Builds DRANGED's GX470 build/ownership thread (1 Viewer)

[Rednexus]

My DT LT's were tacked at the outside of the flange, just like yours. I don't recall any issues on the inside, but I didn't really go over every port with a fine-tooth comb either. DT is backordered on everything, so it's totally possible that QC might be dropping off a bit as they struggle to keep up with demand. It might be a good idea to lay one of the exhaust gaskets up against the header, see if any rough spots protrude, and file/grind them down if so.

Mine have been on for around 9 months now and still look great. The coating is still silver/shiny. I've ran the GX through a lot of creeks/water crossings and the hot headers have been quenched with cold Missouri creek water on dozens of occasions, too. I do recall reading threads about the air tubes being carbon steel on some headers. I'm not sure what mine are but I have not had any issues with them. The header metal itself is SS, and I would imagine you'll need to grind off the ceramic coating in the area where you are welding the cats on.

I also installed a slyfox SAIS delete prior to installing the headers, and then installed a block-off plate and removed the SAIS tubes between the headers and back of the engine during the install. I cut the SAIS pipe off of the flange, made the blockoff plate out of 1/8" aluminum flat stock, coated it with exhaust cement, and bolted on the cut-off flange. No leaks so far and it was easier than trying to bolt back up the SAIS pipes from the header to back of the engine.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

My flanges were tack welded on the outside and fully welded on the inside. The ports matched the gaskets pretty well. Enough so that I didn't feel the need to grind any material out of the ports. The welds in the ports we're not polished either, but they were ground smooth enough that no additional grinding was necessary.
I did notice the exhaust ports on the head were slightly more constricted than the gasket port, so maybe this engine is a decent candidate for a port and polish, but that's a lot of work I wasn't looking to get into.
I weld but I'm not a certified professional so I can't say if welding the cats to the headers would require any special prep work over the standard surface grinding. Call or email DT and ask - hopefully they'd be willing and able to answer that.

 

[DRANGED]

thanks both, that's good info. @Rednexus, those were internet photos, I don't have mine in hand nor any guesstimated production or delivery time. I called DT a week after ordering (on the order site its VERY clear they're not in stock with no expected production or fulfillment timeline and buyer accepts this and to call DT prior to ordering) for my due diligence. I said I know everything is backed up like a chronic opioid user's bowels and that i was calling cuz I said I would. The woman who answered the phone was nice and informative. I didn't think to ask about welds then, but seems like the tacks are how they do it. Other outside welds are full beads, but the insides are all fully weleded and some chamfered better than others. I see they come with gaskets but get OEM or @Rednexus has promoted these MLS elsewhere as OE equivalent (I'm all too familiar with FelPro MLS gaskets per Subaru land, so I'll save this PN for later)...

Thanks again gents. I'll update here as/when things progress. in the interim I may try the JB high heat option as the single stage exhaust paste goop i tried earlier was an utter flop.

 

[Rednexus]

I used Fel-Pro MLS head gaskets on my EJ25 Subie and they were pretty good, and IMO, better than the OEM revised MLS gaskets due to the blue coating on them. I sold my EJ25-powered Forester to my neighbor and it's still going good at 230k.

The Fel-Pro 2UZ exhaust gaskets are Japanese and I am 99% sure they are exactly the same and from the same factory as the OEM gaskets - they are identical - and half the cost!

Just FYI it might be months before you get your headers. I gave up on the ST's after 5 months of waiting and luckily snagged a set of LT's. I had ordered mine through Jason Burtmann and called him half a dozen times and kept getting a different story about when they were going to build some - which he said was coming directly from DT.

 

[DRANGED]

... considering space limitations, V-bands seem a better option than J-spec SS flanges.




Since they're ceramic coated, would there be any sense in wrapping them them? Would wrapping them make them impossible to mount, given tight tolerances and minimal nut head access?

 

[MoaByte]

That didn't crack at the weld. Heat and vibration made it fail. Why? I dunno

 

[DRANGED]

If this is unique to you (meaning others are not reporting the same crack), I’m wondering if the passenger side is stressing/stretching the elbow due to movement of the other sections being further apart from normal.

I agree that something could be out of alignment, but before the header would crack, I'd suspect the flex in the Y pipe to catback union would eat up whatever stress was being caused.

Also, the manifolds bolt to the Y pipe which feeds into one pipe so wouldn't it stand to reason that the stress would be shared between the manifolds?

To offer another theory, was the previous crack in the same place? If it was, it might be worth looking into what might cause a difference in exhaust gas temps to the exhaust port associated with the cracked area. Possible clogged injector?

That's me just thinking out loud...

Either way, with two cracked OE manifolds, I'd get myself a set of DT headers. Hang the two cracked manifolds on your garage walls as offerings to the Toyota gods and move on.

I have the DT long tubes. You don't get pre-cats with those obviously. You can reuse your factory Y pipe and retain your two downstream cats for emissions.

I originally bought the DT y pipe too, but zero cats provided a pretty gutless bottom end torque curve. I'm getting ready to cut up the DT y pipe and add in two high flow cats. We'll see how that turns out.

I've read the short headers retain the most factory-esque power delivery while offering a steady power bump. If I were to do it again, I think that's the route I'd go.

That didn't crack at the weld. Heat and vibration made it fail. Why? I dunno

Well, I suspect I found the culprit: failed $7 part

It's amazing though that the first exhaust hanger isolator on the passenger side isn't until after the x-fer case crossmember on the frame rail under the passenger seat, downstream of the Y-pipe confluence!
Driver side has a hanger post 1st cat flange @ the beginning of the Y-pipe, pre second cat. . .


Well, while late to discover and po$t another expensive repair and downtime 9sometime) it's a relief to identify this and I guess for now I'll try the JB high heat goop, but should consider the interim fix of pulling the mani and shoring it up with welding the crack and reinforcing the area with a bracing splint.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Well, I suspect I found the culprit: failed $7 part

View attachment 2887492

It's amazing though that the first exhaust hanger isolator on the passenger side isn't until after the x-fer case crossmember on the frame rail under the passenger seat, downstream of the Y-pipe confluence!
Driver side has a hanger post 1st cat flange @ the beginning of the Y-pipe, pre second cat. . .


Well, while late to discover and po$t another expensive repair and downtime 9sometime) it's a relief to identify this and I guess for now I'll try the JB high heat goop, but should consider the interim fix of pulling the mani and shoring it up with welding the crack and reinforcing the area with a bracing splint.

Great investigative work. I now feel the urge to go check my exhaust hanger isolators!

 

[Rednexus]

Since they're ceramic coated, would there be any sense in wrapping them them? Would wrapping them make them impossible to mount, given tight tolerances and minimal nut head access?

I think I remember reading that the warranty is voided if you wrap them. Header wrap can hold in water and make the headers rust out faster than otherwise, especially due to the retained heat. The ceramic coating on the DT's is very good - mine still look great despite the constant thermal quenching caused by constant creek crossings.

 

[DRANGED]

*Update*
So Saturday morning was a bit of a grey muggy one so the typical sunny hike was out and I figured I should just get into it. The plan was to take out the airbox and stuff in the engine bay, remove the heat shield to get a better view and access to glop the high temp JB Weld on it...


Removing the airbox is a snap and haggling with the heat shield while the car was on the ground was a chore. Here I had the torn exhaust hanger (problem child) removed to exacerbate the crack.

looking up from below (bottom is cat side, top is radiator side, left is inboard, right outboard

Then after lunch I broke-plan to get outside (the sun was peeking out some blue sky pockets) and go for a walk with friends by some nearby petroglyphs.

Chit-chatting with buddy had me reassess my plan. I should just do it once, do it right (motto #7) and commit to getting into it. After talking through the realization of the time and effort I'm going to spend half-assing it to glop some goop of an understood temp goop, I might as well just go for it, jack the car up, pull the thing out and weld it up on the bench, seal the crack (fixing noise and CO potential) and put it back in. Buddy offered to TIG it with some thin stainless he had around...plus I'd know what I'm getting into with the header install. There aren't any needed plans for the truck for a couple weeks so it could be down a few days if needed... (this was the thought moving into the afternoon).


So, I put in on stands, pull of the wheel and splash guards. LO there's some easy access right there!!!

some scotch bright, wire brushing, and brake cleaner, here's the assessment.
from top around looking in to bottom then looking out

Ugh, that's pretty bad. I'd say equal to the first failed manifold, nearly circumferentially cracked.

So now with the car on stands and wheel off reveling decent access, I figure, " hell I think I can get the nozzle in there well enough to tack it up w/o decommissioning the rig for days (till buddy can TIG the thing on the bench and I can reinstall it)...

First things first, I replaced the problem child, split hanger isolator which caused the added stress to the manifold.

. . . . .

 

[DRANGED]

Then with more wire brushing and brake cleaner to prep the surface I set the Eastwood for 18Ga as a starting point and zapped a couple tacks to test settings

brushed the tack to see what I had, adjusted a little more heat and wire feed, a few more tacks then connected the dots.

So I zapped it up tack by tack, opposites and resting to not heat to too much.

(psst, some tater vision so as not to disappoint
same round of views. Top down, side looking inboard from wheel well, down below and sort of below looking up and out.

It's certainly not as rad as buddy's TIG would've been but I think this'll be temporary enough (especially with the new exhaust hanger isolator) to see me through header delivery. Temporary-permanent enough at least.... I'll keep an eye, or rather an ear on it. Its really hard [for me] to get a good look all the way around (I don't have mirrors), I suppose I could've done a better job of 50% or so overlapping tacks and I think there are a couple tiny seams of crack not covered (particularly inboard along the weld from the cylinder port to the manifold collector tube), but I think this should be okay for a while...

Went on the hour drive to the mountains for sledding today. aaaah quiet again!!!!

 

[DRANGED]

Only cross threaded and sheared one heat shield bolt

And got the help of little hands for a couple

 

[DRANGED]

welds doing well... two 3 hour drives this weekend.

 

[DRANGED]

test-fit the OG rocket box

*EDIT*
Fits abreast the RR box too...

 

[mtwilly87]

test-fit the OG rocket box

View attachment 2904737Heck yea! Do you think you will come up with a different mounting solution for the box on the Rhino Rack? I have thought about a couple, but one involves drilling through the bottom of the box which I am not really wanting to do, or fab some sort of bracket over the top of the box which locks. Both of which are not near as fast as ratchet strapping the handles.

strapping down the handles.

 

[DRANGED]

@mtwilly87 there are two 1" pressed steel (90 deg, but not angle iron) plates shoring up the ends which are fitted to the platform via my unistrut camnut discovery. Then the handles are fitted with turnbuckles to the platform on RR eye hooks. I too thought about drilling holes and fitting with camnuts to the platform slots, but didn't want to compromise the dust seal.... But hard mounting that way would allow easier entry access. As this is I have to undo everything to get in as the handles are fitted to the top of the box clamshell, which is what makes fitting handles down good. double edged sword for sure...

Its hard to see the pressed plate. It's also clearanced so the bolt which holds it to the platform is an eye hook too, that's where the cam strap is fitted to hold the box down as backup the turnbuckles.

 

[DRANGED]

Been waiting for BFGs to show up in the Discount Tire sale emails.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/promotions/flash-sale?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220214+DTD+Flash110&utm_source=&utm_content=SEE+DETAILS

Finally! At least the $110 instant savings is something. That pretty much covers tax, so why not?


Here's the current report.
Current BFG AT/KO2s purchased from Tire Rack (no road hazard) warranty. 265x70 17 LRE x5 $1187. purchase date 6/2/2017.
Today's report (and still counting), 4 years 8 months, 63040 miles and 6/32 tread remaining. 5-tire rotation is KEY!!

pulled trigger for new set 265x70 17 LRE @ $251 ea, added DT certificates

Total shipped $1415.

Committing to 31.6" for the next 5ish years, larger won't fit in spare (as I still have no suspension lift, no bumper with swingout, etc.).

I considered Grabber ATX, as I've run the AT2 on my Subaru, love the rubber compound, compliant ride, quietness, and traction! BUT 2-ply sidewall...

the ATX however is a hybrid of the AT2 and the X3 (with 3-ply sidewall.

All-New General Tire Grabber A/T X | TireBuyer.com

The Grabber A/TX borrows the tread pattern and characteristics from the Grabber AT2, and the off-road focused, durable sidewall from the more extreme Grabber X3. The Grabber A/TX benefits from a road-friendly tire tread with a boost in durability and grip from the X3’s shoulder lugs.

www.tirebuyer.com

BUT, I still can't get over the awesomeness of the KO2!! Their marketing is one thing (note comparison @ 0:50 in video), their proven performance and longevity on the ground is undeniable!
I have some decent sidewall gashes and tears and have had ZERO issues with these. LOTS of highway miles and Moab trails for nearly 5 years.

A+++, 5-stars, highly recommended!

Used and taken care of, not quite babied.

 

[DRANGED]

Looking good.

Curious to hear your impressions after the bleeding.

I've heard a couple people complain of a mushy pedal after the 460 upgrade, suggesting the larger calipers and pistons require more fluid to move and the 470 master cylinder isn't as up to the task as the 460 counterpart is.

I suspect those folks possibly didn't have the vehicle running when bleeding the rears and therefore didn't get the lines open/cleared properly.

I just inspected my brakes yesterday and saw that it's time for replacement, so this is in my near future.

@ArBrnSnpr following up...
I don't notice any reduction or sponginess. I didn't actually get the rears bled, but I also didn't open the rears... so I'd agree maybe others didn't bleed the rear correctly.

To my the hydraulics are the same. The caliper is wider to account for the wider rotor, they're still 4-pot and I think they're otherwise the same, just wider gap to go around the 460 rotor.

 

[DRANGED]

taken on 2/6/22

 

[daklakfoto]

Been waiting for BFGs to show up in the Discount Tire sale emails.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/promotions/flash-sale?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220214+DTD+Flash110&utm_source=&utm_content=SEE+DETAILS

View attachment 2925376

Finally! At least the $110 instant savings is something. That pretty much covers tax, so why not?


Here's the current report.
Current BFG AT/KO2s purchased from Tire Rack (no road hazard) warranty. 265x70 17 LRE x5 $1187. purchase date 6/2/2017.
Today's report (and still counting), 4 years 8 months, 63040 miles and 6/32 tread remaining. 5-tire rotation is KEY!!

pulled trigger for new set 265x70 17 LRE @ $251 ea, added DT certificates View attachment 2925354

Total shipped $1415.

Committing to 31.6" for the next 5ish years, larger won't fit in spare (as I still have no suspension lift, no bumper with swingout, etc.).
View attachment 2925372

I considered Grabber ATX, as I've run the AT2 on my Subaru, love the rubber compound, compliant ride, quietness, and traction! BUT 2-ply sidewall...

the ATX however is a hybrid of the AT2 and the X3 (with 3-ply sidewall.

All-New General Tire Grabber A/T X | TireBuyer.com

The Grabber A/TX borrows the tread pattern and characteristics from the Grabber AT2, and the off-road focused, durable sidewall from the more extreme Grabber X3. The Grabber A/TX benefits from a road-friendly tire tread with a boost in durability and grip from the X3’s shoulder lugs.

www.tirebuyer.com

BUT, I still can't get over the awesomeness of the KO2!! Their marketing is one thing (note comparison @ 0:50 in video), their proven performance and longevity on the ground is undeniable!
I have some decent sidewall gashes and tears and have had ZERO issues with these. LOTS of highway miles and Moab trails for nearly 5 years.

A+++, 5-stars, highly recommended!
View attachment 2925404View attachment 2925400​

Used and taken care of, not quite babied.

I like BFG but after trying out Wildpeaks and now on Kenda, I have no regret. I do know BFG is good, but got bad experience with it on rain (paved road) and noisy when it wears at 1/2 tread...