W. B. X-awst!

tencentlife · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:01 am Post subject:

Coming out very soon built completely in stainless, courtesy of RMW. Watch my ad, link below, for the latest on any of my stuff, and at RMW for when we roll this out. I will bump this thread with an announcement as well.

As always it will be an all-inclusive kit, we will announce details and pricing when it is available. In the meantime please everybody have patience and hold your questions.

Oh, and by the way, I should have updated this thread before but I redesigned the system long ago to solve the various fitment problems, and make it easier to install and smaller to ship. So the system we will be selling is universal, it will fit any wbx, 1.9, 2.1 or Syncro.

There are already about a dozen of the universal system in circulation on all wbx variants in vans and trucks that I have hand-built in mild steel, but by RMW making them in small production runs the demand can be better met. And everyone who has asked for a stainless version will finally get their wish.

But naturally, after fielding requests to make the system in stainless for three years, and finally getting the wheels turning to do so, I began getting requests to have it in mild steel. This sure is a tough crowd. There will not be a mild steel version.
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SyncroGhia · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:10 am Post subject:

Any update on this system?

MG
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T3 Syncro 16 S6 Westfalia Limey SOLD
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Crankey · Samba Member Joined: July 11, 2004 Posts: 2672

what about zinc or cad plating ? zinc will probably burn away faster but is cad more durable ?
I'd suggest flame spraying but you'd never coat the inside which you've mentioned will rust faster.

I think I'd be ok welding up a set of tubes myself but I'd probably use my truck as a jig to tac it all together...alignment marks would speed that up.

tencentlife · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:51 pm Post subject:

Well, some bad news for future production, I guess. I went to pick up two parts that I asked the ceramic coating shop in Santa Fe to redo, as the interior coating wasn't good. He's a good guy but is very busy with powder-coating items, and to switch to ceramic coating interrupts his normal work flow as it invloves some different procedures. He's also sorely understaffed. So he said he didn't want to do any more ceramic, as he's got so much powder business. So if I am to do anymore ceramic coated ones I'll have to find another jobber for that, and they are rare in my area. I don't want to ship the parts places, then ship them back, as it adds huge cost these days and it's very hard to have any quality control when you're dealing with someone in another state.

So I have to rethink my program. I know someone is going to suggest making them in stainless, and that's easy to say but you'll be waiting a long time as I don't have the capital to invest in that process right now, and even if I did the product would cost much much more as the raw materials are very costly. I think my prices are pretty damn high as it is. I'd like to work toward getting them down, not raising them further. The only way to make SS work at a reasonable price is to have a lot of automation in building them and economies of scale to offset the materials cost.

I can certainly make copies for anyone in mild steel and you can deal with the treatment as you see fit; paint them, oil them or have them coated locally. Other than that, I'll be looking into getting someone to partner with to get the tubes bent mechanically, and also complete the welding assembly or ship prebent tubes back to me for final assembly. I do like to have a hand in that as it's important to me that they fit right.

So, once again, "stay tuned". I'm still working on making this product available to whoever wants it. I love driving my van with this system on. It does add a lot of power and sounds too sweet for words.
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Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

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Crankey · Samba Member Joined: July 11, 2004 Posts: 2672

cool. I'll start saving Smile

tencentlife · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject:

I can't think of any reason it wouldn't fit up on a truck with a 2.1. For pricing, click on my ad link.

And yes, that's my lonely Syncro that has sat in that exact spot since we towed it up here almost three months ago. Luckily Ken Wilford threw a solar battery maintainer in there when I bought it from him, so that's been stuck in the window all this time (except when I borrowed it to put a little charge back in my truck battery). If I ever get caught up on all my other projects, I can finally dig into the Syncro. It runs fine but the clutch is shot. That engine will come out and get built into either a 2.4 or a turbo 2.2. Either way it's another new challenge.
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Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.

Crankey · Samba Member Joined: July 11, 2004 Posts: 2672

that's freakin SWEET man ! what's it looking like money wise ? and is there any reason you can think of that it wouldn't fit up on a truck ?

foodeater · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:13 pm Post subject:

There's the syncro! weird that you'd show it just hours after I was asking about it. Wow it is beautiful there, nicer than NYC thats for damn sure.

Please make a header for the Tiico. The crappy one from Mieneke (PO's choice, not mine) on my van is cracked again. I gotta buy me a welder.
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89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
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'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
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'82 Vanagon auto-RIP

msinabottle · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:56 pm Post subject:

Please make versions for the 1.9.

PLEASE?

Drool

Best!
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Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

240Gordy · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject:

his posts on Samba are coded messages home . . .
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Tencentlife said,
"So, now that you know what you're doing, go to town."
2010 GOLF TRENDLINE 2.5
1985 GL now with more! a 2.1L
H&R SPORT(RED) Springs FRONT , SLAM SPECIALTIES RE6 AIRBAGS REAR

levi · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:30 pm Post subject:

[quote="240Gordy"]

Crughy · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:59 pm Post subject:

Thanks TC.

I read it as it was going on. I did not remember all the details, especially the sound ones.
I know it's not an easy task. clearing all the parts, clearance.

It's nice looking. looks well balanced too: like a "natural" OEM well thought system.

JP

tencentlife · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject:

Click on my ad URL in my sig line. Prices are near the bottom of my ad.

So far, the system is only going to fit 2WD that have the 2.1 cooling system. Don't have the front runner to clear the skid bars for Syncros yet. Those other versions will be forthcoming, when I have time to work up the changes. Only so many hours in a week.

Crughy, if you review this thread I did some explanation of the reasons the pipes need to be a certain length. The long 2.25" collector pipe that goes across above the muffler is the optimal total length for the collector on a full-wave tune, nearly equal to the total length of primaries and secondary combined (a few percent less to compensate for the gases cooling and moving slower by that point). The Magnaflow is a straight-thru round design, which would be very loud if used with no cat, but the cat quiets it some to keep the noise volume reasonable. Only a round muffler will fit well in the remaining space.

Due to limited muffler selections (can't find a 5" round performance chambered muffler for a reasonable cost), I do a half-length collector for non-cat versions that results in the muffler being mounted center-left and the tailpipe exiting the left side of the van instead. That way there's room to use a chambered oval muffler, which is needed without a cat to have a nice sound that isn't obnoxious.

It's all the result of a mind-warping complexity of balancing one need against another against some restriction against some other need. Maintaining ground clearance is high on the list. If that didn't matter, the system would look very different than it does. At a glance there appears to be a huge space up in the muff attic, but try stuffing a bunch of pipes in there and see how little there really is!
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Shop for unique and useful Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
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also available at VanCafe.com!

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.

240Gordy · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:41 pm Post subject:

ME WANT!

SAVING ALL MY SPARE CHANGE!

EATING KD FOR DINNER FOR TWO YEARS!
_________________
Tencentlife said,
"So, now that you know what you're doing, go to town."
2010 GOLF TRENDLINE 2.5
1985 GL now with more! a 2.1L
H&R SPORT(RED) Springs FRONT , SLAM SPECIALTIES RE6 AIRBAGS REAR

Jamos · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:25 pm Post subject:

beautiful work...
and beautiful surroundings to do all that work! I wish it looked like that outside of my house.

what do your prices look like at this point?
_________________
'86 Wolfy Westy Weekender
2020 Audi Q5

240Gordy · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:08 pm Post subject:

Crughy · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:12 am Post subject:

Awesome pics and work! So clean!

I like the setting around too. Rust free environment... I was under my van, and while it is considered as clean, you can still discover new spot of surface rust here and there...

I still have a question for you TC, I was quite surprised by your piping design.

I am pretty sure there are good reason for it, but here is my question.
Why is it so long? It exits to the right, and it also collects to the right. hence a long pipe over the muffler.

Why did you not make it collect on the left side, and just connect it to the muffler?

Interference with mount? Oil filter?

Of the "elbowing" would not work well, either taking to much room or either creating low restriction?

Just curious.

Amazingly clean work otherwise.

JP

OxygenDestroyer · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:16 am Post subject:

tencentlife · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:40 am Post subject:

tencentlife · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:35 am Post subject:

Hmmmm, then you'll love these, with my lonely Syncro as a backdrop:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

_________________
Shop for unique and useful Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
also available at VanCafe.com!

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is death to doctrine.


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