Slow progress, but a few updates.
Downpipes are done done. The firewall-back exhaust still needs done, but I wanted to get the engine in the car and fit up, just in case I’m forgetting something that may impact fitment.
After finish welding the wastegate merges, things moved around a bit. Annoyingly, the step recess in the v-bands for the turbines and for the rest of the exhaust were a good bit larger than the 3” tubing OD. Maybe 0.050” too large. I didn’t think too much about it, but I think once finish-welded, they pulled the v-band out of round. This meant the v-band ring wouldn’t actually fit into the turbine and the v-bands at the back of the downpipe would only go on in one orientation. I ended up taking calipers and a rubber mallet and “roundening” the v-band. It’s probably no longer perfectly flat, so I’ll put a little orange RTV on them for final assembly. If it’s good enough for Pro Mods, it’s good enough for me.
To get the wastegate and turbine v-bands to line up after weld movement, I got all the clamps started but left loose. Then I heated the shit out of the main 3” tube and began tightening the clamps. They’re not perfect, but it did seem to make the situation better.
The engine is out of the car now and I’m making all of the final hoses and heat shields. For turbo coolant, I’m tapping directly into the water pump housing for high/low pressure coolant feeds. I think there should be enough differential to drive flow through the turbos.
Oil drains are done and I have the feed routed under the LS3 intake, which required clearancing.
Getting dangerously close to final assembly!
Also, I finally bought sideskirts. Maybe this will motivate me to respray my runny over fenders so the car doesn’t look so unfinished lol
