engine and drivetrain Early NK headers saga....

[MOJOJOY]

So the manifold/downpipe on my 1800ti is completely useless. Pinholes, rust, etc.

so I decided to install one of the headers I have from one of my 02s. Well nothing fits 

tried 5 different headers and they all hit either the hood spring or the pitman arm!

 

Is there a bolt on option out there? (I have the early subframe and not swapping it) 

Here is what I've tried so far....

 

[ericbmw2000]

The NK engines sit more forward compared to an '02. As a result, an '02 exhaust is never going to fit unless you use a hammer, blowtorch and some pliers...

[dkal]

@MOJOJOY I have a few boxes of parts I acquired with my 1600, I'll see if I have a manifold - not sure how you tell if it's from an NK M10 though?

[NickVyse]

I've not found anything off the shelf that claims to fit. Where does your triple Y manifold hit? I came to the conclusion a custom manifold was the way forward. Peter Tisalover massaged a 4 into 1 to fit and it looked similar to yours - it was on this forum. 

 

I've got a new down pipe on the shelf just like yours if you want it, but it's actually got a smaller bore than the later style NK downpipes. 

 

Nick

[tisalover]

Dan, I took a stahl header to a friend of mine who does fabrication and had to modify the downpipe so that it would clear the Pitman Rod and sub frame. I think only one or two of the lower pipes had to be rerouted. If I were going to do this again, I believe I would use a Ireland engineering Shorty header, and have a custom down pipe made that clears the sub frame etc. There is no off-the-shelf header available. At one point I had considered taking my car to stahl and having a header mocked up for all of us, but they quit fabricating is my recollection when I spoke to them.  I would use a larger pipe diameter, maybe one and three-quarter inches, if you plan on hot rodded motor. The header on mine /modified has smaller tubes than I would've liked, but I did not plan ahead enough.  My dad had started modifying a header back in the 1980s while he was still alive for just this reason. It was a header he had cut in multiple places, unfortunately he got sick with pancreatic cancer and the original header project fell by the wayside. You are not alone in this problem, it has plagued and NK lovers for decades. Good luck with the project, p.m. me if you would like my phone number I would be happy to talk with you about any N K performance options and things that I've done over the years.

 

All my best, sincerely Peter

 

[MOJOJOY]

@NickVyse thanks! I ended up installing a 2liter in there as the 118 was beyond repair. I got a spare stock exhaust manifold but the ports are way smaller compared to the 2liter head.

 

@tisalover thanks! I had all these headers so it was worth the trying it. There is a stahl copy I have tha gives me more room. I'll be prolly installing that one as it clears most of it(prolly some heat/hammer required) I know Jim huff has a bolt on header with no problems or mods. 

[ericbmw2000]

@dkalThe headers on NK and 02 are the same, it's the downpipes where the difference is.

[jmon0261]

I used a Tii manifold forget what down pipe we used

[NickVyse]

16 hours ago, tisalover said:

If I were going to do this again, I believe I would use a Ireland engineering Shorty header, and have a custom down pipe made that clears the sub frame etc.

 

That's a pretty good idea, 9/10ths of the result for half the effort and less cost. Stock ti manifold has roughly 1.5" tubing, shorty header is 1 5/8ths. You then make a slightly larger down pipe with an off the shelf Y piece similar to this one from Burns:

 

 + 

[Brandyn Andrews]

Hey mojo! I used a header from Top End. Had to cut the collector off and reweld after moving pipes to a better location. I have a automatic trans and original collector was up against trans.didn't like that . in doing this I found it also helped header to clear steering. Sounds like you have solved the problem. I also tried three other headers before I saw the light.

Edited October 23, 2016 by Brandyn Andrews
Forgot info