Well, some time has passed, and there is more on this...
As Bill said, I did indeed fit the 034 motorsport manifold... With excellent power results. Approx 30 BHP on a hybrid installation was the gain, with the engine holding torque much, much better.
Here is a comparison graph:
Sadly, as many of you will be aware from the ongoing saga, the 034 manifold cracked after 1000 miles, and has led to me refitting the standard OEM manifold with a ported collector....
And that's where we are today....
Anyway.... the manifold to head flange on the previous XS Power manifold was a little suspect, and despite me managing to get it ground flat, the manifold was still not really suitable to be fitted. Sadly. It came out of the box approx 6mm out of square, and the holes weren't in the right places to fit the head.
It had the makings of a very good product with a collector which had the potential to flow very well indeed.
Anyway, I wrote up a long load of drivel about how it wasn't suitable for fitment for X, Y and Z reasons, sent this to XS Power for them to review and promptly shelved the idea.
However, this has now come back into the game somewhat in my search for a replacement manifold for the 034. JBS are in the process of finalising their K04 manifold, however this won't be around until end of Feb at the earliest. And at £450 it won't be cheap.
The other option I gave thought to was the TSR manifold. Nice, but far to pricey for me to justify.
And then an email comes through saying that I have 2 K04 manifolds on their way to me from XS Power...
Based on the previous one, I was a little concerned, however they have arrived on my doorstep today.
And I am impressed.
One of the manifolds has a very slight warp on the flange indeed, however it is minimal, and the gasket will take up the gap no problems I would think. Mock fitting will confirm or deny this.
The second one's flange is spot on the money, flat, or as near as damn it.
The other thing which is much better is the hole arrangement. I have used the 034 manifold I have here as a basis for comparison, and the holes on both manifolds appear to be drilled in exactly the right places to fit directly to the head.
So, I am now planning to fit this, and see what's what. I'm not planning on fitting straight away, looking to mock fit over the weekend and see what is what before making a final decision (as it will cost me £100 to actually fit and test it - again!).
Credit where credit is due though, what has been said has been taken on board and been resolved.
Photos here:
Watch this space.....