Time to let the diaper drop for a Nouvalari exhaust

Winter time has arrived and the snow and associated salt is covering the streets of Denmark. That means It's finally time to drop the US diaper and install a more sporting sounding exhaust.
Ever since I finished the overhaul of my US 308 QV I've regretted that I didn't convert the rear valance to euro style. Back then I changed out the bumpers and the front valance to euro style, but I kept the US exhaust and the extended exhaust shield as you can see from the pictures.
I have bought a Nouvalari sports exhaust and a short and long pipe (All Euro stuff) and the plan is to remove the old us exhaust and the two test pipes, then relocate the exhaust supports and install the euro version exhaust system. I am quite impressed with the build quality of the new exhaust even though the price was very fair. I am excited to hear if the sound is as good as the appearance.
I have decided to keep the original us manifolds because they are in very good shape and to save money. I will therefore have to make some slight modifications to the short and long pipe that connects the exhaust to the manifolds, other than that everything should fit.
I have considered to buy a Rennspeed euro rear glass fiber valance, but the price is a bit steep when shipping and Import tax to Europe is added and the installation work is comprehensive. So I have chosen to attempt to modify the existing valance by adding a fiber glass reinforced aluminum profile in the gap that appears when the exhaust shield is removed. I will update you all as I progress.

Best Regards

Peter
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Yesterday the irreversible and scary process of cutting in a Ferrari started. First cuts were to remove the two fiberglass Ears that's integrating (supporting) the us exhaust shield to the body of the car and next cuts were the two exhaust supports.

I also cut away a 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm square corner of the forward end of the fiber glass wheel well in order to have better access to the flange connections on the manifolds, but this is really not necessary if you can accept tight working conditions when you bolt up the connecting pipes to the manifolds.

I then trial fitted the exhaust in preparation for reinstallation of the supports. The exhaust was supported with a hydraulic floor jack and steel wires before welding the two exhaust supports in place again. The supports were modified slightly with an angle grinder before being welded in place. But apart from that, no further modifications are needed to fit the euro style exhaust supports.

With the exhaust now being properly attached to the car it was time for adjusting the geometry of the short and long connector pipes to fit the us style manifolds. I had to cut the pipes close to the manifold end flanges and insert a small length of extension pipe to get them to fit perfectly.

With the exhaust in place and all pipe connections bolted up it was time for the funny part of the project to start: Sculpturing of the backend in aluminum - just like in the old days . I started cutting out the openings for the exhaust tips and cut out the long opening between the tips.

Lastly I pushed in the bumper dampers a further 15 mm and locked them with a small tag weld. That will bring the rear bumper all the way in to correct position.

Stay tuned progress update will follow as soon as I get glass fiber delivered (I have a friend who is into boats and he has promised me some super quality woven mattes). Next job will be to laminate the aluminum profile with 3 layers of glass fiber and install the profile on the car.

Good weekend.

Peter
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Maybe you did the right thing buying the more relaxed model? I believe the sports exhaust can be a little too noise in the long run, but time will tell. After all it is a sports car and not a commuter vehicle so some level of racing sound level must be acceptable.

 

My weekend was spent working with fiberglass, polyester, aluminum and rivets and the rear end is now taking shape. I can recommend to send the family away when you start to mix the polyester resin, it smells like hell in the entire house and it requires a breathing mask and some heavy duty rubber gloves when you work with it -I believe epoxy resin is less harmful, stronger and easier to work with, so that's a good alternative to the polyester, but the price is considerably higher.
Polyester based fiberglass is quite forgiving (Apart from the environmental hazard) and fast to work with and you can apply fiberglass based filler wet in wet to obtain a good bond and fast progress.
All aluminum plates you see on the pictures are riveted in placed and sealed to avoid any water entering the wheel well box.
As it appears from the pictures the rear end valance is more or less ready for a couple of layers filler including some spray filler and paint prep. Price so far less than 200$ all included except the exhaust of cause.

Regards
Peter
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Hi,
The exhaust and diaper modification project is now finished and I am quite satisfied with the visual outcome and the new sound not the least.

It has been a bit more challenging and time consuming project than I initially had planned for mostly because I ended up during most of the stuff myself including all paint work.

The last couple of days went with paint prep, painting and assembling of the exhaust as you can see from the pictures below. Judge for yourself if it's been worthwhile. My youngest son liked the diaper best he has just told me....is all a matter of taste.

Merry Christmas to you all and happy wrenching.

Peter
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It is from this company:

JemaAutolifte.dk | Produkter | Scissor lift | JA3000S-E

I believe they import the lift from China and that you can find the same lift from other companies. It is the my single best tool investment ever, just wished I have bought it 10 years ago.

Peter