Like the title says, the previous owner of my '83 Civic hatch cut off the exhaust at the manifold:
It's all one piece up to the header, and the pipe has some complicated bends to it.
I want to do all the work on this car myself, but I don't have a welder. Is this when I need to buy one? Should I try to track down new parts? Is there some kind of magic clamp/joint I could use here?
Thanks all. I've never tried to do any exhaust work myself before.
84FSP
UltraDork
11/16/20 10:24 a.m.
You might get away with a vband slip joint and extra pipe length to an aftermarket exhaust setup. They work really well and are cheap if you hunt them on amazon etc.
You need to connect to the inside pipe. The outer is just a heat shield. You need to add a flex joint of some sort somewhere, solid pipe will break pretty quickly.
You need a welder.
This is the time for a cheap ebay header and exhaust. Easy button.
Grab another exhaust manifold and downpipe off car-part.com or eBay.com.
Otherwise, you'll need to cut back that heatshield to get to the inner pipe, then cover it with a new heatshield to avoid heating the oil up too much.
84FSP
UltraDork
11/16/20 12:49 p.m.
Probably easier to just grab a used / new header and downpipe if you can find one.
Ebay turbo manifold, turbo, injectors, downpipe, raising rate fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump.
Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm only seeing 1 header on eBay for my actual engine (1.5L EM-1), but no downpipes. Almost everything is for D Series engines, but mine is a 2nd gen ('80 - '83) Civic.
Car-part.com does list 1 header in my area, but the yard's website is down. I haven't used car-part.com before – Are their recyclers generally willing to ship?
Sounds like you're doing the right thing. But keep in mind:
Buying a welder might make you a welder but doesn't mean you can weld.
Band clamp. Easy.
Or swing by your local exhaust shop. They can build you something.
New manifold, new header, or simply stop by a muffler shop and have them weld a flange on your existing pipe.