Thread: Double win of header failure, lengthy story ahead.

There it goes.

Funny part is that this whole thread relates to what is wrong with our economy, as well.

^^ So sad, but so true. How many Walmart stores are we up to now?

Why don't we do this a different way. A straight up forum designed manifold manufactured in china. Community designed, the dash branding or whatever... Take a look at this, Headers Exhaust Racing - Buy Headers Exhaust Racing,Stainless Steel Manifolds,Marine Exhaust Manifolds Molten Mainfolds Product on Alibaba.com. I'm sure many of us have used this header before. Same as design that OBX is selling, but all the ones I have had were pretty well made. May not make the most power, but a clearly effective header and they have been able to get the price down.

Why dont we get a design together, contact this manufacturer and get some nice headers made dirt cheap. 10+ manifolds, aim for around 100 per...

@ebinkerd I think you missed the issue. The issue is NOT the design, but the fact that to get a manifold that cheap, you have to sacrifice quality in several areas, and material and fabrication 9 times out of 10 are the areas which are sacrificed and you end up with $150+ paperweight ala Kyle unfortunately

No matter what anyone says, if you have zero quality control, you are gambling with the outcome of the manifold. Perfect example is OBX/SSAC. I as well as Kyle and many others have had GREAt results with the EBay brand of parts. But there are many chances in which you get what Kyle gets, sadly

Nope, I got that. Figured I would throw that out there considering all people were doing was bitching about no other options. I don't know about a lot of people here, but I for one do not like dropping 1k on a na header. Half the value of my car right there. It needs to be taken into consideration that most of us are not that into these cars. They are getting old, rusty, and expensive to keep 100%. I, as well as many other would have no problem dropping a little more cash for a header that was designed by some the of the guys here that have experience with these engines and manifold design. Steps can be taked to increase strength in areas that need it.

Just food for thought. We wont have a new header available to us unless someone tries. Otherwise grab lotion and enjoy the circlejerk.

And that quality argument is BS. Rusted POS gen 2 hotshot headers never last a day or two in the classified and they sell for more than the ssac/obx headers. I bet you if you remake that header through a china manufacturer and sell it for 300, people would buy it.

I have to add, when that dude bought the ebay tri y honda header and modified it for the sr, a lot of people were all about it. People were all about this http://www.sr20-forum.com/vvl/26855-tri-y-headers.html.

Drawing a business plan will get you started, as for development costs and sourcing material or manufacturing it yourself on a cnc/ water jet machine, and other initial investments that is alot to recoup for a design. Planning is easy, its all the details that you will run into that cost the most.(time and money) Look at what HyTech and Six Sigma Race Engineering charge for headers. I've been inspired by their designs in the past and knowing them through the honda world when I worked at a Honda shop I used their knowledge for what I built for my own car.

Has anyone tried to contact PLM ? https://www.privatelabelmfg.com/ I know a few members have taken a PLM header for a Honda and reflanged it for SR heads with good results.

@ebinkerd

I promise you, considering the fact that people pay $150 for a set of headers and continue to do so even when Hotshot finally got it right in their later gens (and subsequently got copied), you are going to be hardpressed to sell anything for more than $200 brand new on this forum as people will not buy it (much less anything over $300, when you are well on your way to a T28 based turbo kit).

I just do not see that happening on this forum for the N/A SR20.

Even with the China manufacturer, I am hard pressed seeing a decent manifold costing less than $250, especially for the minimal amount that it will sell.

@Boostlee

You are probably right on all those fronts, sadly. But why are we just going to throw in the towel. This thread is alive and Kyle has pointed out the elephant in the room. What can we do? Yeah, we are some cheap bastards. Even those t28 kits, 9 times out of 10 they are collecting dust on someones shelf, ask me how I know. We are all guilty of it. But if something is going to change, it has to be from within. Something motivating, inspiring. A community header would be the shit; nice chromed plate stamped with "DASH" on the runner. Probably wishful thinking though. Try and fail, we still tried.

So, the solution is to just give up and have all Chinese-quality parts made anyways?

@Kyle, for NA DE, the only options are an old Hotshot or custom. With NA VEs taking over the past decade, nobody runs NA DE anymore.

Turbo and don't worry about it.

For real? All of garrets turbos are China made now. And there was a very obvious decrease in quality when Honeywell sent the manufacturing to China. Bag on China made stuff all you want though, you can't walk five feet without running into a China made product.