BEGI downpipe bolt loop
 

I'm assuming I'm not the only one that had problems with this thing, interested to see what others have come up with as a solution. My BEGI downpipe comes in 2 sections that slip together. The top and bottom half both have a little loop on them so you can put a bolt through the loop and tighten to hold the pipe together. The trouble I've had is that once the bolt goes in place there is absolutely no way to turn either the bolt or the nut to tighten it.

I've done the ole "put the bolt through and smash it with a hammer until it's bent over enough to hold everything in place" method and I'm currently using a spring to hold it together but I inevitably end up getting a nasty rattle. Has anyone come up with a good solution that can actually be torqued down and held in place?

I found that with a small ass deep socket and an open ended wrench I could get them to tighten down. It was just a long and slow process to get it tight.

I have a similar begi downpipe.

I bought some metal zip tie straps from home depot and looped three in there. It has held nicely so far. I think that they are in the electrical department with the zip ties. If you go to lowes, they are in the um zip tie section.

These are them:

The shit on this page:

http://www.nelcoproducts.com/shoppin...+%28150+lb.%29

FWIW I have tried several combinations of long nuts with double nuttage on both sides etc etc and they all eventually fell off, causing my downpipe and EWG pipe to unslip, causing me much sorrow.

I do not think these metal zip ties will fail.

I have been hearing mine start rattling around, Despite my best attempts at tightening the son of a bitch. I really like that ziptie idea, I was thinking spring before. Or a rusty coat hanger. It would be a good way to dispose of the evidence....

Nice, I knew someone would have figured out an easy solution. Sounds like the ziptie is going to be the winner. I found out that you definitely want something in there, even if it does rattle, because when the downpipe falls apart it makes for much loudness.

My easy cheap solution: Threaded stainless rod, (probably could use chrome mild rod) single nut on each end and safety wire. This is the only thing that has held up for me and it's doing way better than my turbo to mani studs :vash:.

I was having the dp (SS-SGDP) contact the front sub frame brace and vibrate harshly in hard right's so I flipped it forward and now only get it if I'm really turning hard, there is 1.5-2" clearance at rest.

BTW This does not rattle only the vibration contact in hard track driving.

Got a pic of how you safety wired it?

My Begi downpipe used to rattle and leak too. After searching here I cut the useless bolt off and used the solution of using an exhaust u clamp to keep it together. It worked like a charm and I haven't had issues for months.

Mine is welded together.

No pic but it's simple; Threaded rod through the loops with a nut on the outside of each loop. Tighten them down and drill a hole through the nut and rod then wire through and twist it to it's self like a twist tie, repeat for the second nut. The only difficult part is figuring out where the hole needs to be as I couldn't drill the hole with the parts installed.

This was a < $10 fix for a really long running problem with these pipes, I can't be the only one doing it.

EDIT, MSpaint example of the better cross bolt below

Oh, ok, makes sense! I see that safety wire can be all sorts of useful.

Real race exhausts are double slips with two springs. This is how my AF downpipe is done, and this is likely how we'll do the TSE downpipes.

The what now? Go on...

Are you saying TSE might be selling kits soon?

:giggle:


I want to get much further down the R&D road before I say too much more, but the short answer is yes.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I actually sheared my rod while tightening it last night. Emailed BEGi with no response, so I'm taking matters into my own hands.

Why they put those 2 stupid nuts in the area with the LEAST amount of clearance is beyond me.
Anyway- to answer the OP's question- I ended up jacking the exhaust up in order to get a deep socket on there. Then the bolt snapped, so tonight I loosened the exhaust at the mid pipe, jammed the 2 DP sections together, put a jack under it to both hold it there and hold it up, and tack-welded it together. I'm waiting to see what Bell says before I cut those stupid nuts off.

[QUOTE=papasmurf2k3;714031]but I actually sheared my rod[QUOTE]

:inout:

I've had to put my downpipe on and off liek 5 times this year. The last time I did it, my metal zip tie method failed.

I am now using some piece of bullshit aluminum fat wire and a coat hanger. Fuck this shit.

Not to get ---- on you, but you didn't shear it.

Try Fae's metal zip tie method, seems like the simplest and cheapest option to me, and as far as I know it's still working. Fae?

Edit: whoops. Serves me right for not reading the above.