MX-3 BP-T Exhaust question

[Jovian2k]

Wondering if anyone with more experience with these platforms could answer this:

Have BP in My MX-3, when I did swap was great exhaust manifold bolted right to stock downpipe (3 bolt flange).

I am doing GTX manifold VJ20 swap and the VJ20 elbow has 4 bolt flange. I was told VJ14 elbow has 3 flange so I purchased one with goal of avoiding custom exhaust work. Now I was told the VJ14 elbow will not line up with the stock MX-3 down pipe...

Should I buy a 1.6 GTX downpipe would that work with the VJ14 elbow? Would it work to allow me to connect to my MX-3 cat? Should I keep VJ20 elbow and just take it to shop to fab a downpipe?

Trying to keep costs low and minimize custom work, any help appreciated!

[jay]

A stock 1.6 DP won't talk to the vj20 flange. Since it's also crap for flow, don't bother. A downpipe is just a flange and a section of mandrel tube. Not hardly the end of the world. Cheaper to have that made up so it fits than to cobble of castironmongery factory stuff and try and mixnmatch, I bet. Justify thehassle by knowing that a decent downpipe will bring full boost threshold down by prolly 1000 RPM. Match it on the other end by opening up the intake tract and have fun breaking transmissions!

[Jovian2k]

Yeah guess it would not be too much trouble to use VJ20 elbow and get a custom downpipe. Maybe at the same time get a magnaflow high flow cat and mate it all to my 2.25" Pacesetter cat-back.

[Rocketman]

When I did my BP+T swap I made my own downpipe. Used an oxy torch to cut a flange & welded it with a cheap wirefeed welder to a 2.5" mandrel bend.

I had very little into it at the end of the day, ask around and see what your friends can do for ya! Like I said before the stock VJ14 dump flows like crap, and the stock downpipe flows even worse. It chokes a 1.6T can't imagine how bad it would be on a 1.8T.

Here's a pic of what I came up with


The other end got a flex pipe & a flange for easy work in the future

[Jovian2k]

So I matched up VJ14 elbow during my turbo install just out of curiosity (had already changed my mind and planned to use VJ20 elbow with custom downpipe). VJ14 elbow is at slightly different angle and gets in way of intercooler pipe mating to turbo outlet. Although, I did discover that VJ14 elbow allowed stock b6 downpipe I had from my original 1.6 sohc setup to be used and does line up with existing piping. The flange from downpipe to catalytic converter is rotated though so would need some securing since bolts are way off.