Alright guys, not been on here for a while as i havnt done much to my cars lately due to being in and out of work, ive been using my dads mondeo st tdci so thats been keeping me happy for now. Anyway im back in business so im going to spend abit of money on my e30 and my on going escort rwd zetec project..

Anyway this manifold popped up on ebay, i havnt herd much about the company but decided to take a gamble at no more than £200 for it. Anyway i won which is great as you dont see too many rwd manifolds about for zetecs so i was chuffed.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ZETEC-TURB...-/251567193325

The company is called SAS Auto Customs and i think they have a sub division called GT30 Developments

these are the links ive found for the company

http://sasautocustoms.co.uk/whatwedobest.html
https://tr-tr.facebook.com/SasAutoCustoms

anyway i received the manifold today and noticed that the exhaust flange isnt 100% straight, when i place it on a table i can see a bow in the middle two headers?



What i want to know is do i keep it and get it skimmed? if so who can do this for me and how much? or do i send it back and look for another manifold?

Also who has herd of this company? are they good manifolds? they seem to be big in the saab world and the quality seems good?

I havnt messaged the seller about the bow as i wanted a 2nd opinion from you guys first!

cheers matty

 

I would think once fitted with a gasket and bolted up it will be fine, I would be happy enough anyway

 

Dont forget you will be using a gasket.

If the engine is out the car it might pay to get some plastigauge and bolt it up to see if it pulls it down flat. Obviously its the heat of welding it that has warped it.

I doubt it will cost a huge amount to have it faced on a bench grinder, so that might be an option

 

Also that bow is right on where a stud goes isnt it? I bet it pull flat when bolted on

 

As others have said, I think it will pull flat when bolted down.

 

Could always try bolting it down to a scrap head and heat it up and every so often tightening it down a bit to see if it gets straight?

 

My first thoughts aswell were that it was doing during the welding process, but my problem is that my engine is months of being ready to run so by then ill have no ebay protection to get it sorted. Its a very thick flange, I dont want to be using the studs to force it back under heat incase it damages my cylinder head.

The last thing I want is for it to blow.. how much would a skim cost worst comes to worst?

Does anyone have any thoughts on it? I think ive done well for the money some welds and grinds could be neatened up but it looks and feels durable and well made.

Also what turbo should I run? its a t3 flange going on a mk1 focus rs engine. I was thinking gt28rs not to big and not to small? or should I do it cheaper using a cosworth turbo?

 

probs be ok with a composite gastket.
might get away with a multilayer though.
looks like welding has distorted it, should pull in though.

 

Welding is the thing to blame for that as said above
As for machining it that's easy but holding it could be a pain in the arse
Best and by far the easiest answer is to put it on a big linisher and get it flat that will work fine

Also check the bolt holes as the outside ones should be a touch bigger to let exspansion of the head happen

 

yeh all the holes seem a few mill bigger, ill keep hold of it then and just get it sorted come install time. just wanted to check now tbh

no good finding all this out later, i realy hope it pulls through with heat!

 

from experience I think it will leak, it looks worse than my old hks manifold and that leaked, it can be faced but will need a jig making to bolt it to.

if it was mine I would get it faced and also cut slots half way through the flange between the ports so it can flex easier and pull into shape.

 

You get what you pay for really, if you'd have maybe spent another £50-£75 you could have had a 105speed fannymold which use thicker flanges so they dont warp when welded. Hope it fits for you when you try it on.

 

I would think it will leak/pop studs just have it skimmed to make sure its as flat as it can be, then tighten it from the center out when fitting.

 

without reading what people have written
It needs milling flat,,

 

damn, i hate conflicting info, id suspect it'd leak which is why i came here first. Were did you get your hks manifold faced?

Thats quite a bold statement considering the manifold on this is quiet thick. the manifold itself seems of good quality its just warped a little. cheers though im sure i will get it sorted, or refunded..

taking the newer comments into mind it looks like ill have to get it skimmed, who can do this and how much will it cost? just so i can message the seller and let him know i dont fancy paying for it out of my pocket.

 

Just get it skimmed, if your a long way from having the engine done then sending the manifold off for a few days is no biggy, at least you know it'll be perfect.

 

it cost me £150 to get my manifold faced and that was me making the jig aswell, mine was stainless flange and very hard to mill.

my warped manifold actually snapped a stud of in the head aswell, a warped flange puts a lot of extra strain on the stud as there designed to clamp it down not bend it into shape and then clamp it down, take it from me from experience it needs sorting, it also needs stress relief so it can pull in easier as it will keep warping no matter what you do.

 

Maybe your table needs milling flat??

Seriously though ive seen countless budget manifolds just like that and they all have to come back off.

Any ideas on material or tube thickness?

 

It will always blow the gasket, get it skimmed

 

When I build a manifold the most they pull by is about half a mm but it's taken a lot of trial and error to get to this. If you get stuck I'll machine it for you.

 

I have used sas a few times before and there customer service is very good, email them and I'm sure they would sort it for you but as others have said send it back

 

yeh i have no issue with sending it off to get sorted my issue is how much it will cost? if it costs to much its a cheap manifold what has turned expensive and id rather return it.

£150?!?! thats a scary price! is there no way it can be done cheaper, if its 150 minimum ill be returning it thats for sure!

lol i was waiting for someone to suggest that, ive had it on a few tables there all the same, im pretty sure with the way kitchen worktops are made these days that there 99.9% straight, the definitely dont dip randomly, and i have tried it on all areas of my work top

would you realy class this manifold a budget one, its clearly hand made, and in the uk, the materials are very thick and its not light. its alot better than others ive seen!

im not sure on the thicknesses of the actual tubing but the flange is atleast 10mm without me measuring it.

cheers crazy, this is definitely something i want doing as id like to keep the manifold so i dont mind sending it of to get put right but if the bill cost as much as the manifold did i have no choice but to return it. Ill pm you now.


What are peoples thoughts on this manifold, is it worth me getting it skimmed and using it or do we think its not worth the price ive paid? bare in mind i dont want to pay £500+ on a manifold my other option is to get a 200sx manifold and have a zetec flange put on?

should i up load more pics of it?

 

have you ever had a sas turbo manifold? if so how did it perform.

As i bought it of ebay, new unused i dont think i am in a position to send it back, it'd have to be the guy i bought it off im afraid.

 

I'll be honest for the money you can't complain my main jib with it is the entry of nom 4 cylinder into the merge collector .

 

my other option is to get a 200sx manifold and have a zetec flange put on?

This is exactly what i did. But that certainly wasnt a straight forward job and you will have the exact same issues with the heat from welding.

 

No I have had flanges and Siemens injectors from them, I use a reflanged 200sx item on mine with a link pipe, till next year then one of Gary's manifolds with either a gt3076 or a 35

Best option for you IMO is bung it in the post to Gary and pay him to have it skimmed

 

if you want the cheapest option cut each flange between the ports, ideally wants cutting on the outside face but it would be very awkward so I it on the head side and it worked still, don't go right through though as it will all twist out of shape if you do.

the thinner you can make that flange between each port the easier it will pull into shape and hopefully not break a stud off in the process.

I had mine skimmed twice, it wartped again after use so I had it skimmed again andcut the slots and it was fine after that.

 

whats the issue with it? just too sharp? would this affect power and would it make that cylinder run rich or leaner than the others?

whos gary? lol

idealy i want to try and get it skimmed first before i go cutting it up

i need to decide what to do and how much itll cost before its too late, ive already emailed the seller and told him my concerns but ive had no response yet.

 

My opinion is that this is already a 200sx manifold welded to a zetec flange (as some have suggested doing), but is the other way up. I'd get it machined flat, our charge at work is normally around £60-80+vat for jobs like that... they take a little time and are barely worth doing, but they tend to bring other jobs in with them which make up for it.

Would be even cheaper if you can find someone handy with an industrial linisher, they'd have to be good with it though, as i've seen some awful wedge-shaped flanges when people have had a go and got it wrong.

 

I should add my skim was £150 with the vat. ive just had a good look at your pic and it looks warped in the middle more than the end ? the other issue with skimming is the flange gets thinner and thinner and in turn warps even easier next time, skim and slot the face will cure it.

 

My focus rs tubular manifold was warped less than that and blew.

Took me half hour to skim it at work.

I would Deffo get that faced before re fitting.

 

why are skims so expensive? if its going to cost me £150 to sort it then i will just return it and get a new manifold

could i drill a line of small holes in between the branches to try and straighten it out?

 

Time is money. will take a fair bit of time to get set up ready for skimmin, then as scooby slayer says if it needs a jig making, thats more time and money.

plus its a one off, so once the jig is made, its only fit for the bin after.

 

if it were me i'd do it on a linisher or buy hand on a flat sanding board.

machining is an option, just depends on how easy it is to set it up.

 

time is money, if its mild steel will be a lot easier than stainless to machine it will be softer, forget your drilling holes idea, skim flat and stress relieve or return and buy a decent manifold.

 

Most engineering firms will have a decent rollover jig that they should be able to clamp it to. I've never made anything specific to face manifolds and i've done most things, from land rovers, to performance stuff and even the odd roller or bentley.

 

had to open an ebay case to get my money back.. glad i decided to return it a 2wd engine came up at the right price shortly after

 

Hello Matty

I'm Tim from SAS Auto Customs, I saw your comments on google.

Did we supply the manifold in the photo, it doesn't look like one of ours?

Kind Regards

 

it was bought of ebay new from a private seller and it had a SAS Auto customs tag on it, although it wasn't bought direct from SAS

The exhaust was new and un used so I cannot confirm if it was warped from the shop or if the seller had messed with it

 

I was wondering, because we pressure test them before they leave. The flanges are ground before testing.

Please, could you pm me who you purchased it off.