Skunkwerks - Custom Headers

[RarlyL8]

I thought I would share a couple of projects we have been working on for fellow Pelicans. Not your typical headers as these are going on highly modified engines. The designs were a collaboration with the clients for their specific application.

This set is for a single turbo and will have a very unique Y-assembly which is being completed. Material is our signature 321 stainless, thick port flanges, 1.625" primaries are equal length, merge collector has double-walled slip joints. The client chose to use Burns collectors with secondary v-band clamps.







This set of mirrored 1.625" primaries is the bassis for a big horsepower twin turbo. There is enough interest in the old school rear hanging 930 twins that we will add the 1.5" version to the product line. More on this when the secondaries are finished ...

[930gt-40r]

I like!

[pavulon]

headers...as a form of art!!

[pete3799]

Beautiful work.

[Yargk]

Beautiful, how's the dyno work coming on your standard headers?

[stup]

Look really good,burns collectors do look quality!

[RarlyL8]

Thanks all. I hope to dyno my headers this week if we can get a break in the weather. Hooked up the LM-1 yesterday and all looks good.

The mirrored headers use our collectors.

[911st]

Very, very nice!

[Speedy Squirrel]

Nice welding. Engineering questionable, depending on intended purpose.

[RarlyL8]

The engineering is proper for the project constraints. There are many ways to skin a cat.

[Speedy Squirrel]

Talk is just talk without data.

[Reaper930]

Noice!!!!!!!!

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by reaper930

noice!!!!!!!!

+930

[DonE]

Originally Posted by Speedy Squirrel

Talk is just talk without data.

I too am looking forward to data.

Are you going to compare against stock, or B&B, Schnell, SSI, GHL?

[RarlyL8]

Talk is just talk without data?
There is no mention of performance data in this thread. This is about sharing what our fellow Pelican gearheads are up to and that the economy has not killed the enthusiasm for hotrodding our cars. Even I live vicariously through my clients and fellow Pelicans and always look forward to seeing what they have going on.

[torresmd]

Those headers are beautiful!

The snow and constant gloom in Detroit takes a toll on folks. I know since I live there for 3 years.

[RarlyL8]

It would be extremely cost/time prohibitive to test my headers against all others. My baseline is the stock Euro J-pipe system. I may choose one representative short tube header and dyno that.
Again, this thread is not about my 930 headers but rather the cool things others are doing that I am fortunate enough to be part of.

[911st]

I wonder if there is a bigger market for shortie trade ups or stock trade ups?

Testing against stock 930 "euro" and the B&B's would be a great thing if it could be done.

[DonE]

Brian - I wouldn't expect you to test against "all others". I'm asking which "one" so I can understand what market you're looking to support. It appears that you are looking to support the general bolt-on market (OEM replacement), of which I'm not part of. I am always on the look-out for something cutting edge - without data or experience in a high performance environment, it's not something I would be interested in, but I like following your development. I remember when I had my CIS motor and was running a GHL header at +400rwhp. I knew I just had to have equal length 1 5/8 pipes for my motor to boost power. When I got my custom Manzie headers and bolted them on, I lost about 15hp (I remember Stephen at IA saying, "told ya so.."). It wasn't until AFTER I converted to EFI that the custom equal length headers really made the motor come alive. It was one of the first headers Marco made on his own and he was sure they would make a big difference on my CIS car - I fell for the talk. I try not to repeat those mistakes.

However, I fully support your efforts to build a top notch bolt-on header that performs better than OEM. I really hand it to you for the time and effort you put into your passion and your willingness to share your experience. The headers look great and I hope you show they perform even better.

[911st]

Just thinking out loud.

We know the shorties out perform the stock J pipe system on HP, boost onset, & lag.

Most us us probably accept this system is a major performance improvement over a stock system just based on logic and the emotion of looks.

A test against the stock will only tell us what we already pretty much accept, that this system is better than stock.

Only doing that will leave open the real question most of us really want to know. Is it better than the current staple from B&B or GHL!

Testing against B&B or GHL in a head on with monitoring of 1) boost, 2) AFR, and it at all possible 3) back pressure in the headers before the turbo -- might tell us what we really want to know.

But only if we can accept that a credible effort was made.

In contrast. B&B compares there system to the ealy stock USA with thermal reactors. That is not a credible effort nor very useful.

Otherwise we are left to interpolate or guess if this system is better than the competition.

Thus, if there is only going to be one comparison, one against the real competition would be more usable.