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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - 1275 S/S LCB Exhaust manifold. Best/cheapest?
I'm in the market for a new Stainless LCB for my 1275 Sprite. Does anyone know if thus company? Specialist Components of Norfolk. http://twinkam.co.uk/epages/191f6b26-60bf-483c-b021-755a0c9099c1.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/191f6b26-60bf-483c-b021-755a0c9099c1/Categories They are selling a S/S LCB for £115 inc Vat, Plus delivery. http://twinkam.co.uk/epages/191f6b26-60bf-483c-b021-755a0c9099c1.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/191f6b26-60bf-483c-b021-755a0c9099c1/Categories/Stainless_Exhaust_Manifolds Does anyone know if this good, or of a better one for a sensible price? |
Lawrence Slater |
It looks quite nice Lawrence but the three holes are out of alignment even on their publicity shot They might simply pop onto the studs without any huge struggles But my Peco mild steel manifold took huge amounts of leverage to get it to fit (them to fit, I've worn out two in the time Lara has been on the road) and always caused thread damage in the process I have a manifold from Ashley Exhausts on the car now which is nice but non stainless, that was about £130 if my memory is on track today (the PECO was rubbish in just about every way except it flowed gases very nicely, both cracked on the centre branch in bad places to get the welder in) I suspect the gas flow isnt quite as good on mine, when I've sorted the head I hope to get an opinion from our own expert |
Bill sdgpM |
Looks good at that price. Cheaper than some mild steel ones. My only worries would be that some stainless these days doesn't seem very stainless and how prone are they to cracking. Stainless is more susceptible to cracking than mild steel so I'd definitely make sure it is braced to the engine/gearbox. |
john payne |
I seem to remember someone on here (possibly Peter?) saying they had seen localised hotspots on the head when using stainless. Trev |
Trevor Mason |
You are correct Trevor I am not a fan of stainless ex manifolds. I prefer mild steel but sometimes it may be better to buy the stainless: price better or performance better because of design? Peter |
Peter Burgess Tuning |
Can't comment on the item in question but would add the following:- Don't by PECO - rubbish - won't fit without a lot of faffing. Kim Dear @ Magic midget sells Maniflow bits - I, and I believe others here, recommend. Any particular reason you want stainless? Simon |
Simon Wood |
Personally, I wouldn't fit anything other than Maniflow. |
Dave O'Neill 2 |
I fitted the one sold by Moss and have no issues whatsoever. Fitted perfectly first time and seems to flow better than my old PECO LCB. |
graeme jackson |
Why Stainless? Looks better than rust, and because it's cheaper than the mild steel ones I've seen. But if s/s causes local heat problems and can damage the head in some way, then it doesn't sound too good. I'll eamil them and ask about the hole alignment, and hot spots and if they are aware of cracking issues. I'll also ask on the mini forums, as they claim fame for making good mini stuff too. Cheers chaps. |
Lawrence Slater |
this is 'why stainless'....
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graeme jackson |
Lawrence, IME a stainless exhaust will look just as manky as a mild steel one after a few years, especially where it gets hot (manifold). It won't stay all shiny unless you choose to polish it regularly! Simon |
Simon Wood |
I am a long time Maniflow man on both my Sprites. The manifolds do not have to look manky with age just give them a repaint with BBQ paint every now and then. Alan |
Alan Anstead |
Lawerwnce... they make some ground breaking cermic heat resistant powder coatings... I wish I had taken the great advice i was givin and had the inside of the maniflod ceramic coated... it would make a huge differsnce in several areas Prop |
Prop and the Blackhole Midget |
CHEAP. My primary concern isn't how it looks. It's if it's good, and cheap. This one is cheaper than mild steel, and if it's good, I'm interested. But if the suggestion that it may damage the head in some way because of hot spots, then I'll stick to the cheapest but best mild steel job. Having said all that, yours looks the biz graeme. :). Moss: Manifold, exhaust, extractor, stainless steel, 1 piece £203.00. http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/manifold-exhaust-extractor-stainless-steel-1-piece-tmg10862.html That's twice the price of the one I've found. Is it twice as good? Specialist Components say theirs is ---- : Mandrel bent (no reduction in cross-sectional area) thin wall tubes - lightweight and no restrictions. T304 stainless - TIG welded, check the weld quality out in the pictures! Formed ends at the manifold face for maximum flow and effeciency - this is the only manifold with this attention to detail! 35mm OD outers, 38mm OD centre branch 42mm OD tailpipe using 1.2mm wall thickness throughout. What Spec is Moss's S/S manifold? I can't find it on the website. |
Lawrence Slater |
Lawerwnce That sounds like more machine crafted then human handed... Im not sure if thats a good china mass production thing or a bad irishmans monday morning 6 am project Prop |
Prop and the Blackhole Midget |
Lawrence Did you ask them why the flanges don't line up? |
Dave O'Neill 2 |
Not yet Dave. Been busy with the Capri. But will bell them on Monday. |
Lawrence Slater |
Decided on a resurrection rather than mix it in my misfire thread. Is this a maniflow manifold? Or 'style'? Albeit with the end missing (rusted and blasted) off the collector. |
anamnesis |
This is my 1275 Maniflow. It has the Maniflow name tag on it. The first one I had many years ago didn't have a name tag. You may also notice where I cut and shortened both down pipes as the horizontal end piece was way too low. Actually I don't think they are very good. Their design and shape may be good for air flow but I don't think much of the manufacturing quality these days. My first one lasted 20+ years and over 100k. This one at about 5 years and very low mileage is pin holing already! |
GuyW |
"Is this a maniflow manifold? Or 'style'?" It looks very much like one. What's happened in the intervening 8½ years? |
Dave O'Neill 2 |
I welded the collector end as a temp' measure and got on with farting about with the Capri I had Dave. Yep, somehow it lasted over 8 years; until today when it blew completely apart as I drove into thr garage. Lol.
I could probably weld a snout back on the end of the collector. But as with Guy's, I also found 'pinholes', which when investigated, got a bit bigger. I want the same maniflow pattern as it fits well. But that's not good news Guy. If not maniflow for quality, then what brand? I wonder if it might help to fit a shield in front of the curved sections of the downpipes where they're exposed to being blasted just where they emerge under the chassis. |
anamnesis |
When you see the price of a new Maniflow, you might want to get your welder out. 😀 |
Dave O'Neill 2 |
You might be right there. Over 300 quid. I shoulda bought a new one 8 years ago then when I coulda bought that s/s jobby from Specialist Components of Norfolk. I'd better buy some more gas and fire up the mig. 🤣 |
anamnesis |
Looking at your manifold Guy, am I right that the pinholes are in my red circle? If so, and only 5 years, that's really bad quality. But maniflow is all that comes up when I search. They seem to be the only manufacturer. All the suppliers only stock maniflow. |
anamnesis |
I had my Maniflow ceramic coated, not cheap, but cheaper than a new manifold. Its 10 years old now and still in good condition |
Bob Beaumont |
Dunno if this helps (screenshot).
I'm pretty sure "clamp type" refers to 1500s which have those sillyarse bridge-piece clamps between the inlet and exhaust manifolds. But bolt-on type must be A series. Andy seems to have a very basic pricing policy where all examples of whatever it is are priced the same, regardless of variations. You might be lucky and find an LCB. There are enough of them around. Moss are listing new maniflows on their eBay shop for 300 quid a pop, but the quality issue Guy mentioned is a worry. |
Greybeard |
Thanks Grey. Unfortunately he only has an lcb to fit am mgb. Bob, does the ceramic have to be done when new, or can it be done later? I need to get back on the road. I'm going to ring maniflow and ask about their quality, before I buy. |
anamnesis |
Anam, the pinholes, just starting, are just below the Y branch of the outer 2 pipes. Marks within your circle below that aren't holes. Not yet anyway.
The join where I shortened the pipe is just above the holes so although the holes are not at the join, welding a little above it may have something to do with it. Even so, the manifold overall is not in good condition. It was bought new in 2018, but not fitted for 12 months. And car use has been very much reduced since then. There is a longish discussion I started in 2019 about shortening this manifold, which also drifts a bit randomly about such matters. I will resurrect it as I dont know how to link directly to it from here. |
GuyW |
Less than 5 years, not too much use, and as bad as that already Guy? I take it you haven't belled them and quizzed maniflow on quality. Before I buy, I may just do that. Now I'll comment on your alteration thread. It's interesting. |
anamnesis |
I said my previous Maniflo lasted 20+ years. But I note in that other thread I said 15. Either way perfectly acceptable and pretty good as my mileage then was very much higher. About 60k. |
GuyW |
My Frontline K manifold lasted only 3 years after heatwrapping it... It cracked where my Peco 1500 ones also cracked and worst of all was that the metall was pealing, outerlayer of metall was letting loose... Replaced it in 2009 with a stainlessteel manifold madee here in Holland and never heat wrapped it and its still in fine condition. |
A de Best |
Just had a stqb at patching my manifold. But it's tissue thin over most of the curved sections that tuen under the chassis. Just blows holes on even the lowest mig settings. No choice. Crap or not, it'll have to be a maniflow for circa 300 quid. |
anamnesis |
Patch over the thin part with a shaped plate Anam? That's a nice looking manifold Arie. My other grumble about mild steel ones is they always look pretty rough - other than just for the first outing after painting with a 'heat proof' paint! |
GuyW |
Yep I tried Guy. So big an area is tissue thin, I'd effectively have to patch the entire curve. I may try again in the future. But right now, I just want it mobile again, and I'm off on hol's in a week or so; not got anymore time to ar*e about.
So the deed is done. Bought direct from maniflow, £275.94 all in price. Lucky for me they had one in stock. An LM031. I'm going to investigate shielding the curves from the road blasting they get. Above the chassis rails, not exposed to the road grit/crap blasting, it's still all good solid metal. Hence I think even a crude shield will solve the problem. |
anamnesis |
Anam No you can coat it afterwards but it will need sandblasting to remove corrosion and leave a clean surface. The coating also goes inside the manifold and tends to help keep radiated heat down and reduce the chances of vapour lock. |
Bob Beaumont |
Hold the phone....! Oh, too late:( |
Greybeard |
That version also addresses the problem of installing the lcb manifold with the engine in position which can be awkward, if not impossible. Installing in 2 halves ( as for Aries) gets around the clearance problems |
GuyW |
Ha! How come that didn't come up in my searches on ebay? Looks pretty good. Obviously they've tested it, but those springs must be strong to ensure a gas tight seal, and keep it rigid. Academic for me now though, but it'll be interesting when someone here buys one and reports on it here. Guy? |
anamnesis |
Exhaust joints held by springs are pretty common on modern cars. I guess a slight flex there probably also puts less strain on mountings. |
GuyW |
Are you going to replace yours Guy? Would you buy that one? |
anamnesis |
Probably not at this stage. I will try welding up those pin holes. Not as bad as yours and not in such a vulnerable place. |
GuyW |
Well you can't knock maniflow for efficiency in delivery.
Ordered yesterday around 2pm. Got it today at 1pm. And it looks very well made. Good/same thickness of tubing. It transpires mine was their older design, with the downpipes being merged together into a single pipe. They can still make that to request, but a week or more notice required. I didn't want to wait, and was assured same fitment positioning to existing main pipe. -- which of course also means my existing bent pipe is still correct. Lol. The current version, like yours Guy, has the separator collector. Hopefully it will last a lot longer than 5 years. |
anamnesis |
It's a good fit too. And I think it sits better underneath. It looks as if I may even have to straighten my system and remove the bend I put to compensate for the previous 'sloping' manifold.
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anamnesis |
I'm looking at that on a pretty low-res screen so the images are fuzzy, and even more so when I zoom.
But... Is that residual slag on the welds? If so I'd be inclined to give them all a good tapping with a pointy thing and clean them up. Weld slag will absorb moisture and becomes corrosive, which rots out the welds. That's the reason exhaust pipes often typically rot and split in a straight line. They're welded by a robot and nobody bothers cleaning off the slag. On the other hand, I may be totally wrong and there's nothing wrong with them. As you say, very quick service. By the way, I talked with an exhaust fitter this afternoon who reckons the problem is made worse by modern fuels, because the ethanol absorbs moisture from the atmosphere which is then blown into the "chimney" where it condenses when things cool down. There it combines with hydrocarbon residues and forms corrosive compounds and rots the chimney from the inside too. Must admit I hadn't thought about that before. Nasty stuff, ethanol. Except in gin of course! |
Greybeard |
That made me go to the garage, drop the manifold (only on with 2 loose nuts) and have a look/tap Grey. Happy to report no slag and nice welds. 🙂. The evil eth. 😅 |
anamnesis |
Years ago I sprayed the manifold on my previous Midget when new with Sperex - needed heating with a propane torch to initially cure it before starting up - it worked well and lasted a long time. The stuff I sprayed on my current manifold has basically fallen off and not much use. |
richard b |
I sent mine away to a ceramic coating specialist and its still in good condition. Not cheap though as I said before!! |
Bob Beaumont |
Above the chassis rail, it's not blasted by crap and muck from the road, hence only surface rust. It's below the chassis where it's exposed, and gets grit blasted on the forward face of the tubes, that needs protection. Not sure any paint would help for long. Physical protection I'm thinking. A metal shield. I'd weld something on, but not for a year, just in case any waranty issue comes up, like a craked weld. So I'll experiment with a bit of sheet metal and jubilee clips. |
anamnesis |
This thread was discussed between 06/01/2016 and 19/09/2024
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