Hi all, so my '88 328 is getting a little too loud and seems to be missing 3 of the 6 bolts that hold the cat to the rest of the exhaust. The remaining bits are bolts w/ springs and a spacer. As that has to cost more than a nut and bolt there must be a reason for it's use so I would like to replace what should be there. Now to the real question, what is NAPA going to have that will be close enough to work? Could I use some old valve springs from other products? TIA, Lester
You are on the right track....those are there to let the tri-flange joint flex, with engine rotating under load. Ricambi stocks them as an F40 part number. But you are correct, it's just an over long bolt with a shoulder, then the spring, and then a LOCKING crimp style hex nut. Without that, it's only a matter of time before they work loose and fall out.. You see I thought this picture was important...it's saved next to "swedish girls" Image Unavailable, Please Login
Has anyone measured the spacer length or have a set out at present that they can measure? I am certain that i can find some steel tubing around here someplace and maybe some old valve springs from a V4 SAAB.. Lester
The bolts are M8.8. USE them. Get nuts of the same hardness. New spacers I made from brass tubing using a pipe cutter and a hand file. They do not have to be cut EXACTLY, just close. To replace/referb all mine cost about $30.00. Springs are about $5.00 ea if you shop around. I just reused mine.
The spacer is 29/32 long It fits around the unthreaded section of the bolt and stops the spring from fully compressing (which would then defeat the whole purpose of having constant tension) The set -up is a washer, spacer, spring, two washers and a nut. I used a copper exhaust nut. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You can purchase a kit with all the hardware and a couple of different size springs and bolts for around 10 $. They are quite common , ask for a Subaru kit or talk to a parts counterman , not unusual items.Easier than making everything.
Now we're talking.. anything special Subaru? In case I can't get to NAPA and use Autozone or the like I'm going to need something more particular as to year etc. THANKS! Lester
ok, searching through Shreveport Louisiana yields nothing for parts and saying it's for a Subaru didn't help a bit.. I don't have any to reuse I am missing 5 of the bigger ones (flange to catalytic converter) and 3 of the smaller ones (Flange to the "Y" pipe). Ricambi as an F40 part ehh.. any other examples? I could try to spec it all from McMaster Carr.. Lester
Just ask to see a catalogue for exhaust hardware . or a flange repair kit. They really are quite common.Should be in any auto parts store with universal exhaust parts. Audi and VW suspend their front flex pipe with the large spring and shouldered bolt hardware.
I can't find it in Subaru but this Honda stuff might work- $26 retail, $9 wholesale TomB Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ok, last question probably.. does anyone know the thread size and pitch for the two different bolts? One is for the Cat to exhaust, the other is for connecting the banks before the cat. Thanks Lester
Does anyone have the dimensions of the exhaust spring? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I don't because after looking at the specs of ordering springs and the minimum order and the fact that I would have to have an original spring to measure the compression vs height to determine spring rate I gave up. I ordered new springs from TRutlands IIRC. Don't forget, on the '89 328 at least there are two different springs for the exhaust connections. Lester
The springs and spacers are Ferrari-proprietary. They are not expensive - just buy them from Ricambi and be done with it, no need to re-invent the wheel. The washers/bolts are easily sourced as metric exhaust hardware - only the hardness and coating are important. The nuts are EXHAUST nuts - they have a 'split' in them that expands under high temperature that prevents the nut from loosening via heat cycles. I used copper nuts found from Bel-Metric for that application. The factory nuts are extremely similar in split-cut and orientation. https://www.belmetric.com/metric-nuts-metric-copper-exhaust-nuts-c-3_51.html
You could also buy these on eBay (no affiliation, just stumbled across them): Ferrari 308 355 550 348 Exhaust Spring Fits Many 111743 | eBay
All of the special Ferrari exhaust 'bits' I sent to Norwood Performance once - they had an 'exchange program' where they'd sell you new/refurbed exhaust hardware sets, provided you shipped them your old stuff. The price was alittle better than buying everything 'new', but I'm not sure that service is offered anymore.
Unfortunately I do have to reinvent the wheel since my car did not come with spring bolts. Several past mechanics have long since replaced the nuts and bolts with what ever was available. Also the OEM ones will not fit on the Stubero exhaust or the factory flange in a couple spots.
I *think* that I have a box or two of the thick washers that I had to order. Also, as stated earlier, you can just cut some thin wall tube to work as the spacer but it does require at least one of each size/length to get right. Lester
The parts diag on the EU 328/QV does not show these springs on the bolts. I've also seen pictures of sections of exhausts where the flanges are free to rotate on the ends of the pipes (thereby providing much more variation in terms of how you can set the thing up). On my manifolds/pipes the flanges are fixed & so the range of adjustment in the whole system is fairly limited which in turn makes it more difficult to get the tail pipes in the right place in the rear grill. It ends to mean that the whole system is fairly rigidly set & therfore maybe under some tension aside from the minimal movement afforded by the spring hangers on the silencer. I wonder if , in the long term, this is going to end up being a recipe for a cracked manifold & if so what I could do about it?
Even though your exhaust flanges are fixed, you should not have any tension, or problem, getting the tailpipes in the right location relative to the coachwork. The "trick" is to loosen all of the connections in the exhaust system (and not try to keep all the flanges perfectly parallel to each other -- i.e., each joint acts as a ball-and-socket) -- this gives the freedom to rotate the silencer body about a tranverse axis which moves the tailpipes up-and-down relative to the coachwork as shown in this illustration (which shows how to move the tailpipes up wrt the coachwork on a euro 308QV): Image Unavailable, Please Login
I believe that they were introduced when cats were added in 1978 to the US models so: '77 and before US 2V = no '78 - '82 US 2V = yes '82 and before euro 2V = no
So are the spring bolts on every flange point? Also, why would the US have them and the Euro not? Is this for the CATs? And if so, would I not need them if I was not using CATs? Thx
