Way to go Brian. Patience is your friend.

Thanks guys....all is well as long as I keep making progress. Last night I spent time organizing all of my paperwork over the years. Found my notes from driving back from Seattle along with hotel receipts, gas used, etc. Also found a service receipt showing date/mileage when the oil return tubes were last replaced and a valve adjustment performed.

This week I really want to finish the left side. I have one good TR W pipe replacement sent to me by another Pelicanite. One needs some welding so I'm going to inquire as to whether it can be repaired. Should be able to install the 2 oil return tubes, new left valve cover gasket, TR delete pipe, and reinstall the left heat exchanger. That would button up the left side. Unfortunately I still need to clean the left side heat exchanger which is a mess and wont' be fun.

Tonight I need to temporarily plug the holes where the left oil return tubes have been removed as I don't want any contamination getting in there. So what's the correct way describe the job of the oil return tubes?

Oil return tubes connect the __________ to the __________.

Cam tower and engine block?


Thanks,
Brian

Yesterday ordered some copper nuts to use on the W pipes during reinstall. Also had to order a couple of gaskets to connect the heat exchangers to the crossover pipe.

Stayed up until 11:45 last night working on the car after leaving work at 4 to start early :) Did break for dinner and help kids with homework. Asked my daughter to tell the teacher to cut back on homework a bit till I can get the car done.

Managed to make some progress by cleaning the left heat exchanger which was extremely dirty. The major oil leak was from that side of the car so there was a lot of burned oil on the top of it. Also cleaned both valve covers and reinstalled with fresh gaskets and shiny new nuts. I have not yet tightened them fully as I believe they need to be torqued and I don't have a small torque wrench yet. I now have a tub of seriously nasty chemicalized water mixed with grime and oil I need to dispose of.

As a side note I didn't remember to order the silicone gaskets for the valve covers so I just ordered the kit from Pelican. Based on the removal it looks like I had the silicone gaskets on the car from the last valve adjustment a number of years ago. Will be interesting to see if there is a difference in longevity. Since I'm removing the TRs it may not be a fair comparison as the higher temps may have been aiding in quicker leaks. We will see...I have all work documented over the years so I do have good data to compare against.

Removed the 2 right oil return tubes and prepped a new one for install. Also used a borrowed torque wrench for the first time and torqued the oil drain plugs to 31 ft/lb. This wrench doesn't allow for the 5.9 ft/lbs I need for the valve covers.

Now just waiting on the copper nuts for the replacement W pipes and some Dow Corning 111 silicone lubricant (recommended by another pelicanite) to help with the return tube install. Also have a tube of Sil Glyde on the way per my neighbors NAPA shop. I'm going to use the Corning on one side and Sil Glyde on the other just to see if there is any noticeable difference. The Corning stuff appears to have greater heat tolerances. Should have it all by tomorrow or TH and I am hopeful to have the car finished by the time the Super Bowl is over.

I know this is more of a play by play than most of these threads but I'm looking forward to reviewing this thread later and probably get a laugh out of how long it took to get this small project done.

You have the bug now that is quite a feat getting those reactors off without breaking a stud. I don't think anyone has mentioned this but I would give real consideration to changing out the exhaust studs the thermal reactors get real hot and heat cycle the studs in a bad way and they didn't break this time but I think you were lucky and they will snap the next time. Just an FYI all the nuts on the exhaust at the hot points should be copper ie the nuts at the turbo also. Putting the shorties on there instead of the TR's will mean you probably won't pass smog next time you test and may not pass visual inspection.

Thanks for the advice Gsmith. Smog is/was a concern with the W pipes. I don't believe the smog folks know what TRs look like but anything can happen. Another CA owner chimed in earlier that it will pass smog in terms of the numbers as his car passes. It was a factor in my decision to put them on the car. I'm keeping the TRs just in case.

Thanks also for the info regarding the copper nuts. Will replace all with copper when the opportunity presents itself.

Hello,

Need advice again as I have run into my first unexpected problem.

The replacement W pipes do not fit on the car. Replacements are from another Pelicanite who gave them to me for the cost of shipping. Upon inspection I can see that the holes for the studs in the TRs are wider than the ones in the W pipes.

I either need new W pipes or I need to drill out the holes to a larger diameter on the current set. I'm not thrilled with possibly drilling first because I don't have the tools to do it and second is the concern about strength of the metal after drilling.

Are the distances between studs different between model years? Are there versions of the W pipes with larger diameter holes? It's only off by the slightest margin but I tried every way possible to make them fit and it ain't happening.

I would like to have the W pipes on the car for SMOG for the long term rather than the current TRs. Besides the heat issue the TRs just plain suck for removal due to the challenging locations of the nuts. I'm avoiding reinstalling them at all costs.

Appreciate any advice or words of wisdom.

Thanks,
Brianhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1296953811.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1296953820.jpg

Forgot to also mention that TH night I installed my first 2 oil return tubes on the left side. First one took some time but second took about 5 minutes.

FRI night I installed the right 2 return tubes without issue. Spent today cleaning the engine and then figuring out the W pipes don't fit.

My thoughts on this is (and others please chime in) why mess with the shorties if it will still pass smog with them then likely it will still pass smog with the euro exhaust or at least be detuned to pass so there are lots of euro exhausts out there to be had cheap and will bolt right up I would get one and bolt it up and keep your original exhaust just in case and you get 40 hp to boot.

BTW those look like shorties for a NA motor with smaller ports and would seriously choke your motor down but it may be an optical illlusion.

I didn't notice the diameter gsmith! Going to measure right now.

Both 1.5". Optical illusion.

Euro exhaust has been under consideration and I was originally close to going that route. But ultimately I would like headers. So every few years I will need to switch out equipment to pass smog. The W pipes were the cheapest route to fix the heat issue from the TRs and deal with smog while I save up for headers.

Would also be nice at this point to wrap up my first repair project with success. This has already been quite an undertaking for someone with near zero mechanical experience. Rerouting oil lines for the euro exhaust and making it all fit just seems like a lot of work at this point when I'm so close to just buttoning up and driving her.

Not ruling it out and you are not the only person with the same recommendation...but would be nice if I could simply replace the TRs with something more forgiving and forget about the extra power until I decide what to do long term.

I've got the same thing you are putting on, I got some new ones (or barely used, I forget) and they lined up without a hitch. Maybe slightly warped? Perhaps a local muffler shop could bend them? I'm shooting in the dark here...

If it is just the holes don't line up but the holes on each flange are the right spacing then go to the auto parts store and ask them for a tool to install a small block chevy exhaust manifold it is a tool that will spread the flanges so you can get them on.If you need to pull them together to get them to fit then go to the muffler shop or a machine shop with your measurements. You can also take the new and old ones to a machine shop and have them oval out the holes for you pretty cheap.

Hi Brian, sorry to see that you are having problems with the W-pipes. They came off of my 3,0 turbo engine but AFAIK, the size and spacing should be the same as your 3,3. Maybe someone will chime in if they know that to not be the case. What is the stud spacing on your car? I can measure the 3,0 I'm working on now for reference if you'd like. It has been many years since I removed them but I do recall that they were a bit tough coming off. Whether that was due to warping or just the nature of the beasts, I do not know. -John

No need to be sorry John. All part of the process and I appreciate you sending them to me. I've learned a ton and had a lot of fun since starting this project and this is the first unexpected setback. I'll measure the studs.

Gsmith....think I need to get them ovaled out. Wasn't sure if it was something I could/should do.

Measurements (center of studs) are as follows:

Between studs on same exhaust outlet: 2 9/16"
Between outside studs from end to end: 9 1/4" (this is the one thats the issue)

Individual ports fit fine. End to end is the problem.

Let me know what you get!

Thanks

Is the header short or long if short get that tool from autozone it costs less than 5 bucks and work from one end to the other.

If I'm understanding short/long it's short. Meaning if I could pull the flange wider another 1/16 - 1/8 it should fit. I'll check on the tool....not understanding how it will help so have to take your word for it.

I'm not going to be bending the exhaust studs am I?

Ok all the tool consists of is a like a turnbuckle that fits in between the tubes and you expand it to spread the flanges the 1/8th inch you need to get it on small block chevy motors are notorious for the casst iron exhaust manifolds warping and not wanting to go back on easy this probably the same case. The only reason you would bend the studs would be if the headers were really out and then you would need to take it to someone to adjust the fit.

Cool...thanks! Definitely going to check it out tomorrow. I'll post back my findings.