or would I be better off P&P a set of stock exhaust headers.

Who might sell the equal length headers if they would be worth it? TDL used to I know, but who else now that they are gone?

I'm getting a bad feeling I'll be doing an exhaust overhaul soon... if my cat is indeed dead/dying.

Only thing that scares me is making it nasty loud, and having it resonate in the car. Does yours resonate at all Mance? on a scale of 1-10 how bad (10 being worst).

Thanks all!

as Loyd didn't make them but re-sold them for someone.

I have no resonance problems at all with my exhaust nor any harmonic issues. But my car is a bit louder than I would like at times. And there is that infernal 'burbling' on deceleration. When I'm alone it's not a problem. When there's a looker beside me it runs a little loud. But soon as she's out of the car it's fine again.

I know for a fact that he made the un-equal length ones (because I watched him do it). When I upgraded to the equal length ones on my car, I didn't think to ask but I guess it doesn't really matter.

I just presumed he wasn't that well-equipped. How did he chrome them while you were watching? Where was he getting the laser cut flange plates to weld them to once done?

People who build headers, equal or unequal length usually have some VERY serious CNC mandrel-bending equipment to make them. Otherwise they end up having the muffler shop "squish" at all the bends.

I'm not sure where the flanges came from, but he welded many small sections of pipe together to form the unequal length headers. He did not chrome the ones that I watched him do. They were installed in my car and subsequently removed whenever I upgraded to the equal length headers (which do have some sort of coating on them...I'm not sure what).

There was no CNC or mandrel-bending equipment that I saw, but I'm not sure where the "raw materials" came from.

look like they were fabricated out of pre-bent mandrels cut to fit.

I was quoted at least 8 hours of labor for the headers alone (provided they don't run into any problems). The Bentley seems to want you to remove the heads with the stock manifolds attached although I'm sure you can get them off with out removing the heads. Looks like its going to be a PITA, though.

<ul><li><a href="http://www.audi12v.com/mods/engine/headers.htm">Unequal length header pictures</a></li></ul>

It looks to me like these were created the same way the unequal length were...and I'd say that Lloyd most likely did these himself.<ul><li><a href="http://www.audi12v.com/TDLWIP/">Some equal length pictures...</a></li></ul>

I've never really crawled under my car to check it out, but I was pretty sure I would be able to get in there and pop that business apart with no problem... Things I'll have to take a look at the more serious I get about this.

correct?

I think that was my major mistake. I just put the resonator (like 6" dia "mid muffler" that you could practically see through) on my car without the mid muffler. It resonated like a MONSTER. my gf heard my a mile away (literally) and it resontated like crazy at 2200-2700 RPM (to the point it plugged my ears), which is the sweet spot I always ride the car in when cruising.

I just figured if I'd end up redoing the exhaust, why not go the whole 9 yards ya know? As you say: "if you're gonna be a dog, why be a chiwahwa (sp?)?" =P

You wouldn't by chance know of anyone that would make these would you?

did Lloyd kinda make them to fit? Or did he already have pre-cut pieces that he used to create the final product?

Just curious... also, I couldn't get your links to work for some reason... might be my work computer... I'll try em at home and let you know.

He tack-welded them to make sure they fit (mine may have been the first set they made???) and once he saw that they did, he finished the welding.

I don't think that he made any changes to them after the tack-weld, but there was so much going on at the time that I can't say that for sure.

I wouldn't mind trying to sucker one more set out of him. How much did those run again? Weren't they around $1k?

I have no idea, but if you aren't under any time pressures to get this done, he might be willing to make a set for you. I think the price was under $1000 for the unequal lengths, but honestly can't remember. Both times I bought the headers, I was having lots of other work done so pricing was a little different...whoever snatched the last set off of Ebay got them for MUCH cheaper (I think Mr. D?).

Don't forget, you'll need to have some new downpipes made for these to work (which probably means you'll want to do a custom exhaust too).

Scott

Let me know how it goes.

or at least point me to a resource where that info is available... I have my own theories in mind but I don't know if they're accurate. tia

check yah later

Well, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=equal+length+headers+benefits">here</a> anyways.

fifth one down or so, named "headers"

I have a garage with a lift down here and everything to get under the car... just don't have the car =P

I'll figure it out eventually, but I figured I'd do a lot better job researching this time than I did the lastt time... impulse buys are a killer!

That's why if I actually have to fix the cats I'm just gonna do the whole shabang (please no american idol puns... it's too much =P)

I'll try to contact him... who has the address to his ebay post for the TB he sold last? I unfortunately deleted his old one that I used to talk to him with.

Thanks guys!

or if he's unable/unwilling to continue there is someone out there with all the bends, lengths, radii, diameters, flanges and connectors loaded loaded into a mandrel bender that on ly needs to call it up and press the 'go' button.

Now if Loyd would be willing to share or get involved personally makes me no nevermind. But there's gonna come a time and soon when I'd like to have an equal-length system to pursue. Far easier I build/buy an equal length header setup with provision for my wide-band O2 sensors than R&amp;R my stock system to do it.

There "may" also be units available in europe. Anyone familiar with our 2.8 12V brethren and/or a 12v development forum in der fatherland?