Kristian Jonsson
Donation Time
Is it worth the effort to replace the cast iron manifold from the S V to the earlier tubular manifold!
Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.
If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.
Enjoy.
A few thoughts:
The stock alternator from a SV won't fit in the earlier stock tubular headers, but will with some of the Hitachi ones.
I came across an odd early tubular headers that were slightly larger OD. I believe they were former custom race headers. I liked that they were larger OD, because the Holbay head has larger ports, and stock is too small. I had them Jet Coated and loved them. They sounded great too. But they leaked a little.
So I went back to the stock SV cast manifold, and dremeled out the edges to make the flow better from the larger ports. The sound is a little different. I think it is a little quirky. But it is more like what I always had with my Alpine before the Holbay engine (which was about 20 years worth).
I might try to resurface the headers, re-JetCoat and try again some day.
Is it worth the effort to replace the cast iron manifold from the S V to the earlier tubular manifold!
While coming back to the original question and trying to keep things simple you can or even should replace the SV cast iron affair with aftermarket stainless tubular exhaust headers. I'm running that combo on my SV and it works a treat. No interference with the original Lucas 10AC alternator. Other than improved gas flow the main obstacle is the heat storage of that cast item which will excessively heat up the inlet manifold/twin Strombergs leading to significant power loss...
View attachment 23962
Im gonna guess that Bernds is a 4 branch.Interesting comment about the cast manifold retaining and distributing more heat than the tubular headers. I always understood the cast manifold to keep the heat flowing further down before dissipation through the pipes.
I did have my pipes ceramic coated. So perhaps the best of both. Though maybe fireroad's ceramic coated cast manifold is even better for heat flow.
Just a possible warning here. Bernd_st's headers do not look like stock factory pipes. His front pipe has a kink in it. The factory ones I've seen are straight down there:
View attachment 23981
Jay is that a falcon one bought via Sunbeam specialties?Yes, that's my point. Factory stock will not fit. I do have a stainless set, unused, with the extra kink, if anyone wants to buy it. I should put it up on the for sale section.
The kink is not just a small bend.. Needs a different length pipeIf factory don't fit, it can be "adjusted" by making a "kink"?