OBX Headers Options

[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.

[ChrisFoley]

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 ;-)

I now have my own NC tubing bender Wally.
Once I have more die sets I'll probably start doing some exhaust systems in stainless. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Walter]

Actually Chris - and sorry to anyone else for going OT a bit - at the moment, I think your 4-2-1 header would make an awesome twin-scroll turbo header if you left the last 2-1 part of and made it in stainless!
Turbo would then be at the rear and a downpipe would actually fit under the rear apron!
Since its for turbo, this time it would just be 1 5/8" primaries from the heads and not the silly size this one was ;-)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/www.keversite.nl-2499-1295387984.1.jpg)

[ChrisFoley]

Since its for turbo, this time it would just be 1 5/8" primaries from the heads and not the silly size this one was ;-)

We're about to start a 6 cyl. project with 2" primaries using T321 stainless. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
I think we could fabricate what you have in mind. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[charliew]

The obx headers I cut up were at least as thick as all the other headers I have used in the past and they were a good stainless as they were on my son's car a year or more and didn't get any worse than any other ss headers I have. Turbo headers get more heat and stress than na headers. He ran 26 psi and that means more than 26 psi up to the turbo with red hot tubes at the head ports.

[Piledriver]

Failure to do QC is not strictly a Chinese issue.

Also, the thought of dropping $1500 on a Tangerine header and then cutting it up to make a turbo header is abhorrent, no one in their right mind would go there.

At a $500+ price point, I would expect/demand a perfect fit, certainly at $1K++.
At $250 for 304SS... I'd expect to have to fight with it.

I have personally seen (repeatedly) the same clocking issue on the "made in the USA" EMW 411 HX replacement pipes, as an example.

Having said that, one user on the STF reported recently that his EMW HX replacements bolted on and sealed... Somebody should buy Jorge a beer.

Not everyone is willing or able to drop 1/1.5K into a mild steel exhaust system, no matter how good it is.

A1 makes an excellent system that compares well for considerably less, and will do it in SS for about 40% more, still about the same $ as a mild steel "economy" CFR.

I'm looking for a turbo header, the 304 SS is fine, OBX turbo headers on Subys have a reasonable good reputation, and the tubing is usually one piece CNC bent, no welds every 6 inches issues with cracking.

It's unfortunate the 914 market is so small, the issue will almost certainly not be fixed. I't's probably safe to assume Stubs will need to be added at least, fortunately they are easy to make from 1 5/8" material.

Chris will have no issues keeping busy selling his top end systems, there are plenty of folks who have plenty of money for quality.
Hopefully he won't have to resort to making only the few dozen 934 custom header systems sold in a decade.

[sean_v8_914]

summary refresher for 2012:
OBX AKA Racing Parts Depot in Oakland CA are dishonorable crooks. the header is crap. it will NEVER fit. OBX will not honor any returns, refunds or exchanges.
Happy New Year!