OBX Headers Options

[Walter]

@Marty: just for interest sake: what is the outside diameter of the header pipes and wall thickness?

Thanks,
Walter

[VaccaRabite]

I also have a Eurorace on my car, and have been fighting poor quality control on it for ages. Chris and I have talked a few times at Hershey, and I wish I could spring for his system, but alas I am poor and have too many irons in the fire.

If you decide to go Eurorace, be prepped to fight with BIG leaks at the slip fit collector. I have been able to cure them for short runs with high temp silllycone. One of the pipes needs to be expended almost 1/8 of an inch to get a tight seal against the collector. It is very poor craftsmanship IMHO, and is on my list of things to fix this winter.

I think that the Eurorace can be made to work, but you need to be ready to fuck with it, and will want to cut off the Turbo muffler and weld on something quieter. Otherwise, you sound like a pissed off hillbilly on a big lawnmower shooting a shotgun during power downshifts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

For $400 more then what I paid for the Eurorace, I could have bought on of Chris's econo systems. Every time I think about getting under the car, I wish that is exactly what I had done.

Zach

[914rat]

Way to put it all in perspective Zach.I'm sure someone could take a cutoff wheel and a torch and screw with the OBX header and make it work until it needed screwing with again.It amazes me that in every industry the china crap keeps coming over and filling our land fills and emptying our wallets.

[charliew]

My son had a obx header on his sti suby and it was great. If the price is right I actually don't mind cutting and welding a decent ss header to make it better in my projects but of course it shouldn't be the norm and I would be pissed if the communication from the distributor was like that. It would be nice to find out if the others are that screwed up. Obx helical diffs for the suby tranny seem ok, the bolts and washers look a little cheap though. This is a good place to educate the community about the supplier.

[sean_v8_914]

it is not possible to bolt up the OBX Porsche 914 header. the fit is not close enough.

[scotty b]

first off I am in NO WAY defending these assholes, but Ican assure you guys. this issues is not limited to the 914 market, nor is it limited to inexpensive chinese knock offs. I have installed 5-6 sets of headers on american cars ( trucks ) and have only had ONE set that fit well out of the box. these were name brands, Edelbrock and Hookers. the worst were the set I put on my suburban that I actually had to cut a section out and weld in an inverted piece to clear the spring hangers, I also on that same set had to RUIN the ceramic coating I paid extra for by taking a rosebud tip to both sides and heat each pipe cherry red in order to flex the whole header out and away from the frame

Like Chris said, you get what you pay for in this industry. Price a set of B.B. headers for a 930 or 951 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[charliew]

On my 4x4's I remember on a couple of occasions I used a jack to move the header over and up to get it where I wanted it.

[Woody]

Now that everybody has chimed in I can say I wouldn't give OBX my money just out of principal. A Tangerine may be in my future but it will take me a while to get there. Thanks everyone for the replies.

[sawtooth]

I know its a different application, but I have OBX stainless equal length headers on my 914 suby conversion and so far they seem to be very good quality. So I guess it just depends on the application.

[charliew]

My son switched to a perrin header. I don't remember his reason but he gave me the obx and I shortened it at all the ports a lot and changed it some but it still works with the uppipe to the turbo. It's now only about 4.625 deep from the pan rail. It goes with a 8qt pan I built thats also 4.625 deep. I will need to come up with a new oil cooler/warmer though. It was a lot of work but I kinda like making things.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

You hit it on the money. Deny is right. THEN they never warranty anything just say "buy more and we will give you a few free ones for every hundred or so you buy"
Different culture for sure.

Sean I agree with Chris you are wasting your time.The Chinese business culture is to deny all problems and make it up with cheap prices and exchanges.It appears from the email exchange you are dealing with someone from another culture.

Chris do you still sell the economy version of the Tangerine with the Magna Flow muffler?

[Maltese Falcon]

@Marty: just for interest sake: what is the outside diameter of the header pipes and wall thickness?

Thanks,
Walter

Walter, we build these with U.S.A. cold roll mandrel bent steel tube with a .060 wall thickness, and a tube size of 1.5" od The mating stub (direct) coming out of the T4 cylinder port is formed from .125 c/r steel. These are built on jigs, and then assembled on to a T4 engine before coating/ shipping. Any deviations caused by thermal stresses of welding can be caught at this point and corrected if needed. Headers are fully warranteed (racing included) for 1 year. Auto Atlanta has developed these on their race car, and George has good success on engines up thru 2.2 L with his design.
It's no secret: a coated set of mild steel headers will outlive the CCC low grade (but very shiny) obx stainless headers .
Watch A/A 's site for a huge T4 header sale , at "Knock off prices" but you get the REAL DEAL made in the USA goods (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Marty

[Walter]

Thanks for that Marty, but I actually ws curieus to the OD pipe diameter of the OBX headers. Are they 1,5" with 0.060 wall as well?

[Maltese Falcon]

Thanks for that Marty, but I actually ws curieus to the OD pipe diameter of the OBX headers. Are they 1,5" with 0.060 wall as well?

My hands on experience looking at various OBX headers at trade shows and various JDM auto parts storefronts here in SoCal ( with names ending with toyz, boyz or customz), indicates tubing made friom 18 gauge materials. This includes the collector also. 18 gauge is thinner than 16 gauge (.060), which explains why the system will fail early in its life expectancy. Combine this with the cheapest grade stainless steel (non ASTM spec) from the pacific rim sources...and you are the proud owner of an exhaust system with the life span of the former Cheyrnoble nuclear plant.
How to avoid this ? Just keep off the Buy Button and just say NO to the cheap bait priced online storz. Buy any "Made in the USA" exhaust products...these usually come with a thing called a guarantee !
Attached are my thoughts on this ...
Walter, I can not tell you the tube OD or tube gauge of the OBX...you will need to speak to their Tech/ QC dept. for an answer (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

[Walter]

Yeah, sorry, I thought you had one there, but the question is probably better directed at 'Sean V8 914' who had one in his hands.
Sorry for the confusion.

[silver74insocal]

wow maltese why dont you just tell us how you REALLy feel...this guy is just trying to get the most bang for his buck....flame suit activate!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[Maltese Falcon]

wow maltese why dont you just tell us how you REALLy feel...this guy is just trying to get the most bang for his buck....flame suit activate!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

Silver,
as goes the "Bang for the buck" philosophy: for a bit more Euro, the customer can get a proper fitting system. For a little bit more- than- that Euro, he can opt for the top of the line system, also built and offered here by a 914world member.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being frugal, but I can't spend my time installing anything cheap that requires a hammer. torch and machine shop. No flame intended, and nothing more O/T from Falcon .

[Walter]

No offense taken Marty; I used to have a complete 1 7/8" system from Chris on my 2.7ltr (believe it was even the first sold 1 7/8" back then), so I know the quality.
I went turbo, so a small diameter stainless header (even 304 is way better imo then coated or worse) is more appropiate for this and frankly, if you have build a custom engine, to have to make it fit is not much of a problem. Doing mandrel bends however is.
Its the only stainless system out there afaik as Chris doesn't do stainless and boy have I asked him more then once to pls do so ;-) Hence the interest.
Even for the materials alone, you can hardly go wrong with that price imo if your handy, but I understand also your resentness of chinese products, but thats a completely different topic I think.

[Sawfish]

Let me start this post by first saying that I am in NO WAY questioning the quality or value of the Tangerine headers. Their reputation for quality and performance is uneqalled within the 914 community.
That being said when someone asks about an inexpensive header, quality, fitment or suggestions about how to resolve and issue with a header or vendor...its not always useful to tell them to buy the best header on the market. The pay now or pay later rational can only go so far. Taken to its logical extreme it make as much sense as saying "well you should have bought a GT-3, you get what you pay for!" Ive seen it a hundred times those 914s are under powered blah blah blah...

IF the OBX header had fit or IF the company had honored their warranty as they promisised. it would have provided an inexpensive alternative at %13 of the cost and probably les than %13 percent of the performance.
It didnt. The folks at OBX are Dishonest. Thats the issue.

Not being able to afford the best of something does not make a person cheap or stupid.

Truth is we have a trade deficit with China because consumers have decided that they wont be too pissed off if their toaster breaks after three months if they can buy another one for $15 bucks.

My two cents

[914rat]

We are exporting dollars and importing trash.The american consumer is to blame simply because we continue to embrace price as the prime copmponent of value.As a society we don't care if it works as long as it's cheap.Then we compare the stuff that works to the stuff that dosen't and expect it to be similarly priced.The OBX IMO is priced according to it's value as long as the buyer is willing to re-engineer it to make it work.I'm staying with SS heat exchangers and my bursh muffler until I find something I like better for a price I can afford.It won't be an OBX.I will save my money and buy a Tangerine.Even the economy version is better value than the next step down.First I need an engine worthy of such a system.