Opinions on T4 manifolds for 7M's

[bosco659]

I'm starting to look for a T4 exhaust manifold for my 7MGTE. Lots of eBay stuff for sale both new and used. I've heard that some vendors are selling a decent product where others are selling manifolds made from very thin materials. Anyone know who is selling the good ones and which ones to stay away from? Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

Vic

[Jeeves]

SS AutoChrome should be avoided at all costs.

[bosco659]

Jeeves, please tell me more about SS.

Thanks

Vic

[Jeeves]

They have notoriously low build quality. Their flanges are frequently FAR from flat and require grinding and their welds are horrible and often break. STAY AWAY from SS AutoShit.

Other than that, there's a lot of rare and odd stuff out there. From long runner HKS manifolds like mine:
[img]http://www.**********s.com/gallery/d/18130-1/supra_motorin1.jpg[/img]

to weird ass Long runner t4 manifolds by random companies:

[Nick 95 6sp]

Originally Posted by Jeeves

...From long runner HKS manifolds like mine:

[IMG]http://www.**********s.com/gallery/d/18130-1/supra_motorin1.jpg[/IMG]

....

Is that a cast HKS manifold? Damn that sure looks nice. I wish somebody made a cast manifold that nice for the 2JZGTE.

[bosco659]

Jeeves, any fitment issues with the HKS manifold? I noticed in your pic that A/C, charcoal cannister and ABS (I think) were missing. Were all of those components replaced once you did your final assembly?

Thanks

Vic

[Jeeves]

Originally Posted by Nick 95 6sp

Is that a cast HKS manifold? Damn that sure looks nice. I wish somebody made a cast manifold that nice for the 2JZGTE.

Yup, that's the HKS Longrunner Cast T4 manifold for the 7M. I've even got the External wastegate port that so many people seem to be lacking.

These are MY photos of my manifold:
[img]http://www.**********s.com/gallery/d/23835-1/hks_castmanifold1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.**********s.com/gallery/d/23839-1/hks_castmanifold2.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.**********s.com/gallery/d/23842-1/hks_castmanifold3.jpg[/img]

Originally Posted by bosco659

Jeeves, any fitment issues with the HKS manifold? I noticed in your pic that A/C, charcoal cannister and ABS (I think) were missing. Were all of those components replaced once you did your final assembly?

Thanks

Vic

No fitment issues to speak of. The external wastegate is really close to the passenger side engine mount, but other than that it's great. It IS heavy as hell though and can be tough to get around to make some connections.

My car didn't have ABS, so that was already gone. I removed the AC as I never used it and it cluttered up my engine bay. The charcoal canister was removed, and in it's place is a $15 eBay special catch can. Even right now, the charcoal canister mount is unmounted as I couldn't figure out how I removed it, so it's just ziptied in place right now.

Here's a more representative picture of what my (disgusting) engine bay looks like.
[img]http://www.**********s.com/gallery/d/23844-1/mk3_nastynginebay.jpg[/img]

[bosco659]

Thanks, so looking at you pics, the ABS should be OK if it were still intact as well as the A/C. Do you think the factory charcoal canister would still fit? What turbo and wastegate are you running?

Thanks

Vic

[willtotheumm]

that looks like the HKS SSQ bov... the one that I want lol

Your engine bay is pretty messy Jeeves. A lot better than mine though considering mine is... well,...empty. LOL.

Seeing all the different manifolds and stuff makes me nervous because I want to get a nice pair of headers for mine, but with all the combinations of manifolds/turbos/exhausts, isnt it hard to get everything to fit properly? I know I want the HKS Super Dragger exhaust, but I guess it wont fit up with the CT-26, right?

Its all so confusing. LOL

[Jeeves]

Vic,
Everything would fit fine, the routing for intercoolerpiping from the turbo and to the throttle body is completely dependant on your individual setup (Intercooler/Throttlebody) but shouldn't be too bad. I'm running a Garrett 57 Trim T4 twinscroll turbo with an HKS External Wastegate.

Will,
That is the SSQV, it works well for me but some people hate the flutter of it. :shrug: The bay is VERY messy. The wiring at the CPS is a clusterfuck and a half, but I plan on splitting the harness and running those sensors down the passenger side instead of all the way around the intake manifold. In my bay, form follows function and since my function is done on a budget, it isn't clean at all. Oh well :-D

It is very much a pain to get everything to fit properly. It's one of the 'joys' of building a setup. You REALLY need to know someone who can do exhaust, weld, cut, fab, etc. or you're going to be in a world of pain (or bills). Exhausts aren't too hard to do really, just may take several cuts/welds. As for the Super Dragger, that's just a Cat back setup, so really, the only thing you have to do is get an exhaust to run off the turbo down to the stock location with a flange that fits. Not too hard all things considering.

[willtotheumm]

Originally Posted by Jeeves

Vic,
Will,
That is the SSQV, it works well for me but some people hate the flutter of it. :shrug: The bay is VERY messy. The wiring at the CPS is a clusterfuck and a half, but I plan on splitting the harness and running those sensors down the passenger side instead of all the way around the intake manifold. In my bay, form follows function and since my function is done on a budget, it isn't clean at all. Oh well :-D

It is very much a pain to get everything to fit properly. It's one of the 'joys' of building a setup. You REALLY need to know someone who can do exhaust, weld, cut, fab, etc. or you're going to be in a world of pain (or bills). Exhausts aren't too hard to do really, just may take several cuts/welds. As for the Super Dragger, that's just a Cat back setup, so really, the only thing you have to do is get an exhaust to run off the turbo down to the stock location with a flange that fits. Not too hard all things considering.

Ah well thats cool about the exhaust. So what you're saying is I need to decide which turbo to run, find or have a manifold made that will fit it, and have a muffler or exhaust shop make a downpipe running from the turbo to the HKS SD exhaust? I have found downpipes on ebay but a lot of them say they arent smog legal and that worries me because I need to be as legal as possible lol

True about the form before function. I never thought of that haha. Of course I would definately pick function at this moment in town. I'm just worried i'm not gonna be able to put it all back together (as its been too long since I've torn it down and I got it with the top half already off). Good stuff

[Jeeves]

Simple trick. Take LOTS of photos. :-D

As for the exhaust, it really depends on how everything is setup. I went with a V-Band clamp on both the turbo and downpipe:

To the Vband I welded a 3" 90º pipe to it (which has two O2 bungs on it), which bent down and went under the car. At the stock location, I welded on a 3" stock style flange (two holes). From there, it would then mount to a catalytic converter, which would then bolt to the catback.

For a downpipe, I'm assuming they say they're not SMOG legal because they're custom made pipes. No DOT approval, nothing at all like that. As long as they bolt up and you actually run a cat there's nothing really illegal about them except that they're not DOT certified. As I know little about CA's smog requirements, I can't help much there.

[willtotheumm]

I think seeing it would help lol but i'll burn that bridge when I get to it

[bgrieger]

Vic has the hookups to get any of the fab done . I've seen much of the work he has had done to date up close...spectacular stuff.