One for the SA clique...and 5 cylinder fetishists!

[famous phil]

did you sort the oil filter
A friends been searching every now 'n' then but dont seem to be able to find any what sort of price do the SA bell housings go for ?

[silverbullet]

did you sort the oil filter
A friends been searching every now 'n' then but dont seem to be able to find any what sort of price do the SA bell housings go for ?

Filter, not yet. Probably just an audi 80 quattro anyway. I've got etka now, but not installed...Had to do the n/s driveshaft cv's first (dead) what a fun job that was, working around the exhaust...
Bellhousing - good luck. No idea what the asking price is like, around 300 euro from whoever's got one in stock in Germany? NO way around it, getting stuff from SA is getting very tricky I'm told, unless you have a solid contact i.e. the big players...

[silverbullet]

For anyone thinking of hanging a 5-pot out the back, you might want to consider this vital part as fitted to my SA:

SA gearbox strut.jpg

I presume that the strut, which runs from the top of the trans casing up to the back of the block, is to prevent the (not inconsiderable) weight of the 5-cylinder engine flexing the bellhousing and maybe causing it to crack?
They wouldn't have fitted it if it wasn't needed - SA's were all about strength and durability well beyond the German-built vans and where a breakdown could cost your life
Might be worth making something similar if you've got or are considering a Volvo 5 pot too.

[Russel]

It was not the weight that is the problem but the torque of the engine. Without this reinforcing strut you can break the gearboxes back on acceleration.
Russel

[silverbullet]

So idle daydreams about 20v head swaps may not be time well spent, then...

[silverbullet]

And now the downpipe joint has blown again
I dropped the (delicate and crumbling) exhaust before it went for gassing and replaced the gasket with a generous smear of cack but it hasn't lasted. The manifold flange (downpipe) has a step across the web, so it's cracked and moved. Needs machining flat (I can do that) but it won't fix the eroded downpipe.
Any tips for removing the manifolds on a 2.6 Russel?
Other than lots of patience, small hands, long extension bars, magic powers...
Next big spend will be a booking at Longlife exhausts, methinks.

[Russel]

Remove the cast manifold a source a branch manifold from SA. Far better.
As to removing, just take your time.
Russel

[silverbullet]

Thanks. I remember seeing this 5-into-1 tubular manifold on vagcat:

Audi coupe tubular manifold.png

I also recall the price of over 500 Euro though
It's for the 20v 7A / NM engine
Audi Coupe, year - 1990 exhaust manifold / 2.0/2.3ltr.
F >> 8B-L-016 000* / 5 cylinder:/ 7A
F 8B-L-000 001>> / NM
054129591D

[Russel]

That one wont fit the 10 valve. Bosal do one made for the caravelle in SA.
Russel

[silverbullet]

Might have fun getting a full system out of SA in reasonable time/cost. Maybe off to Longlife after all? Not sure if they do manifolds though...

[Aidan]

http://www.bosal.co.uk/SALESSUPPORT/Sal ... fault.aspx

worth asking them if they can get them ? may have two way traffic in company

[axeman]

personaly i would not go to longlife, but thats a story for anouther day, but if you want it an exaust/ manifold made up there is a guy called tino he runs an outfit called tino's rod a costom. he will do it, mainly works on yanks stuff. but he is s#it hot and it will look like a work of art once he has set about it. some of the exausts that he has made up for v8's look wonderfull, he will work in stainless or mild steel depending on your budget. he normaly starts off by getting a lazer cut section of 8mm stainless to fit on to the head and then works from there. he will do what ever you want.

neil