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.

Is there any downside to welding these things together? My downpipe is like this too, and its not on the car yet so now is as good a time as any to do that...

PROS: Doesn't leak. Doesn't come apart.

CONS: Pain in the fucking ass to take out depending on your turbo and downpipe size.

DO NOT WELD IT BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT THE FIRST TIME. Otherwise no guarantee that it will fit at all. Install it, get the exhaust installed and seated where you want it, then have someone put a tack weld on it. Remove-> Weld the rest of it-> GLORY.

3" on a 2560.
Definitely plan to weld it at some point. It seems like a very irritating failure.

haha, call it what you want, but this is what happened:
Attachment 189764

And I'm not sure that would be the simplest and cheapest method. Welding it was pretty much free, and I didn't have to run to the store :)
I can also cut the nuts off the pipe, and gain that much more clearance.

Do you have a hoist or are willing to remove the hotside to take the dp off?

I only have a floor jack so I found a better fastener and have had no problems for over a year, 10000mi with some track time.

See post 11 for diagram.

For those of you that still have the bolt/nut combo, and are having problems with the nut coming loose, you could just tack the bolt to the nut (so it can't back out). That way, if you ever need to take the thing apart again, you just cut the stupid bolt and take the 2 halves out. Replace it with new hardware after that, and you should be good to go.
I kinda wish I thought of that before welding the 2 downpipe sections together... oh well, they are just tacks.

Bringing back somewhat dead thread.

Has anyone successfully removed the DP as one unit from the bottom without taking the turbo off? The DP fit on another car, and pulled out as one unit from the top. I really want to weld this thing, I don't want to fight this issue if I don't have to. I'd do it myself but its not on the car yet.

Was thinking of doing what someone else on here did, coat hanger through the loop.

I was able to fish that thing in/out through the top many times. It takes a few tries to figure out how you have to turn it to accomplish it, but its possible and relatively quick once you get it figured out.

This was with a 1.6 though. YMMV of course. I did the coat hanger method and it lasted a long time like that before I took it apart to sell the setup. Many autocrosses and a track day if memory serves me correctly.

Getting it from the top was pretty simple with the turbo out of the way, but I didn't try to get it from the bottom which is what I would rather do.

Errr, may weld it. I don't see myself dropping the downpipe THAT often*
*now that I said that, I'm going to have to remove it a billion times.

Just give it a few quick tack welds. It doesn't have to be a full 360* weld.
BTW, I JUST got my downpipe bolt a week ago. BEGi- Home of the incredibly slow parts delivery... and they are OK with that.

Yea, unless it leaks from the slip joint.

Yeah, well if you think about it, its not sealed there anyway even with the bolt. I just shoved a jack under my back half and jacked the pipe up until it was well compressed (mocked using the bolt basically) and gave it 3 or 4 healthy tacks. Mine doesn't leak.:dunno:

Another vouch for the rusty coat hanger. The evidence burned off in a few thousand miles. Lasted longer than my engine.

Metal zip ties failed.

Put TWO coathangers in. WORKS.

So fucking stupid.

If it makes any difference now, mine is held together by the metal zip tie solution as that bolt location makes no logical sense. It seems to like the metal zips.

My 2.75" on a 2554 is welded. No problem taking out from above.