M1USB
New Member
To the few people I have got to know up at Santa Pod I thought I would share this......<br>
My R33 was missing this time around I'm afraid, my mate Steve was up in his 'not pretty but very effective' V8 E30 enjoying himself, while my car (Bruce) was in bits. My R33 is the dark red (or Lipstick) coloured one with the ugliest front bumper ever produced on it - hence Bruce....(Forsyth).<br>
<br>
At the end of September DWYB I had a small ticking noise from under the bonnet, the Sherlock in me decided I had cracked the manifold. The next day under inspection I spotted the last stud broken off, after a couple of beers (which meant I could focus better) I saw the 11th nut and stud was missing too, couple more beers and so was the 10th!<br>
<br>
So I check on the forums and everyone says that the job is as unpleasant as a visit to a USA all male prison wearing pink Y-fronts. So Steve and I start stripping Bruce down. As the manifold was off I decided to by a new one, more power and shiny - what could possibly go wrong??!!??<br>
<br>
In steps eBay, first wrong move. I get delivered a very pretty (later to be about all it is) stainless tubular manifold, courtesy of some eBay shop, branded Toyosports. Now I should have followed my instinct when it arrived and the Toyosports lovely stainless badge was welded on upside down, implying they must know a lot about the RB25 engine!<br>
Did I listen to myself, of course not, it was shiny and new! So after spending ages trying to get the manifold off and removing turbo, front pipe boost controller, intake pipes, intercooler pipes etc etc it was there.<br>
<br>
When faced with this I made the next mistake. Bruce needed a facelift to get rid of the nasty front bumper and for two months the new one has been sat there, next to the new FRP vented bonnet that also has not got onto the car yet. So common sense kicks in, its easier with these bits off, so take them off and fit the new ones back on - right????? .... WRONG.....<br>
I carried on and thought, intercooler off? surely a good time to upgrade to new big shiny one, front pipe off? makes sense to get a new 3" stainless front pipe and while I am there a decat kit too. Then it's the simple task of drilling out the broken studs and easy outs to get them out. Now in fairness this wasn't too bad, we expected a nightmare and didn't get one - it's tighter than Emu's back side since losing Rod Hull in there but we got the 3 broken ones out in an hour. I then ordered up a new set and replaced them all.<br>
<br>
The battle over and we enter the home straight, lets just bolt it all back up and off we go drifting at Santa Pod October. In steps eBay and Toyosports manifold, it looks great, stainless, great welds, tubular, snug fit etc. But in doing this they forgot one simple manufacturing element - they don't bloody fit! Not even close. So 2 hours of grinding and several discs later and it no longer hits the block! But what it does do is hit the studs instead! So off it comes and out come the studs again, we then grind these down rethread them and refit them. Then lets bolt it up..... no chance. The nuts they supply with the kit don't fit and foul the manifold so we are having to use half new half old ones, and you cant get a ratchet on, cant get a ring spanner on, can get a ratchet spanner on - you have to spend hours turning an open ended spanner about 5 degrees, taking it off, turning it, back on another 5 degrees etc. Then to really ice the cake the turbo bolts do the same bloody thing - the turbo doesn't line up, the bolts don't fit, you can't even get them in, and if you could they would foul the manifold.<br>
<br>
I am sat at work with my car in the unit in bits looking like an IED has hit it, surrounded by shiny bits, bonnet, bumper, intercooler, decat, front pipe etc etc. There is a pile of bits next to the remnants of the car that look a car crash, and the car itself looks like £50 scrap.!<br>
<br>
A slight ticking noise, 6 weeks ago! simple fix yeah???<br>
<br>
At the moment there should be new Sparco R100's in there with a few more bits, a paddle clutch in as the current one is on the way out and a replacement diff - that was my shopping list - none of it done, car in bits, pile of shiny bits not on the car, pile of old bits next to it, an empty drift bank account and no seat time!<br>
<br>
eBay - everything Bought absolutely (y)useless.<br>
<br>
Comment of the day - eBay shop Playtime360 who sold it - I did say I recommend a mechanic fits it! Ah all makes sense now, if you are a spotty 16 year old gimp in Halfords who doesn't know where the engine even goes, you have wonder spanners than can change the shape of tubular stainless manifolds.<br>
<br>
And finally, to all the people who say changing manifold studs is a nasty job on an R33 - Nasty my arse, I would rather get the pink Y-fronts out and hit the American prison - I feel like I have anyway but at least I would have my car running and some nice Sparco's to comfort the sore bit!<br>
<br>
<br>
My R33 was missing this time around I'm afraid, my mate Steve was up in his 'not pretty but very effective' V8 E30 enjoying himself, while my car (Bruce) was in bits. My R33 is the dark red (or Lipstick) coloured one with the ugliest front bumper ever produced on it - hence Bruce....(Forsyth).<br>
<br>
At the end of September DWYB I had a small ticking noise from under the bonnet, the Sherlock in me decided I had cracked the manifold. The next day under inspection I spotted the last stud broken off, after a couple of beers (which meant I could focus better) I saw the 11th nut and stud was missing too, couple more beers and so was the 10th!<br>
<br>
So I check on the forums and everyone says that the job is as unpleasant as a visit to a USA all male prison wearing pink Y-fronts. So Steve and I start stripping Bruce down. As the manifold was off I decided to by a new one, more power and shiny - what could possibly go wrong??!!??<br>
<br>
In steps eBay, first wrong move. I get delivered a very pretty (later to be about all it is) stainless tubular manifold, courtesy of some eBay shop, branded Toyosports. Now I should have followed my instinct when it arrived and the Toyosports lovely stainless badge was welded on upside down, implying they must know a lot about the RB25 engine!<br>
Did I listen to myself, of course not, it was shiny and new! So after spending ages trying to get the manifold off and removing turbo, front pipe boost controller, intake pipes, intercooler pipes etc etc it was there.<br>
<br>
When faced with this I made the next mistake. Bruce needed a facelift to get rid of the nasty front bumper and for two months the new one has been sat there, next to the new FRP vented bonnet that also has not got onto the car yet. So common sense kicks in, its easier with these bits off, so take them off and fit the new ones back on - right????? .... WRONG.....<br>
I carried on and thought, intercooler off? surely a good time to upgrade to new big shiny one, front pipe off? makes sense to get a new 3" stainless front pipe and while I am there a decat kit too. Then it's the simple task of drilling out the broken studs and easy outs to get them out. Now in fairness this wasn't too bad, we expected a nightmare and didn't get one - it's tighter than Emu's back side since losing Rod Hull in there but we got the 3 broken ones out in an hour. I then ordered up a new set and replaced them all.<br>
<br>
The battle over and we enter the home straight, lets just bolt it all back up and off we go drifting at Santa Pod October. In steps eBay and Toyosports manifold, it looks great, stainless, great welds, tubular, snug fit etc. But in doing this they forgot one simple manufacturing element - they don't bloody fit! Not even close. So 2 hours of grinding and several discs later and it no longer hits the block! But what it does do is hit the studs instead! So off it comes and out come the studs again, we then grind these down rethread them and refit them. Then lets bolt it up..... no chance. The nuts they supply with the kit don't fit and foul the manifold so we are having to use half new half old ones, and you cant get a ratchet on, cant get a ring spanner on, can get a ratchet spanner on - you have to spend hours turning an open ended spanner about 5 degrees, taking it off, turning it, back on another 5 degrees etc. Then to really ice the cake the turbo bolts do the same bloody thing - the turbo doesn't line up, the bolts don't fit, you can't even get them in, and if you could they would foul the manifold.<br>
<br>
I am sat at work with my car in the unit in bits looking like an IED has hit it, surrounded by shiny bits, bonnet, bumper, intercooler, decat, front pipe etc etc. There is a pile of bits next to the remnants of the car that look a car crash, and the car itself looks like £50 scrap.!<br>
<br>
A slight ticking noise, 6 weeks ago! simple fix yeah???<br>
<br>
At the moment there should be new Sparco R100's in there with a few more bits, a paddle clutch in as the current one is on the way out and a replacement diff - that was my shopping list - none of it done, car in bits, pile of shiny bits not on the car, pile of old bits next to it, an empty drift bank account and no seat time!<br>
<br>
eBay - everything Bought absolutely (y)useless.<br>
<br>
Comment of the day - eBay shop Playtime360 who sold it - I did say I recommend a mechanic fits it! Ah all makes sense now, if you are a spotty 16 year old gimp in Halfords who doesn't know where the engine even goes, you have wonder spanners than can change the shape of tubular stainless manifolds.<br>
<br>
And finally, to all the people who say changing manifold studs is a nasty job on an R33 - Nasty my arse, I would rather get the pink Y-fronts out and hit the American prison - I feel like I have anyway but at least I would have my car running and some nice Sparco's to comfort the sore bit!<br>
<br>
<br>
this explains a few things
