vick performance exhaust

[manoa matt]

You need to cut approximatly 1 inch off the two header tubes, then loosely bolt it to the head but don't tighten it down. To slip the downpipes on the header tubes you may have to pry the tubes apart slightly with a flat screwdriver. Once they are engaged you can wiggle them up and persuade it with a rubber mallet. Now you can tighten the header flange to the head but don't tighten the downpipe connections yet. Now the exhaust pipe will be pointing towards the trans. You need to twist it towards the passenger side, or cut it shortly after the two pipes join into one then start going back from there. Tightening the downpipe to header connection is the last step.

[So Cal Mark]

you can't move the crossmember. The lower arms bolt to it and that would completely change the front end geometry

[psg]

I have done most of that to see what is happening but the initial problem is getting the header off of the cross member, everything else will be custom fit but moving the header a half inch to the rear is the problem to solve first then I can work my way back. psg

[manoa matt]

One option is to mount the header to the head and insert a length of pipe up in the tubes and pursuade them in the right direction.

[rodman]

One option is to mount the header to the head and insert a length of pipe up in the tubes and pursuade them in the right direction.

Maybe they should of had it built to fit our cars

[BEEK]

i have never installed a set of vic's headers, but i have installed many others. when i had my shop i only sold ansa, they fit right the first time, always. Having said that, there were some that had some clearance issues. i did learn that motor mounts and side to side shift was a great adjustment. the engine can be moved from side to side, if you notice the lower mounts in the crossmember are slotted. when moving the engine from side to side, you are actually raising and lowering the exhaust as well. as the mount pads are on an angle. it amazed me how much movement there is within this adjustment. im not saying that it will fix your problem, but look at that too..

[psg]

thanks for the info. Tomorrow will be the day to see what happens. psg

[psg]

It turns out these are sold to fit our cars but are used on various engine sizes which they say that plays into some of the fit problems. I learned a lot after talking with them.

It would have been helpful for them to publish the information on their website. I was told their are always standard trimming even thought these are "designed" to fit the car. So the quality looks good but this is something the owner will have to make fit which is a day long job of taking it off and on. psg

[narfire]

I was told their are always standard trimming even thought these are "designed" to fit the car. So the quality looks good but this is something the owner will have to make fit which is a day long job of taking it off and on. psg

Which is fine if you have the skill-set,time, patience and tools to do it. Not my cup of tea thank you.
Like Beek I have an Ansa on my car. Fit fine no issues or mods needed to be done for the actual fitting but did have a o2 bung installed.

[ORFORD2004]

I just order one for my 83... Will see

[davery]

Not to pile on, but I sort of had the same experience when I ordered a master cylinder from them. I ordered a MC for an 85, but was sent one for an earlier model. It had the smaller nipples and I could not attach my brake hoses coming from the reservoir. When I talked with them they just said it should fit. But it didn't. Why would have the ability to order a MC for an 85 and then send one from an earlier model? And to top it off, the pic on their website was one with the larger nipples. Thanks to Csaba, who sent me the correct nipples, I was able to get the car back on the road.

[psg]

Saturday got most everything the way it ought to be but it just wouldn't line up. The culprit was a bend in the down tube which angled towards the ground. I went to a muffler shop and we cut that bend out about 7 inches and he made a slip fitting that went over the end of the down tube and slipped into the middle section. it really made it go together a lot better. So it is running and it made a difference in the power. The car starts easier and accelerates much better, not a racer but respectable. It is far from the purr of a Jag and my wife said the car sounds like it went through puberty. Probably noiser than an old mans car should be.

So the moral of the story, buyer beware but it is doable and ultimately should serve this car for a long time... now Piston and Cams, another day. psg

[psg]

Just thought I would close the loop.
The exhaust is in place and make s noticeable difference with acceleration and noise. What I ended up doing is going to an exhaust shop ($20.00) and had him balloon a piece so it would slip onto the down pipe and then slip inside the center section. These were clamped in place and it allowed me to get the right distance and some flexibility to orient the pipe and the muffler where I wanted it.

So, end of the story, the pain has diminished the car runs much better, and now onto the intake cam. psg

[psg]

good grief, I put two ends on the story, forgot I had sent a previous post... now wonder mom ties my mittens onto my coat.

[divace73]

what type of exhaust did you have in the beggining?