madporsche

I have 997 C2S and am looking for either new or good condition used X51 header. Is there anyone who wants to sell it? PM me please.
And I'm thinking AWE cell cats and muffler as well. Is it good combination with x51 header? Any comments are welcome.

machina

i have the X51 headers on my 3.8 with FVD mufflers. Got the headers for $300 on ebay, they were brand new. Just had to order new gaskets and bolts.

Headers really changed the sound for the better.

Next mod will be AWE cats.

dr

KeninBlaine

Machina: Why weren't you able to use the existing header bolts? You got a good deal BTW.

I have X51 with PSE and love them both. Might consider 200 cell cats one day, but no hurry as they are louder and I'm not sure I want the added noise.

machina

bolts are cheap and mine were rusted anyway. I know i got lucky on the header buy.

dr

kdurg

That's a good price for the X51 headers. They are tough to find.

I got mine used for $400 but the previous owner had them jet-coated with heat resitant silver. Very nice bonus.

MADPORSCHE---if you don't want to wait for a set to pop up , you can get them here:

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/me...AND99711110600

Very reasonable price as most of the aftermarket headers are $1500 +/-.

Edgy01

Seriously consider touching up the insides of them. I found that the stock 3.8 headers had better unrestricted flow than the X51 until I cleaned them up. Before, after, and the tools it took to clean them up.

machina

I was afraid to grind away all of that weld bead. There doesnt seem to be any welding on the outer side of the primaries so i played it safe and just smoothed out the hi areas of the weld.

Looks to me like you went right thru the bead.

Alstoy

Ok, what are you gents talking about now. This is my first Porsche and I don't have the slightest idea what you are on about. It does appear to be about added power, or is it added noise?

machina

yes, both

Dave07997S

That's what I was thinking...I just cleaned them up a tad..

Dave

Edgy01

There's a lot of steel in there from the weld job. I consulted with experts before I started.

We don't believe there is any added power to this but the sound (coupled with the PSE) is quite nice. I just like the cleaner look from below.

OCBen

Yeah, that looks excessive to me, especially if that's the only weld bead on that connection.

The thing to keep in mind is the interface between the exhaust port on the block and the tube opening on the header. I'm guessing that the cross sectional area of the flange/tube opening is larger than the cross sectional area of the exhaust port (this can be easily verified with simple measurements) to allow for positional float during assembly. (Float refers to the play that a part has with respect to the fasteners that secure it.) A good header design will ensure that the flange/tube opening will never obstruct the exhaust gas outflow (including the internal welds) regardless of its installation position, and this means making the cross sectional area of the header opening larger than the exhaust port opening on the block. And it also means it is unnecessary to grind down the welds like that. With engine vibration the weakened welds can develop stress cracks that can prematurely shorten the life of the headers.

boolala

Car looks great from the bottom with the new headers.

If it ever rolls over (or if someone gets wedged under the car), the bystanders will surely be impressed with this engineering design.

madporsche

Thanks for all comments! I might get them from Suncoast Porsche

Edgy01

the exhaust ports on the heads are larger in diameter than the header diameters.