hey everyone! it's tax return time and that means car parts!!!!

I ordered my Thermal R&D DP back race system yesterday. Today i am ordering a high flow cat and 2.5" DP from Techtonics Tuning.
I should have a new K04 to replace my old one that was under warranity soon. Oh and a APR turbo inlet hose since i ripped my stock one pulling the turbo out.

I can't wait to have my baby running again, but first the hard part. I gotta get all those old rused bolts off the old system, it's not like i can get a hacksaw into where the DP and cat attach. i've been soaking them in some barrel break and wd40 but wondered if anyone had other ideas? i was goign to go to the propane torch and try to heat them up next.

 

soak em and try to wrench/socket them off.. you will need someone to hold from above with a wrench, next try some EZ offs from sears, if not get a dremel and grind them off..... its a really bitch

 

Hey, i just PM'd you before I saw this thread.

I'm looking forward to your review once you're done. When do you think you'll have it installed?

Good luck!

 

exhaust will be a few weeks, they custom make them. the downpipe and cat should be here next week. the thing that will hold me back i think is the turbo. I sent it back for a warranty replacement and it is being "checked out", i guess this can take some time. once supreme power gets the ok from their distributor they will send me a brand new one. assuming the installation goes well and the turbo get replaced soon, i hope to have her back on the road mid to end of march. I'll be sure to let you know how it runs.

 

must be nice getting a tax refund!!

 

got the exhaust, downpipe, and cat out this weekend. i played with bolts connecting the cat to the downpipe for a few hours, couldn't get he lower O2 sensor out ether being all crammed down along side the tranny. so i stopped and evaluated the situation and realized that i would end of throwing the old exhaust out anyway so why preserve it? so i just cut the down pipe off above the bracket with a hacksaw so that i could pull the cat and half the down pipe out through the engine bay disconnecting the lower O2 sensor when i got it to a more manageable location in the engine bay.
worked great, this also saved me from having to fight the rusted bolts holding the sleeve that connects the down pipe to the rest of the exhaust.

Soooooooo, Wednesday (the 27th) my new high flow cat and 2.5" downpipe will be here and the exhaust should be here Friday (i hope, don't have a tracking number for this one but was told it was shipped the 22nd). Hopefully I will be able to get a status of the K04 i sent in for warranty so i know when i can expect that back. If it's not going to be until the end of march i might get some parts off ebay and follow the DIY intercooler guide while it's in the garage. my only concern about the intercooler is making the bracket to hold it, i can take things apart and rebuild them pretty well, but fabrication of new parts i'm not to great at.

 

Thanks for the update - keep us posted.

 

what kind of intercooler are u doing?
i just installed a racetec last weekend, fit perfectly on the USP bumper, no cutting at all, and i did a "custom" zip tie power steering cooler for now used a 4x8 tranny cooler by hayden but it cools much better.. i can touch it even after some hard driving.. logged the IATs this morning and they are staying within 5 degreees of ambient

 

I was goign to do the DIY here: DIY Intercooler Guide
Using this: Intercooler

 

YAY! got the cat and downpipe about 30 minutes ago from TTtuning.
Everything looks good, i got the wrong downpipe (TT offered two diffrent versions, one with a 2.25" end and one with a 2.5" i ordered the 2.5 but got the 2.25") but this isn't a big deal since the exhaust is 2.25" to 3" so i'll just cut both reducers off and go from 2.5" down pipe directly to the 3". can't wait to get them installed then the hard part will be over, I HATE THE DOWNPIPE TO CAT CONNECTION and i am guessing with the larger pipe i'm going to have even less room to work with.

i have a world of warcraft raid this evening i need to attend but maybe once that is done i'll see about installing the two parts.

the rest of the exhaust system should be here later this week/early next week. then i'll just be waiting on the damn turbo warranty to be approved for replacement.
and omfg, they included new stickers i can put under my hood with the rest so i can even go FASTER~!