are these supposed to give any kind of power increase?

chrenan

Justin's car really stretches the definition of a street car.

That would be me! Thanks again Justin, when I'm in there next, or when my stock DP collapses, I'll use that one for sure.

Like we talked about at the AutoX, I think its a worthwhile experiment. In the grand scheme of jobs you can do to a 951, swapping headers isn't that terrible, even on jack stands. Hopefully you'll have it all bolted up for the next event so you won't be forced to compete in your M3 with the leather seats, AC, windows that go up and down, etc. etc., what a pain that must have been...

I love the fact that the pictures are on your kitchen floor, your better half must be as understanding as mine.

JustinL

LOL, Yeah she's good about my hobbies

Here's the ebay link for those who were asking: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBX-8...Q5fAccessories

I took the headers over to Dan's shop (Dand86951) and had him take a look at the welds etc. I think we reached the same conclusion as others here have. Without the expansion joint, these headers are not a 'forever' product. We talked about filling in the joint at the flange and grinding it down. I read the thread about slag inside the pipes and we looked for this and then gave the pipes a good cleaning. There are gaskets supplied with the pipes, but they are going straight in the garbage in favor of factory gaskets.

What's the consensus on wrapping the pipes?

chrenan

Any oil leaks on that side of the engine? Any fear of oil leaks on that side of the engine? If yes, I wouldn't wrap, something about oil soaked wrap on a hot header makes me nervous, despite having heard a few people say its not a risk. That being said, I do have a roll of brand new exhaust wrap you can have for free if you need it, still in the packaging, never opened.

reno808

nice let us know

jjmudd

Dibs on the wrap and I am in E-town! If you're looking to get rid of it!!

TurboTim

LOL.Far from it my friend!

We use 1/2" thick flanges.Theirs are 3/8"

We weld the outside and inside of each flange.They do not!

We back purge our stainless-they do not you can see the sugar where the two pipes meet inside the collector.

We use a high grade 304 or 321SS stainless not some substandard 304SS from China with a bunch of impurities.They dont even offer 321SS

We use a real merge collector that helps increase velocity and increases horsepower and torque.They use a cheapy weld on collector that will more then likely rob you of power.

The downpipe does not use factory crush ring.Ours does.
There downpipe is only 2.5".Ours is 3"
They have a slip fit in the downpipe with the slip in the wrong direction which will cause turbulence.Ours does not.

So there are some big differences.And then people really need to consider this...........

We are supporting our American economy.They are not.The Chinese are just stealing money from Americans by selling cheap crap and incredible cheap prices. American companies cannot compete. From electronics to car parts. And American people are wondering why everyone is losing their jobs, their homes and everything else these days!!!!!! Open your eyes!!!!

I am so sick of seeing Chinese crap. 99.9% of it is junk. I can tell you right now that these are junk and they wont last too long. Even on a street car. OBX is one of the better Chinese brands but I have seen way too many failures from Hondas to Supras to WRX's using OBX headers.

If you guys want, we can do a lower cost header and make it with collectors we build ourself.It can lower the price a couple hundred bucks! Just a thought.I would rather keep my employees families fed, our suppliers families fed and so forth and so on then give more money to the Chinese so they can keep running their sweat shops and slave trades!

chrenan

If Justin doesn't want it you can have it.

That's a great idea, nothing wrong with having a few different levels of product to attract customers looking at different price points.

JustinL

That would be great Tim. The options for headers that I was looking at were
a) used 2-3 header for $90 and re-use my 1-4 (nervous of used 2-3 headers)
b) SFR or LR header for $900
c) OBX for $300 that is completely untested

I don't really want to turn this into a political discussion, but I still contributed to your economy by buying this header from an American reseller and used your government postal service to ship it to me.

I think perhaps this thread can be seen by the American speed shops as a market segment that was previously unserviced and filled by a foreign manufacturer. Take this segment back; clearly there are people like me who want a product in this price range.

DDP

No you don't. Those one piece flanges have a higher tendency to warp over time. Good luck getting that to seal.

Tim is right, though. Everything he said is spot on. You pay for what you get.

carlege

I know we are talking porsche but when i look at a set of Hooker Competition headers for a V8 and they are 150 -500 i see 300 as reasonable for our car. Is the fact that they produce those on such a high level allow them to make them so affordable with out sacrificing quality. (im assuming hooker headers are as good as advertised) i know we are dealing with a different beast all together but interms of quality and material used i seem to feel that 900 is alot of money.