GB: Official DKF Section 1 Kit

[Beedub]

ok.... finally making headway now...

my extra 02 sensor bung is being welded on tomorrow... gaskets are all here, i will be starting install on saturday evening :-) i will take my time and aim to get it complete by monday.... :-) the car and i have a very long drive the following week so i will report back on my findings... lets see... wish me luck.

[007MCoupe]

Good luck BeeDub! Can't wait to hear back.



So, not sure where to put this, so here goes the most obvious. To stopgap the 'hole' in the exhaust, i just put the EGT probe on and taped the wiring up underneath to some other wiring, out of the way. Instant torque difference! Before it was lagging a bit when i got on the throttle, but now it's full on all the way up til about just above 6K then it seems like the car struggles to keep accelerating. Anyone else notice this?

But the point of this post is my first video! First tryout of adobe premiere. Ugh. learning curve much? Anyhoo...here goes.

Should I make a whole thread in the exhaust section just for this? lol I LOVE THE SOUND and want to show the whole world (literally).

I just wish they'd let me mount the camera here at the 'Ring, but understand why not. methinks I need to mount an external mic somewhere in the diffuser section...i smell project.

[Beedub]

that does sound good!!

ill be using the CATs i think.... I'm surprised how civilised it still sounds... my stock section one with RPis sounds much louder...

im guessing with the high flow Cats it will be louder still!!

[007MCoupe]

Yeah I didn't make a vid when i had the cats on for a day, but i can only imagine how they sound!

And I couldn't imagine this setup with RPIs!!!!! Bloody eardrums to say the least.

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by 007MCoupe

Yeah I didn't make a vid when i had the cats on for a day, but i can only imagine how they sound!

And I couldn't imagine this setup with RPIs!!!!! Bloody eardrums to say the least.

how was the sound difference from the high flow cat to the resonators....


finally got all my shit in order.... should be installing this weekend!!

[007MCoupe]

Originally Posted by Beedub

how was the sound difference from the high flow cat to the resonators....


finally got all my shit in order.... should be installing this weekend!!

from inside, about the same. you can hear the exhaust, but not really. it's hard to explain. you'll see once you get them on. plus, i'll be up that way in a couple weeks so you can hear for yourself! haha though i don't have ESS helping...

[Beedub]

ok so my install begun today..... so far going quite smooth, real pain in the ass doing this on my back, but pipes are pretty much in place , i just need to Tq everything up, start her up and prey to god i get no CEL.... i REALLY don't want to have to take this to bits again.... infact if i do, ill be going straight to a shop.... lol.... I'm taking my time and doing ever other evening, I'm also changing rusty bolts etc and having a general cleanup...

huge weight saving on this piece compared to the stock items!! HUGE....

one of my o2 sensors was literally stuck in the stock cat piece and took some serious force to get it out, i hope this hasn't damaged the sensors in anyway..

spent all day today doing this, id guess another 4-5 hours taking my time this will be done... ill definitely have it done by the weekend...

i have had to do some minor work to the flanges on my setup that were causing an alignment issue.... nothing major however..

[007MCoupe]

can't wait to hear how this opens up the ESS!

And yeah, i couldn't imagine doing this on my back in my garage! It took me 2+ hours when it was on a lift! but worth it!

[Beedub]

update pics

[Beedub]

tried to have a go a this again tonight...... simply couldn't be bothered!!! lol!

will be all buttoned up by weekend I'm home straight now...

intr8r, dont suppose you know the TQ values for the rear reinforcement plate and the rear diagonal cross bars???

[inTgr8r]

....I don't recall.
Tbh, I don't usually torque them. I just go by feel.

[Mirko]

Originally Posted by Beedub

tried to have a go a this again tonight...... simply couldn't be bothered!!! lol!

will be all buttoned up by weekend I'm home straight now...

intr8r, dont suppose you know the TQ values for the rear reinforcement plate and the rear diagonal cross bars???

I used a little lock tight on those bolts that hold the black metal piece in because they came loose after maybe 2-3K km. It was a terrible rattle sound, made a post about it. They are supposed to be one time use but I think I've taken them off and on 3 times now. Could've been the reason cause I know I tightened them the first time.

[Beedub]

ok well.... only the mufflers to put back on, i can fire it up now to check for earl CEL...

early info...

fitment has been perfect... and i mean perfect. one of flanges needed some slight manipulation with a ball peen hammer but nothing major, everything has lined up nicely and the item looks well made, the weight saving is huge.

i will report back with more soon, the car has a very long journey on wednesday so I'm looking forward to getting some seat time.

on a side note, after spending so much time under the car I've decided to do an underside restoration, for the minor amount of work needed it would look really good and the car is a keeper for me so all goes towards my pride and joy, ill do that over the winter however.

[Beedub]

ok had finally nearing the end now, literally just the RPi cans to go back on...

i did fire it up with them to check for CEL, pleased to report no CEL, i couldn't detect any leaks what so ever, and the v-band section SEEMED leak free...... saturday ill get the mufflers back on and get out for a drive.... but fitment was 100% as good as the stock pieces. So far the cats on my car are functioning ok, i did a scan on the ECU and no plausibility codes etc.... obviously i understand it needs a few miles before a potential issue may show... pleased i went straight for the cats as the hole thing is such a pain in the ass ill happily leave them alone.

so far.... this piece has delivered what DKF set out to do so.... and i may have got the bargain of the century.... ( maybe i shouldn't talk too soon).

[itdnwiwbp]

Were you guys able to get the race clamp connection aligned better than this (see pics)? I'm thinking this will be enough misalignment for a leak. I bolted up the resonator to the x-pipe perfectly first. Should I have loosely bolted that then aligned the race clamp connection?

Edit: Just ignore this post. After a relaxation beer I went back to the garage and started over with the clamps. Everything seems to be satisfactorily lined up now. Tomorrow I'll see how it goes on the car.

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by itdnwiwbp

Were you guys able to get the race clamp connection aligned better than this (see pics)? I'm thinking this will be enough misalignment for a leak. I bolted up the resonator to the x-pipe perfectly first. Should I have loosely bolted that then aligned the race clamp connection?

Edit: Just ignore this post. After a relaxation beer I went back to the garage and started over with the clamps. Everything seems to be satisfactorily lined up now. Tomorrow I'll see how it goes on the car.

that looks fine to me, they way a vband works actually allows alittle overlap like this on one side, theirs a decent amount of flange material on each section, don't waste or worry your time trying to get them PERFECTLY aligned in terms of the vband section, i found trying to get those 2 pieces absolutely nail on perfect meant my S-pipe was not quite central general alignment and put alittle tension on the headers,... once these things are also designed to seal better with heat, I'm guessing the exhaust soot over time also helps, If you study the clamps you'll see when Tq down the shape of them allows for these type of tiny mis-alignments.
get them lined up with your Xpipe and work from that point, I'm guessing all of us with have alittle overlap in the section you posted, mine does.... ill grab a pic tomorrow for you.

I've very pleased with what I've seen so far and think, the delays and other issues and actually over shadowed that is is a very nice piece!!

[Beedub]

BTW anyone DIY this at home, Respect. it takes alittle time but very rewarding.

my mufflers go on this weekend and I'm good to go.... hopefully i get no leaks after a prolonged run and cool down cycle, i don't want to have to keep Tq-ing those clamps every other day... i will soon tell. from my early startup i see no reason for leaks and couldn't feel any leaks during the test.

hows the install in general going itdnwiwpb.

[itdnwiwbp]

Originally Posted by Beedub

hows the install in general going itdnwiwpb.

I really can't complain too much. Wouldn't say it's been easy but it hasn't been bad either. I've got a lot going on but I've been meaning to get this thing installed for awhile now so the last few days I've been doing a little here and there where I have time. After I clean up my differential leak today I should be ready to slap everything back together. Using the 12" Race Ramp wheel cribs I bought a couple months ago has made it A LOT easier.

[itdnwiwbp]

Got everything back together. Wasn't too painful aside from a stupid mistake on my part here and there. The car definitely has a pretty wicked rumble now (stock US headers/DKF with resonator/stock x-pipe/stomung). I've still got it up on stands for now though cause I wanted to ask a couple questions.

How tight were you guys able to get the section 1 to header top flange bolts and what was your method? Mine are not nearly as tight as I'd like but they don't seem to be leaking right off the bat.

Also, what orientation did you put the race clamps on? From the couple other installed pics I looked at it looked like people had the threads straight down so that's what I did. After I got them on the car I realized they're about the lowest point on the car now. I don't mind scraping them occasionally since the pieces look like they'd be easy to find and replace just like my splitter nuts that get changed each year. Anyone foresee any other problems with them scraping? I don't think they'll effect the clamp since it's so tight. I'd try to rotate them out of the way but I'm afraid it would be completely impossible to get it all back together properly again without taking everything completely apart.

Edit: Added pics. I think i can afford to trim the clamp threads by at least half an inch so no issue there. But what do you guys think about the flange bolts on the front of the section 1?

[Beedub]

my clamps are about around 45 deg from yours, pointing down looked like a possible of catching something in extreme situations. look back at my pics, don't trim them, you need that length to initially thread them....

i used new gaskets and was able to get the front flanges nice and tight.. the old gaskets are compressed to the shape of the stock section 1 and didn't offer the seal i wanted.... the new ones i can SEE they deformed to the DKF section 1, no leaks at all however it looks pretty much like yours.

[inTgr8r]

^this
I agree , don't trim the bolts, they need to be rotated.
& at the headers the flange just seats against the donut gasket. It doesn't mate up against the other half.

That was one of the things that was adjusted when I did the original test fit.
The first proto was too flat in the flare and the section one ended up flush ( tight) with the header half.
You don't want that because you do not get enough 'crush' against the donut gasket for it to form a seal.

[itdnwiwbp]

I was all excited to go for a drive this morning. Looks like I'll be tearing everything back down - unless I can remedy this with it installed but I'm not to optimistic. Thanks for the info, guys.