Brian1 Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Hey so Im getting exhaust done for my car, 3 inch turbo back, And I have to get the flange for the stock 280zx turbo so the exhaust shop can mount the downpipe, however I have had no luck with this, and I have decided just to make the flange myself. I was wondering if it would be okay to make the flange out of aluminum? I ask this because im kind of worried about the heat of the turbo possibly melting the flange? Any help is appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stprasinz Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Ask them what they think about it. If they say its okay, then I gues its okay, to turn around and run to the next shop..... but, NO you DO NOT use aluminum for an exhaust. go with mild steel, or stainless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarang Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Take the stock downpipe and cut the flange off. That is what I did. My new downpipe easily welded to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian1 Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 isnt the stock downpipe cast iron? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluezx Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 (edited) Yes the stock downpipe is castiron with a very tight(restictive)90deg bend that is hard to reproduce in 3" pipe. A good exhaust shop can come off the stock downpipe with 3" back but it will still be a bottleneck in the system if it's not eliminated. I removed the stock downpipe and made a 3/8" thick mild steel flange with a 2 1/2" opening and used a 2 1/2" mandrel bent 90 to start then transitioned to 3" for the rest of the system. This is not ideal but works very well for me. The problem is theres not much clearance between the outlet of the turbo and the firewall on S130's. Search "turbo downpipe" and look at the way others have done this. Lots of info if you search. When you search for pics of custom downpipe installs keep in mind that S30 turbo swaps have more room to work with in this area because the firewall sits back further. Also, make sure to use some sort of straight threw muffler for best results stay away from chambered mufflers on turbo exhaust systems the less restriction the beter. Hope this helps. Mark. Edited October 3, 2010 by bluezx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarang Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Is it cast iron or cast steel like the exhaust manifold? I would think that how easily it welded that it is cast steel. I also carved out the hole in the cut off flange to 2.5" for the downpipe and ported the wastegate housing to 2.5" as well. There is not much left after that. It is a tight fit on a ZX, but the tight radius bends are easily obtainable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian1 Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 Thats what I was thinking, If I can get away with just cutting off the flange and having the shop use that, it would be ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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