CM intercooler piping kit = failure

  • vagabond
    vagabond
    Senior Member
    • 3455

    #16
    After seeing the DP flange, I decided to get MSA catback kit. Not seeing too much good work from CM.
  • OK85ZX
    OK85ZX
    Senior Member
    • 1690

    #17
    NYZDude wrote:

    Were any pictures posted somewhere? I'm curious to see how he got it to fit with maxima fans, because there was no way mine was going to fit. It must have been with a stock turbo and a smaller intercooler. With my intercooler the pipes would have gone right over the shroud of the driver's side fan, and therefore impossible to fit under the crossbar. I tried.

    When I bought the kit, CM told me they had sold about a half-dozen of the newly available kits and haven't heard of any problems, I wish I could see some pictures of those setups. If it puzzles you why someone would complain after spending hundreds of dollars on something that doesn't fit after seeing pictures of one that fit, and being told that it fit, I don't know what else to tell you.
    Stock turbo, standard spearco wedge that everyone uses. There are pictures somewhere, I just don't recall where at the moment. The puzzling part is taking a businesses word on your hundreds of dollars after the majority of his customers who are a part of our community and have spoken out about their product, have talked about it negatively. It's kind of like buying something from an ebay seller who has all negative feedback just because you called them and they said their product is fine!

    Secondly, as was mentioned before… a premade kit for an application that could have alot of different configurations is generally a bad idea if you expect it to be completely drop in. Different turbos, different IC's, different mounting points, different motor mounts, different air filters, different e-fans, etc etc etc.
    1985 NA2T(now RB) * 1988 SS x2 * 1984 AE x3 * 2006 350Z
  • Fuzzcheek1
    Fuzzcheek1
    Member
    • 50

    #18
    I just got the 3" turbo back exhaust from them this week. Wish I had seen this thread earlier. I'll see how it goes and post an update when I get a chance to work on it.
    86' Turbo GLL
  • michaelp
    michaelp
    Senior Member
    • 9384

    #19
    Fuzzcheek1 wrote: I just got the 3" turbo back exhaust from them this week. Wish I had seen this thread earlier. I'll see how it goes and post an update when I get a chance to work on it.
    Their exhausts are awesome…
    - VG30DET (HE341) 86 300ZX - 1982 280ZX Turbo - Headered NA 1986 300ZX 2+2 - 2000 Xterra -
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    Guest

    #20
    im not gonna pay 4-500+ for an exhaust system when i can get a turbo back 3 inch made for 250 or less at any exhaust shop. i paid 120 for 2.5 inch cat back with a cat delete pipe at a place down the street from my house. it had more power to. he told me 250 at most for turbo back with satans manifold and an hx35.
  • NYZDude
    NYZDude
    Senior Member
    • 257

    #21
    OK85ZX wrote: The puzzling part is taking a businesses word on your hundreds of dollars after the majority of his customers who are a part of our community and have spoken out about their product, have talked about it negatively. It's kind of like buying something from an ebay seller who has all negative feedback just because you called them and they said their product is fine!
    But they're the only business that makes stuff like this, so there's no choice but to go to them. I went to a few so-called performance shop in NYC to see if they could make the pipes for me, but once they saw the car they said no.

    The only problem SHOULD have been the intake pipe into the turbo, since I have an aftermarket turbo. I could have lived with using the flexible hose for awhile. They said use an E-fan; the Maxima one didn't work, but I was willing to buy a smaller one that would accomodate the pipes. The last straw was the intercooler, which is another non-trivial item price-wise. I used the one they asked me to use (wedge type, same size as the Spearco 221), and it still didn't fit right.

    CM has great products, especially for folks like me who cannot/can't be bothered to fab their own stuff, but I think their quality control with respect to their Z31 items is not to par.

    EDIT: I just received my poly motor mounts in mail (thanks Jason, as always) so I'll try and re-visit this hunk of aluminum and see.
    1987 Turbo (Ex-NA).

    My Z31 Videos
  • OK85ZX
    OK85ZX
    Senior Member
    • 1690

    #22
    300cars wrote: im not gonna pay 4-500+ for an exhaust system when i can get a turbo back 3 inch made for 250 or less at any exhaust shop. i paid 120 for 2.5 inch cat back with a cat delete pipe at a place down the street from my house. it had more power to. he told me 250 at most for turbo back with satans manifold and an hx35.

    Please don't compare mandrel bent prices to crush bent prices. We all know you can get exhaust for cheaper crush bent.
    1985 NA2T(now RB) * 1988 SS x2 * 1984 AE x3 * 2006 350Z
  • 85NA2T
    85NA2T
    Senior Member
    • 1111

    #23
    Um yea i just got a full 2.5 inch header back duels on my camaro for 250 and it was MANDREL bent piping.So that is not unreasonable.
    "If your car cant do a burnout from a 60mph rolling start, then your engine needs more work."

    "Nitrous doesn't blow up motors; Idiots with nitrous blow up motors."

    Shooting for 500whp
  • michaelp
    michaelp
    Senior Member
    • 9384

    #24
    85NA2T wrote: Um yea i just got a full 2.5 inch header back duels on my camaro for 250 and it was MANDREL bent piping.So that is not unreasonable.
    With or without cats?
    - VG30DET (HE341) 86 300ZX - 1982 280ZX Turbo - Headered NA 1986 300ZX 2+2 - 2000 Xterra -
  • 85NA2T
    85NA2T
    Senior Member
    • 1111

    #25
    without but he said it wouldnt have changed the price anyways.
    "If your car cant do a burnout from a 60mph rolling start, then your engine needs more work."

    "Nitrous doesn't blow up motors; Idiots with nitrous blow up motors."

    Shooting for 500whp
  • Shady195
    Shady195
    Senior Member
    • 679

    #26
    NYZDUDE,

    After seeing your parts list, i figured id try giving Cherry Turbos a call. I figure having the T3 Upgraded and keeping the internal wastegate would be cheaper than buying say a T3 60-1 .70ar with a stage 3 wheel. He told me anywheres from 850-1200 which I thought was kind of high

    I can get a T3 60-1 .70ar with a stage 3 wheel for 650 bucks brand new....

    but I will say the guy was very nice, seemed very knowlegable....

    he also wanted to know how your making out with yours so far?
    1989 300ZX 2+2 N/A GLL
    Auto to Manual Swap
    NA2T Complete
  • Chris86NA2T
    Chris86NA2T
    Senior Member
    • 837

    #27
    Shady195 wrote: NYZDUDE,

    After seeing your parts list, i figured id try giving Cherry Turbos a call. I figure having the T3 Upgraded and keeping the internal wastegate would be cheaper than buying say a T3 60-1 .70ar with a stage 3 wheel. He told me anywheres from 850-1200 which I thought was kind of high

    I can get a T3 60-1 .70ar with a stage 3 wheel for 650 bucks brand new....

    but I will say the guy was very nice, seemed very knowlegable....

    he also wanted to know how your making out with yours so far?
    After you buy the turbo you described for 650 you will still have to have your stock turbine housing bored out to fit the stage three wheel. Otherwise you have to purchase and retrofit a non-stock wastegate. Then you have to make bracketry to mount the stock wastegate actuator, or buy an aftermarket actuator and bracket. Turbine housing boring starts at 100 bucks if you can find someone willing to do it. Furthermore, by using the stock center section you have no problem hooking up oil and water lines because the stock ones fit like stock. You can buy a basic t3/t4 for 650 and worry about all the small things to make it fit, or you can spend 1000 bucks and know that everything will fit perfect and all you may need to buy is a couple of gaskets.

    Convenience and simplicity has a value.
  • NYZDude
    NYZDude
    Senior Member
    • 257

    #28
    Shady195 wrote: he also wanted to know how your making out with yours so far?
    lol I won't know for awhile yet. This weekend I'm gonna try and get the fuel stuff I need installed, test out a couple of IC pipe setups and go from there. If I wasn't so keen on keeping my AC this wouldn't be a problem, but I'm trying to keep my car "intact" and comfortable.

    400RWHP is my goal; it'll be at least another month or so, I think, before the car is ready to go for it.
    1987 Turbo (Ex-NA).

    My Z31 Videos
  • Shady195
    Shady195
    Senior Member
    • 679

    #29
    [quote]Chris86NA2T wrote:
    Originally posted by Shady195
    NYZDUDE,

    After seeing your parts list, i figured id try giving Cherry Turbos a call. I figure having the T3 Upgraded and keeping the internal wastegate would be cheaper than buying say a T3 60-1 .70ar with a stage 3 wheel. He told me anywheres from 850-1200 which I thought was kind of high

    I can get a T3 60-1 .70ar with a stage 3 wheel for 650 bucks brand new....

    but I will say the guy was very nice, seemed very knowlegable....

    he also wanted to know how your making out with yours so far?
    After you buy the turbo you described for 650 you will still have to have your stock turbine housing bored out to fit the stage three wheel. Otherwise you have to purchase and retrofit a non-stock wastegate. Then you have to make bracketry to mount the stock wastegate actuator, or buy an aftermarket actuator and bracket. Turbine housing boring starts at 100 bucks if you can find someone willing to do it. Furthermore, by using the stock center section you have no problem hooking up oil and water lines because the stock ones fit like stock. You can buy a basic t3/t4 for 650 and worry about all the small things to make it fit, or you can spend 1000 bucks and know that everything will fit perfect and all you may need to buy is a couple of gaskets.

    Convenience and simplicity has a value.
    I can get the whole T3 60-1 With a stage 3 for 650 bucks, the whole turbo, I would not use my stock turbo… I have an external wastegate I can use but If it was cheaper I would have like to get the Stock T3 I have upgraded to save a few extra steps. The fittings match up so I'm only spending 650 bucks plus my own time to welding a flange for the wastegate.
    1989 300ZX 2+2 N/A GLL
    Auto to Manual Swap
    NA2T Complete
  • Guest's Avatar
    Guest

    #30
    [quote]OK85ZX wrote:
    Originally posted by 300cars
    im not gonna pay 4-500+ for an exhaust system when i can get a turbo back 3 inch made for 250 or less at any exhaust shop. i paid 120 for 2.5 inch cat back with a cat delete pipe at a place down the street from my house. it had more power to. he told me 250 at most for turbo back with satans manifold and an hx35.


    Please don't compare mandrel bent prices to crush bent prices. We all know you can get exhaust for cheaper crush bent.
    who does crush bent anymore??? if it was crush bent i would just go to advance and buy a bunch of prebent pipes and clamps to build my own. of course my quoted price was mandrel bent.