LCB for Mk1? <rant warning>

[Mudhen]

Any of you guys have experience with LCBs on a MK1?

I replaced my aging exhaust back in 2002 and it has been the bane of my existence ever since.  When I first put it on I took it for a quick spin and WOW what a racket.  After poking around some I figured out that the universal was hitting the header pipe.  How to fix that...well, we're moving and I can get a trailer so I won't bother now.  Jump ahead 5 years and I decide I'll see what I can do.

So I look at the old header and notice it has been banged in some near the bend of the pipe.  Hey, I can do that.  Heat it up, bang it in...doesn't hit when the car is up in the air - put it all back together and it hits when driving.  Twice more I took the carbs, etc off to get the header off and bang it in more.  Someone on the Minimania forum suggests just driving it at that point until it machines itself down.  But the noise?!!?  Well, I'll have to live with it.

Jump ahead another 5 years and I'm tired of the noise  (probably put about 500 miles on it over that time).  Figure I'll bang it in even more - right...no deals getting the header pipe off the Y piece.  So today I hacked it off with an angle grinder.  ARGH!!!!

I did just get a JD2 bender for my rollcage...so for a couple hundred bucks I could get an appropriate die for the exhaust pipe size and properly bend the new pipe.  lol.  Sure would be nice to just buy one that fits!  Or maybe I should just go back to the manifold/single downpipe.

Here's the fancy machine work that has been going on:





Couldn't get a pic of the universal joint and how nicely worn down the edge of that is all the way around.  Assuming the newer joint is smaller or something?  Can't remember what the one for my '80 looks like...

Anyway, sorry for the rant.  Haven't had time to cool down yet.  ARGH!!!!!!   50.gif

[94touring]

Did I understand that correct, ten years of exhaust problems?

[Mudhen]

Did I understand that correct, ten years of exhaust problems?

You do that math by yourself or have help?   22.gif

Well, it's not like I actively worked on it for 10 years - 2002 was the year I discovered motorcycles, so you can subtract 5 off the top because I wasn't home, and a few more because I was working on bikes not cars.  So what are we down to, 2 years?  :D

At one point I thought I'd go back to the cracked original except we'd moved twice by then and I couldn't find it.   ::)

[Mudhen]

Asked over on PistonHeads - looks like Maniflow makes one just for the early cars - LM004A.

http://maniflow.co.uk/index.php?view=product&from=156&product=1122

Ouch.  They're not free like I'd hoped.

[Alex]

I'd recommend a Maniflow magic pipe with a standard exhaust manifold instead.
No inner joint clearance issues, cheaper, quieter and easier to work with.

[Mudhen]

I'd recommend a Maniflow magic pipe with a standard exhaust manifold instead.
No inner joint clearance issues, cheaper, quieter and easier to work with.

Crap, somehow I missed this post - THANKS!!!

Will look into it...car is in the way of the other project right now until that's solved...

Edit: geez...I've never even seen a standard exhaust manifold for these things...even the '80 I bought has headers on it.  Plus my 1275 is .060 over...will that completely rob all power?  I remember how much a 4-2 manifold helped my Rabbit...sure would be nice just to use the thing, though.