RarlyL8 Heat!

[Richard930]

As promised here is my report on the installation and performance of my heat exchangers.

Installing the boxes themselves was pretty straightforward. A little manual manipulation to get them all screwed together, but that was about it. Biggest hassle was removing the spring hooks which was absolutely necessary as they interefere with the boxes and hoses. Maybe I don't quite have the best tools for that exercise, but that was not at all fun.

Worst problems - 1) the AC compressor mounting bracket hides the RHS air outlet from the fan shroud and is a complete nightmare to remove (LH side was much easier as you just have to remove the IC and move the turbo downpipe); and 2) it's not fun attaching the SCAT pipe to the inlet flanges on the heat exchangers.

The SCAT hose between the HE outlets and the flapper valves was actually pretty smooth and probably the easiest part.

The good news? They work!! As far as I can tell there's plenty enough heat to take the chill away on cool mornings. Certainly not as much heat as the stock HEs can produce, but the factory ones produce way more than is necessary and let's face it, if we wanted that kind of heat we probably wouldn't be using these headers anyway.

It was a productive weekend as I also changed the rear sway bay bushings, replaced the original transmission support beam to a Wevo one with black pillows, fixed an oil leak from the sump plate, put a K&N cone air filter on, installed the Pelican steering column bushing, and replaced the driver and passenger window seals.

Car feels waay more "together" with the Wevo mount (rear mounts were replaced 2 years ago). Noticeably more intake noise from the K&N - you can really hear it gulping in lots of air just before the wastegate opens on a full throttle run.

So there we go - too early to see how the HEs last over the long term but they seem to work fine and are easily replaceable if needed.

Pics are not the greatest, but it all looks just like what Brian has posted and what you can see on his website.

[Tt surgeon]

Looks good, I wonder if they could be made longer, ala fabspeed style?
Interested in your input with the tranny mounts.

[Richard930]

I got the transmission beam on an exchange basis so it was a simple swap. Rear mounts were changed a couple of years ago and I noticed an immediate improvement in how tight the car felt - before changing the mounts I could feel a bit of movement from the engine/transmission, particularly going on and off the throttle at low speed. Changing the transmission beam basically made the same incremental improvement - car and engine now feel like they're securely connected to each other; which they are.

The rubber in the original beam was pretty hard and cracking so presumably was allowing way more movement than it should, so it was well worth the cost of doing.

I'm on a mission to replace any and all rubber components to bring back that nice tight new car feeling. Control arm bushings have been done, rear sway bar and drop links are done, next up is new ball joints, tie rod ends, front upper strut mount bushings and front sway bar bushings. I figure after 30+ years all that rubber, even if it looks OK, is well past its best before date and is overdue for replacement.

[gsxrken]

Thanks for posting. I've yet to hear from Brian on mine.
;-)

[Tt surgeon]

Just curious, what were the spring hooks for, I can't figure that one out?
c

[RarlyL8]

Originally the headers were tested on race cars, the springs were a holdover. We later found them not necessary as the pipes will shake out with heat cycles and relax in the slip joint.
The exchangers were designed to be removable for many reasons, ease of installation, replaceable if damaged, removable in the summer, removable to inspect the pipes for damage if you bottom out, etc. There is no plan to make them any bigger as that becomes too complex. Stainless thread or wool can be used to increase surface area if more heat is needed. The boxes can also be sealed with head gasket sealer and/or pipe wrap. These were not designed to be pretty or keep the cabin cozy in Siberia but rather as a option to adapt a race bread performance part to cool weather street driving. Nothing beats the real estate inside OEM heat exchangers which is what I recommend for truly cold environments.
I'll shoot you an email Ken.

[e170drvr]

Brian, I would like a set also if they are ready.