read this knowing I have had my exhaust apart before with not a single issue or problem putting it back together So, I installed the headers from Ricambi. My first impression was they seemed to lack attention to details but I shrugged it off, I mean they weren't building a watch. Bolting the headers to the head went smooth. I took my time alternating top to bottom inside to out as I tightened the bolts to prevent warping. simple enough. Then I went to install the S pipe.(had removed it to have a shop remove the secondary cats but they didnt pick them up because they were busy and I needed it done asap) I went to install the S pipe but it wasnt fitting correctly...my first warning was It wouldnt match up to the headers. I was thinking ok..new headers maybe I need to tighten it down and pull the headers in together a little. I went home thinking I have a couple hours of work left I can knock this out tomorrow. Next day was frustrating spent the whole day trying to get this exhaust lined up... I was thinking its like one header is shorter than the other but that cant be possible they build these on a jig. I started loose and from headers back to exhaust and from exhaust back to headers (this is a straight forward job mind you) I could get the tubi on one cat but it would pop off when I tried to get it on the other side it would pop off I moved the cats around did everything I could think of. finally I gave up and called my friend that owns a shop and does this for a living. I didnt tell him my theory on what was wrong. I said I have been struggling with this where am I going wrong? he loosens everything goes at it for an hour lining it up and says one of your headers is longer than the other. He says maybe one is long or one is short or both are off (meaning one can be OEM length and the other shorter or longer or they both can be off). he worked with me and another guy from his shop for two hours and finally we get it all together and clamped down. I mean we had to squeeze from everywhere even slightly turning the cats to get an extra 1/8 inch. The thing is we have the tips centered but the passengers side tips stick out about 1/2 farther than the drivers side..next chapter I call Ricambi explain the problem..we go around and around..did you put the doughnut gaskets in? yes back and forth ..then it goes to its only a half inc its not a big deal one tip sticks out farther than the other by a half inch...if its three inches thats different...Guy insists its not the headers...I said how do you know you havent seen it? The guy says i am looking at the diagram and you can adjust the s pipe at the header coupler I'm thinking this is crazy..you can adjust the length at the coupler for the S pipe? He says yes.. I said can you do that where the cat bolts to the header? he says no...I said there is no way to lengthen the exhaust at the point where the S pipe connects to the header...and if there was you would have to adjust the length where the cat bolts to the header. Finally i said if I take this to two different shops video them measuring it and the headers are two different lengths can i return them.....no... they are in the car with no leaks?...I said I understand but this system has a lot of pressure on it from every angle...response its working with no leaks correct? yes but its not correct ..its working correct? I said is there anyway I can return these...no why not? there your headers off your car...pretty much I'm stuck with this poorly fabricated pos...The story has a few more details but you get the jest...BTW I recorded the call which is legal in Michigan so if another story than this pops up let me know i can prove my side of the conversation...
are you saying the set you got back was actually your original set rebuilt ? i understood that when you purchase the rebuild service you are actually getting the previous customers set? meaning the next customer would eventually get your set that you sent in.
I don't think this is the way you go about resolving this issue. Take it offline, Daniel is terrific to deal with.
I think I read that there were no refurbished sets in stock at ricambi so the OP had to send his set to ricambi, who I believe...shipped them to the rebuilder........hence it took 2 weeks to get his rebuilt headers back.
What you need is for someone to measure their oem headers lengths (damaged is ok as long as it has not been modified) and compare them to the headers you received. If the dimensions are different then the jig they were working from was out of alignment .... I have oem headers in my basement but they are for a 2.7 model so I don't know if the lengths would be the same otherwise I would measure them for you. Maybe someone else can post the dimensions for the 5.2 model.
ok. so if you got your actual set back rebuilt then I don't see how the lengths could be different then when you took them off? unless somehow when the new tubings were welded one ended up longer? but they got the shells back on, if one or both headers wre longer then the shells wouldn't have lined up when welding them back on. are you aware if your exhaust tips were exactly the same length prior or perhaps it could be something you are noticing now after reinstalling.
Doesnt matter while I do appreciate your willingness to help. The rep from Ricambi was clear that even if they are off its not much so they wont do anything about it....they said there your headers and if they dont leak the rest is your problem
the clam shells were so scabbed on there was no way to tell if I was looking for a difference. Truth was I was trusting they were right didnt check....they cut off the flange and collector and build everything in between....its pretty easy to screw up. Doesnt excuse it though
ok, if ricambi is not an option.....from your write up it appears that the length of one or both header exhaust pipes are short around 1/2 an inch or so. Its SS and can be fab'd and welded....weld an extension on either one or both pipes to get the dimensions back to where they need to be. Once the welds are ground down you won't see where the seam was....the flanges are repositioned and you get the length you need.
Yes..but i paid almost $3000 for these headers and you suggest I remove them after all that work and pay someone else to fix them?
I know.....this sucks.... your out 3g and your stuck with headers that don't quite fit. If it were me....the exhaust misalignment would annoy me....I would fix it. The other option is to cut/weld/reposition one of the muffler tips.
I don't know.....look at those pics of the finish/ fabrication/welds on the header heat shields. This rebuild is only as good as the fabrication/welding and paying attention to detail....and from what we can see from the "outside"....this is not a job that any pro would be proud of. If I had those headers I would remove those heat shields to see how pro the job was underneath 'where it counts'.
here are the pics from the original post http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/488067-ricambi-headers-installed-opinion-pics.html
Never fun when something doesn't fit well but you may be able to fix this. Have you tried adjusting the clamps on the back of the cats? They clamp on but when loosened can be moved in and out quite a bit and should be enough to correct the issue of one tip protruding further than the other.
my thought was the clam shell is hard to remove then weld back on...no big deal if they do their job...The Ricambi rep said they have had some fitment issues when I pushed him about it he claimed he was talking about clam shell fitment.....like talking to Josh Rosenthal
if you mean where the cat meets the muffler I dont have much room to work with...if you push the right side up against the cat 1/2 to play with...it should be in tight... then the other side is way off...its like putting a ruler at the end of 2 sticks and one is shorter than the other
Right but in this case you can adjust the length of the 2 sticks. If for instance your drivers side exhaust tip sticks out to far, slide the clamp deeper onto the back of the cat and it will pull it in.
Tubi exhaust has a half inch where the tube is a little bigger to slide the cat in and clamp it....you cannot adjust the length at this point...the cat should slide all the way into the stopping point then be clamped...if on the short side you only slide the cat in a 1/8 of an inch to straighten it out...it will fall out under normal use and vibration
Ok so the clamps slide on the back of the cats and once in whatever position you want them, get tightened into place on the cats by the two vertical bolts. Now the back of this clamp has the v-band flange which mates to the v-band on the muffler. Even if those clamps were slid all the way to the very end of the cats and none of the pipe on the cat itself went into the muffler, I cannot imagine how any of this would fall off. Maybe I'm not explaining this correctly but from my experience there is a huge amount of adjustment in/out on either side with the way these clamps are.
I thought I would add that I'm not trying to defend poor header fitment, just that I think you can get the exhaust pretty straight if you are keeping them on the car.
Well, I guess the chinese fabspeeds would have been even?? Lol joking aside, I think a crow bar and slide hammer are your friend here, I have seen the tip misalignment after doing exhaust work and it is almost always the rear flange connection to the cat or the front where it connects to the header (it can tweak slightly making one side protrude more)
