1G Can you help me identify this exhaust manifold?

[silentsnow31802]

Anyone know who makes this thing? Im guessing eBay special...

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[DSMPT]

No brand. eBay manifold from China.

 

[silentsnow31802]

No brand. eBay manifold from China.

Had a feeling... oh well. I'll run it until I find it's not good enough for whatever reason.

Thanks for confirming.

 

[Adam]

eBay .. I bought one for $100 once back in 2013. Never ran it however a friend gave me a used one last year and looks like it's held up well. So never know, might last , might not

 

[silentsnow31802]

Oh im absolutely going to run it until I have a reason not to .
Aside from the one booger weld in the middle it doesnt look too bad. One corner seems to have been leaking on the driver side where it attached to the head but that might be due to the two studs in that area being loose.

 

[DSMPT]

Oh im absolutely going to run it

Sure you can. Many people used to run it. It would work until it breaks. It's just about the quality. The ports/bolt holes pattern often wouldn't match perfectly. And it would keep cracking welds and the flange would keep distorting and keep blowing the gasket. So most of people get tired of keeping to repair. This is the main reason why OGs don't recommend it.
I sold it multiple times about 10+ years ago. IIRC it used to be around $40-50usd per unit if brought it directly from the factory in China.

 

[silentsnow31802]

Sure you can. Many people used to run it. It would work until it breaks. It's just about the quality. The ports/bolt holes pattern often wouldn't match perfectly. And it would keep cracking welds and the flange would keep distorting and keep blowing the gasket. So most of people get tired of keeping to repair. This is the main reason why OGs don't recommend it.
I sold it multiple times about 10+ years ago. IIRC it used to be around $40-50usd per unit if brought it directly from the factory in China.

If I start having issues I'll replace it. The manifold itself is probably quite old. Most of the parts I'm finding on this car make me think it was built a long time ago and abandoned until recently.

 

[Spleen8urLSX]

If it works and isn’t cracked or warped anywhere roll with it until you have a reason not to, however I suspect the flange is warped being it’s leaking in the manner you described and the piss poor material they used is known for it, hell 9 times out of 10 they’re warped to shit right out of the box. Of course if that is the case it’s something a machine shop can easily correct for you, but for the $50 or so youd pay them to surface it you could buy a stock 2g manifold and port it and have something that not only is way less prone to cracking but flows better at that while giving the option of re installing the factory heat shields. Shoot some of the angles used on some of these I’ve had my hands on are so ugly they likely don’t even flow as well as an non ported stock 2g exhaust manifold.

 

[silentsnow31802]

If it works and isn’t cracked or warped anywhere roll with it until you have a reason not to, however I suspect the flange is warped being it’s leaking in the manner you described and the piss poor material they used is known for it, hell 9 times out of 10 they’re warped to shit right out of the box. Of course if that is the case it’s something a machine shop can easily correct for you, but for the $50 or so youd pay them to surface it you could buy a stock 2g manifold and port it and have something that not only is way less prone to cracking but flows better at that while giving the option of re installing the factory heat shields. Shoot some of the angles used on some of these I’ve had my hands on are so ugly they likely don’t even flow as well as an non ported stock 2g exhaust manifold.

Ported stock 2g you say? Factory heat shield you say!?
I like the sound of that.... I didn't know that was an option. But I guess that does make sense.

I gotta do some research on this.

 

[Spleen8urLSX]

Ported stock 2g you say? Factory heat shield you say!?
I like the sound of that.... I didn't know that was an option. But I guess that does make sense.

I gotta do some research on this.

You’ll find a lot here on the topic, these manifolds like the one pictured were DNP knockoffs (I say that lightly as they likely come out of the same factory welded by the same Chinese 8 year old but DNP pushed them to have slightly higher quality control until they discontinued them and the Chinese continued to produce them for the eBay/Amazon market). DNP and other companies stopped offering them as just about anyone who was going to buy one bought one and it had been proven here time and time again the ported 2g manifold performed better due to the right angles DNP and other companies used to achieve a true stock turbo positioning. Matt and Annika Morrison have been the only ones to produce a tubular stock flange manifold that is truly an upgrade as they got the angles right while maintaining the correct turbo positioning, and are also the only good reputable company offering a tubular “bolt on” manifold today. Many opt for the FP race manifold as it is a well designed cast piece that doesn’t require any porting out of the box, however the large runner design isn’t the correct choice for smaller framed turbos as it kills off some spool, it’s more designed for td06 20g turbos and larger like the FP green and red where the large runners can shine. The 2g manifold ported has been proven to over 600 horsepower on larger turbos in bolt on turbine housings and has been on cars that have produced 9 second time slips, the only downfall is the newest one is now 24 years old and they are starting to finally crack from time to time from years of heat cycles. Dorman offers a replacement for it that is constructed well and affordable and produces the same result ported. Also the JDM Evo 3 exhaust manifold ported is the same difference as the 2g manifold ported however it’s cast with nickel like the true Evo 3 16g turbine housings so it’s very unlikely one would ever crack, the downfall is while they were once available brand new as an upgrade they’re uncommon to come across today.

 

[chrisman287]

I would belt sand both flanges to make sure they’re flat. Maybe heat wrap the thing too.

 

[silentsnow31802]

You’ll find a lot here on the topic, these manifolds like the one pictured were DNP knockoffs (I say that lightly as they likely come out of the same factory welded by the same Chinese 8 year old but DNP pushed them to have slightly higher quality control until they discontinued them and the Chinese continued to produce them for the eBay/Amazon market). DNP and other companies stopped offering them as just about anyone who was going to buy one bought one and it had been proven here time and time again the ported 2g manifold performed better due to the right angles DNP and other companies used to achieve a true stock turbo positioning. Matt and Annika Morrison have been the only ones to produce a tubular stock flange manifold that is truly an upgrade as they got the angles right while maintaining the correct turbo positioning, and are also the only good reputable company offering a tubular “bolt on” manifold today. Many opt for the FP race manifold as it is a well designed cast piece that doesn’t require any porting out of the box, however the large runner design isn’t the correct choice for smaller framed turbos as it kills off some spool, it’s more designed for td06 20g turbos and larger like the FP green and red where the large runners can shine. The 2g manifold ported has been proven to over 600 horsepower on larger turbos in bolt on turbine housings and has been on cars that have produced 9 second time slips, the only downfall is the newest one is now 24 years old and they are starting to finally crack from time to time from years of heat cycles. Dorman offers a replacement for it that is constructed well and affordable and produces the same result ported. Also the JDM Evo 3 exhaust manifold ported is the same difference as the 2g manifold ported however it’s cast with nickel like the true Evo 3 16g turbine housings so it’s very unlikely one would ever crack, the downfall is while they were once available brand new as an upgrade they’re uncommon to come across today.

Very good info here. I looked at the Morrison fab ones and wow those are pricey! My car isn't that nice . I will try and source a decent 2g manifold and heat shield because I like the idea of it looking stock and having the heat shield installed. For now I'm going to have to run this one so I'm going to make the best of it.

I would belt sand both flanges to make sure they’re flat. Maybe heat wrap the thing too.

That's not a bad idea. I was just reading that they run exceptionally hot and melt coolant fans. I think I'll do this for the time being while I source a decent 2g manifold and heat shield.