Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 06:12:24 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Quick fix exhaust job
In-Reply-To: <B6890B98-70EB-4ABF-96D8-BD7EA0BF60E8@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Chris, I didn't follow the whole thread here but if you are having an
exhaust built for your ABA you might be interested in seeing what I did on
mine a while back. With a few minor false starts and little mistakes it
seems to work very well indeed, The inline motor is a hybrid with the 2.0
L ABA bottom end mated to a cross-flow !.8 L head...I was previously
running the single downpipe exhaust, diesel-style. Quite restrictive and an
awful thing to install with those nasty spring clips...
When I replaced the block with a 2.0 ABA (93 Jetta) I also decided to
improve the exhaust system. I was consulting with Techtonic's Tuning
during the engine-build. They are one of the best VW tuner shops around
and the source of many of the parts I used in this swap. They've done lot
of dyno testing developing their own exhaust systems for this motor, but
theirs is 'sedan-specific' and pricey. They kindly shared their findings
with me, suggesting that for best all around torque, the primaries should
be very close to 30" long before they merged into one tube, ..When all was
done, we got mine to ~29" to the apex of the merge collector (Y-Pipe)
that I sourced from SPD Exhaust (another great resource) I used a
Magnaflow SS 15" oval muffler tucked between the rear bodywork and the
crank pulley. I mounted the pipes and the muffler with the Bosal diesel
exhaust mounts, adapted with right angle brackets and some clamps..Nothing
is mounted to the chassis, everything mounts to the motor only. (though I
do have a back-up hanger out on the end near the passeger side, rubber
mounted very loose, just in case)
A helpful hint: Take care to not weld any stress into the system or
induce it during the mounting. Some number of us inline-owners have
incurred exhaust system cracking, others seem to have it all hold up just
fine. It's been theorized that the exhaust cracking is caused by stress
amplified by vibration...I think that is very possible...
The link below is to some quick shots I took while building mine, pics
that weren't intended to be a 'how-to', but that might be of interest.
You may notice the cross-engine brace shown is pretty 'cludgy' ..It was
hack-done while on a road trip as temporary fix after I realized the
original was not there. Also you will note there is no cat converter. Not
required. Another minor mistake was to exit the exhaust straight out the
passenger side without a down turn on the end of the pipe...This straight
out configuration can be problematic when in close proximity to stuff. The
exhaust should point to the pavement..
https://plus.google.com/photos/112899774170781374478/albums/5527276583316353665?authkey=CP7hiandmfaB-wE
On Sat, Mar 29, 2014 at 6:40 PM, Chris S. <szpejankowski@gmail.com> wrote:
> That is very neat!
>
> I'm about to get an exhaust fabricated for my Syncro with an ABA block
> conversion. I'm getting rid of the single downpipe and replacing the
> manifold with a nice AEG-code high flow piece. Can I just bring it over to
> you? :-)
>
> Chris.
>
>
>
