TR4/4A Stainless Steel exhaust on a TR4A

[Carlos]

I am looking to replace the one-muffler exhaust on my 67 TR4A. What fitting issues are there with the Falcon system?

Should I look for some other brand instead?

 

[Rusticus]

Carlos, which Falcon system are you replacing your current with? The TR4A single, the TR4A dual, or one of the TR6 systems?

 

[Guest]

Carlos,
The Falcon stainless steel system in the stock configuration
is a good choice and should present no particular fitting problems.
The only time you will run into any difficulties in installing a Falcon system is when you try and change over to a dual system, where clearance for the mufflers is always an issue. A friend has a really nicely restored TR4A that he fitted with the Falcon system in the stock configuration and he is tickled pink.
It will be the last exhaust system you should ever have to install.



Bill

 

[Tomster]

Carlos, what are you doing with your exhaust manifold?

 

[Carlos]

I am replacing a single-muffler system with a single-muffler system. If there are no fitting problems, I'll do the work myself.

There is an outfit called Engel Imports at https://www.engelimports.com/ who sells on ebay as britishpartsplace who has a system for $330 plus shipping. They require 6-8 weeks to import the system from England, and don't know what brand it is. I have asked for his shipping cost.

Anyone have experience with this seller?

 

[Carlos]

I'm keeping the stock manifold. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

 

[Alan_Myers]

Hi Carlos,

I installed the Falcon "Sport" system and header on my TR4. Not the same setup you are asking about, but perhaps I can give you some general feedback.

Overall I found all the pieces to be pretty well made and easy to fit (the body was off the frame at the time, which *really* makes fitting easy!). The Falcon "Sport" system was designed to use all the stock hanging methods on the car and fitted up well to those. I would be pretty certain the same would be true of a stock-style system.

My only clearance issue has to do with the fully boxed frame on my TR4, and isn't the fault of the exhaust system. The mods to the frame make for a very tight fit right at the collector, next to the gearbox. Next time the body is off the frame, I'll likely make some minor changes to better accomodate the exhaust system. Those will be either changes to the frame or installing a flex-pipe in the exhaust (which is a good idea anyway), or both.

My only relatively minor gripe about the Falcon "Sport" stainless steel exhaust is that the pipes aren't mandrel bent (all the header primaries are). So, there is a bit of "crushing" on the inside curve at the bends. I would prefer mandrel bends throughout.

The car is not back on the road yet, so I can't report how I like the performance and sound of the system.

Before committing to a ready-made kit like this again, I'd seriously consider working with a local exhaust fabricator. That would give me a lot more control over the exact specification of the system and I don't think the cost would be much different. It might be well worth your looking into this and getting a quote locally, particularly since you aren't planning any modifications. A good, local muffler shop that can handle stainless steel could simply use your old system as a guide to fabricate a new setup.

A couple suggestions:

You might want to consider going just slightly larger on the piping, say to 2" or 2.125" inside diameter. The stock pipes (ID 1.75" or 1.875" if I recall correctly) are a bit restrictive and this minor change can give a nice bump in performance even with the stock manifold (which is really pretty good on the 4A).

Finally, careful port matching between the manifold and the head is a good idea, too, and would only involve internal changes that keep the car's stock appearance. This includes checking that the replacement gaskets match up well.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif