Picked up my cylinder head back from the shop 🙂 Several years of carbon build-up now gone, I was more than happy to torque it down with a new gasket:
Having the opportunity to replace all the seals finally came. Over the past years I only upgraded the head with lighter internals and didn’t do much more. The overhaul was much needed given how much carbon build-up existed.
The block was cleaned up and the new gasket was prepared. Took the opportunity to install a thinner piece to increase the compression just slightly.
Eventually, everything was torqued down by hand – including the extra angles. From memory, I was referring to two torque specs: comparisons with the TRD manual and the owner’s manual.
My old, rusty EX manifold was quite leaky… it didn’t seal well around the flanges and was covered with holes. I had an FGK one prepared earlier and decided to mount it in.
This was a little challenging with all the accessories, but we got there in the end:
It was wrapped with several towels to handle all the knocking about. Its low weight helps with installing from the ground – its easier to manoeuvre compared to stock.
A new bracket to support the 4-1 configuration (OEM is 4-2-1) was supplied. The ring holds the pipes by the neck and offers enough clearance for any movement in the chassis. Bolt patterns are exactly the same as the original and installs in the same location on the transmission housing. At least for RHD models.
Next up was the exhaust muffler. Its bling puts me in a trance every time… The craftsmanship can really be appreciated in person:
I was happy to know that the rubber mounts were healthy and re-usable – the system all hangs from the same locations and provide the same level of freedom when moving about.
With the EX manifold and muffler in, the foundation for the remaining units were ready. The remaining was additional piping and a sports catalytic converter.
IAD 