Performance Headers

[andy27168]

Hi,
Does sound nice bud, so what does that system consist of at the moment, you say you have no CATs, is that just lower ones or no CATs at all, have a middle box/resonator?

 

[DRBC43AMG]

Nice job PJ , raspy but reasonable . High revs will probably sound like a chain saw

 

[Pauljay]

Hi Guys

My exhaust at the moment doesn't have any cats at all! The long tube headers would eliminate the 1st cats if I had them. When the 'bullet' style ones are available in January I'm having two 200 cell sports ones installed in the centre where my resonator used to be.

DRB

It does sound too raspy on the video but sounds better in person. It clears its throat when the cams come in at 3000rpm, then it sounds like a 63 AMG. In the video forward to 52 seconds and listen. This is when the Schrick Cams come on song. It's only for 3 secs but that's the sound after 3000rpm.

 

[DRBC43AMG]

It does sound too raspy on the video but sounds better in person. It clears its throat when the cams come in at 3000rpm, then it sounds like a 63 AMG. In the video forward to 52 seconds and listen. This is when the Schrick Cams come on song. It's only for 3 secs but that's the sound after 3000rpm.

Ah ha, you installed Schrick cams? The ones available in their catalog for M113 engines? What approx power increase do they bring?
I know this company back from the early 70's in the European Formula Super VW championship. They built my engine. Did the whole championship with NO engine rebuild and 110% reliability

 

[Pauljay]

DRB

The Schrick cams give approx 20hp and move the power band further up the range. You do lose a little bottom end torque but you make it up once the cams are singing.

I need to do a dyno run which I'll do once the cats and tuning are done.

I've done a bit more to my engine to enhance all the other mods. I don't know how much each is supposed to give but together as a package they make a good difference.

My mods are:

N/A 55 AMG engine conversion (obviously)
Schrick cams
Custom cold air feed
Evosport underdrive pulleys (alternator, power steering and water pump)
AMS crank pulley (lightened)
EMP Performance long tube headers and full derestricted exhaust system
LPG conversion (for when I'm just crusing )

These were done a couple of years ago and so far 100% reliable!

 

[Pauljay]

Hey Andy,

You're keeping your car for a while, what's your plans for your engine?

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
I,m more than likely going to get a Renntec ECU and TCU upgrade with Carbon airbox, with some exhaust mods though exactly what I,m still undecided, Headers and de-catt (lower removed) are definite possibility though.
Anything else I think may have to be put on hold as I need to get some welding done underneath and a full restoration of the bodywork, I never planned to do the engine conversion before I had the car resprayed, but being offered the engine at the price I did I could,nt miss it.
Also I need to get my camber/castor bushes and a rear wheel bearing sorted.
I envisage getting it all done by this time next year all being well.
I notice you have an underdrive kit and cold air intake, whats that all about?
I have no intention on selling the car, and plan to keep it a good few years yet, specially now i have done the 55 conversion.
I would like to put a set of cams in the engine at some point, my ultimate goal would be for my car to be quicker to 60 than an E55K but wether this is realistic from a N/A engine i,m unsure, as to get any power out of these engines is just soooo expensive.
Do you know anyone else in the UK who has done this conversion? (430 to 55)

 

[Pauljay]

Hi Andy

Nice mods!

As we know it's expensive to mod our cars so I too plan on keeping mine also.

The Renntech mods are are so expensive, so when talking to some guys over seas they came up with their own fabrication of a cold air system. It consists of teflon coated aluminium tubing, 3in mated to the size of our MAF with mandrel bends (so as not to interupt the air flow). Air is taken from below, behind where the front fog lights sit from a dry air filter. This is how the CLK 320 does it, but I didn't have enough room because of my headlight cleaning system, so I've placed my filter infront of the hole where we already get ram air from. It does make a difference as the piping is able to carry more air. Pick up is better as well as torque.

The under drive pulleys help with top end power by under driving the auxillaries slightly. They are supposed to give around 8-10hp around 5000rpm. I don't know how good they work but when I fitted them with my previous headers the top end was greatly improved and the car pulled past the limiter with no drop off!

I have done a couple of searches and I think that we are the only 2 in the UK that have done the 55 conversion!

Being quicker to 60 than a 55k is possible. But you will have to change your diff. Lower gearing will also give you worse traction and fuel consumption too.

The way I see my car is as a GT. It is quick to 60mph, 5 secs or below, but where she really shines is above 70mph. It's a shame really because it's hard to use all that power below the speed limit. One good thing is on long journeys which I do regularly I get good miles per gallon for at 3000rpm in 5th I'm doing 98mph! I'm not even using the power because the cams haven't kicked in yet.

I'd love to get my car prestine, but since lowering it she's become a stone chip magnet! She looks like a track day car now, so I've left it and gone for the fast and not afraid to use her look.

 

[Pauljay]

Hi all,

I've got an album now as I have made my 30 post count!

 

[noogieman]

Hi all,

I've got an album now as I have made my 30 post count!

nice custom built Clk you've got now.

That company who manufactured your headers, do they have other headers in stock or do they manufacture them by order?

For future mods if I went with a 55 conversion on my C43, do I need to use my stock C43 headers?
Doesn't E55 headers fit in the C43 engine bay?
If not, then buying new stainless steel headers is the next upgrade on the 55 engine.
Can I use these EMP headers with the rest of my stock exhaust, any modding needed to refit the front o2 sensors?

This company do they have blueprints for SS headers fitment and size equivalent to stock C43 headers?
Do they have a website where I can check price for SS headers?

Do you hear a lot of ticking noise from the headers, heat is expanding the tubes after a hard run?
You hear a tick tick sound?

 

[Pauljay]

Hi Kowalski

Thanks for looking at my album!

EMP Performance build by order. I think since they did mine they kept measurements so they could replicate them.
Yes you can use C43 headers for your 55 conversion as all M113 V8 engines use the same manifolds.

On mods you will have to move the O2 sensors down and lengthen the wires. They did mine. Also the headers cut out the first O2 sensors if your car has 4.

I don't hear a ticking noises, but a rushing noise as if air is escaping, (if I have the window open) it's the sound of the gases mixing in the tubes.

The headers I have are far less restrictive than the 'log' style OEM headers. They really help in opening up the power, especially the top end!
They give a nice bass rich (with out droning) exhaust tone enhancing that V8 sound track.

 

[noogieman]

Hi Kowalski

Thanks for looking at my album!

EMP Performance build by order. I think since they did mine they kept measurements so they could replicate them.
Yes you can use C43 headers for your 55 conversion as all M113 V8 engines use the same manifolds.

On mods you will have to move the O2 sensors down and lengthen the wires. They did mine. Also the headers cut out the first O2 sensors if your car has 4.

I don't hear a ticking noises, but a rushing noise as if air is escaping, (if I have the window open) it's the sound of the gases mixing in the tubes.

The headers I have are far less restrictive than the 'log' style OEM headers. They really help in opening up the power, especially the top end!
They give a nice bass rich (with out droning) exhaust tone enhancing that V8 sound track.

sounds lovely when the V8 starts roaring!

I red somewhere that E55 original headers don't fit in the c43 engine room.
so when doing the engine swap, either I should use my stock headers or go for new SS headers but I don't know if CLK uses the same size tubes and restrictions as the c43 headers have?

When you had your SS headers custom made did you leave the 55 headers to be cloned in size to fit your new engine or did you leave your old CLK headers
to be cloned in size to fit the new engine?
Just to get the correct specs of size and free flowing with restrictions removed?

I have only 2 front o2 sensors on my C43 the rears are plugged.
Is it possible to rewire factory new o2 sensors to make them longer after the SS replacement?

Another question about your front calipers.
Did you have to cut the front swaybar ends and re-attach the brackets by welding them further in to make the caliper fit perfect?
When you steer to dead end right/left side do you notice any restrictions from calipers hitting your swaybar ends?
Some dude on the US forum cut his front swaybar and made it a little shorter on both ends and then rewelded the brackets for swaybar bushings further in on both his front Lower Control Arms when he put his 8 piston calipers on his c43.
This is an operation I don't wanna do if I need to cut and weld brackets, I already have brand new 4 pot C32 calipers at home, but 6 or 8 pot calipers are sexier on a AMG.

Your rims are 19 inch Brabus, are they ET 35 on fronts and rear?
Did your rims fit perfect with your new 8 pot calipers?
Does it matter if I use 18 or 19 inch rims for 8 pot calipers?

These are my rims 18 inch, all 4 have ET35

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
CLK55 and C43 exhaust manifolds are the same, can,t say regarding the E55 ones, if in doubt just use your 43 ones.

 

[noogieman]

Hi,
CLK55 and C43 exhaust manifolds are the same, can,t say regarding the E55 ones, if in doubt just use your 43 ones.

original c43 headers are brown and ugly after 10 years, I've heard they crack from rust?
mine are still good but for future they might go bad?

EMP should have them listed for a price?

 

[andy27168]

I have never heard of the manifolds cracking on a 113 engine, the manifolds on the 80k mile CLK55 engine and my 43 155k mile engine, were both perfect and in very good condition, i have never seen any of these manifolds badly corroded either.

 

[Pauljay]

Hi Kowalski

Andy is right, he recently did the conversion too!

E55 headers are the same, we all use the same engine, but use your own if unsure.

When my headers were made I left them my old AMS headers which they cut off and reused the flanges and built from there.

It is possible to have O2 sensors done, they just drill a hole in the tubing and lengthen the wires. My sensors are old (been on since new) so when my cats arrive I'm changing them.

The headers DO give a nice burble. Depending on what sound you want you can leave everything as standard or play with resontor removal or 200/300 cell cats. Normal is 400 (I think) 300 is supposed to remove any metalic sounds and smooth the tone at a cost of a few hp. I obviously went for the most hp gains (plus I don't mind the metalic/raspy noise).

About the calipers, I didn't cut the front sway bar. It doesn't bother me that I lose the last half of a turn on each steering lock. Normal/fast driving isn't upset and 3 point turns may need 4 sometimes.

I don't know what my ETs are but the calipers fit perfect. The wheels are Standard 5 bolt I think. Judging by your pic you're going to need 19in rims. The 8 pot calipers are HUGE! I read about a guy in the States who used his 18s but his wheel spokes were quite concave.

 

[noogieman]

I have never heard of the manifolds cracking on a 113 engine, the manifolds on the 80k mile CLK55 engine and my 43 155k mile engine, were both perfect and in very good condition, i have never seen any of these manifolds badly corroded either.

I meant on high mileage cars they can crack.
they are brownish from factory but they luuk ugly when they are looking corroded, mine are brown looks like burned rust

 

[Pauljay]

I meant on high mileage cars they can crack.
they are brownish from factory but they luuk ugly when they are looking corroded, mine are brown looks like burned rust

Get them cleaned then go from there. If they are Ok reuse them, they're tucked away so you won't see much of them anyway.

 

[noogieman]

Get them cleaned then go from there. If they are Ok reuse them, they're tucked away so you won't see much of them anyway.

by clean you mean sandblasting?

using AMS stuff?
I never heard any good stuff about this company's products?
there were a few guys on the US forum that used AMS crank pulley, but they weren't happy with these performance parts?
Parts looks good on picture but in the real world of AMG performance no goodlookin' pictures will help at all increasing HP in an AMG engine!

 

[DRBC43AMG]

QUOTE=kowalski;1120104]by clean you mean sandblasting?

using AMS stuff?
I never heard any good stuff about this company's products?
there were a few guys on the US forum that used AMS crank pulley, but they weren't happy with these performance parts?
Parts looks good on picture but in the real world of AMG performance no goodlookin' pictures will help at all increasing HP in an AMG engine![/QUOTE]

Hey Kowalski, you can get your headers ceramic coated. Check here: Zircotec high performance coatings, ceramic coatings, engine, automotive, motorsport, exhaust manifold and header coatings. Those people make TOP stuff That will avoid rust and keep them nice looking, but you probably have to lok closely under the bonnet of a W202 as space is very limited.