Exhaust manifold judging

[Michael G.]

The Paragon repro exhaust manifolds that I currently have on my engine are good, but, if I ever have the car judged, I had intended to switch back to originals. The originals that I have are corroded badly enough that, even with new paint, they don't look remotely new, so I'm sure I'd probably lose all the points for condition. As the chance of finding original 63 L84 manifolds in better condition than mine is slim (and if I did, I'd have to sell my car to buy them) I have two questions:

1. How many points do I lose for condition (is it more than originality)?

2. How bad can the casting surface be before you lose the condition points?

Thanks, Mike

[Rick A.]

Re: Exhaust manifold judging

Mike,

on the ORIGINALITY side of the score sheet (left column), we look at a MAXIMUM of five areas - Fit, Finish, Installation, Date, Completeness (FFIDC) to determine whether and how many point deduction each exhaust manifold would be assessed - don't have sheets or reference manual in front of me, so can not give you a point indication - as long as you have at least 10% of the available points in originality, you then move on to the condition side of the score sheet

hope this provides a little clarity to your question

[Joel F.]

Re: Exhaust manifold judging

Hi Michael,

The exhaust manifolds are worth 15 originality and 15 condition points. The reproductions are discernable from originals, so you would definitely lose some points, but not enough to prevent you from potentially earning all condition points (assuming they are "as new"), or at least most.

The condition deduction for your original manifolds would be hard to determine without seeing them, but I can guarantee it will not be even close to all 15 points. Maybe 2 points per manifold. You might be surprised at how well they will clean up with a good cleaning. Ultimately it might be a push between the condition deduct for your originals vs the originality deduct for your repros. All things being equal, I am sure the judges would prefer to see the originals on your car and might be a little more lenient as a result.

[Michael G.]

Re: Exhaust manifold judging

Thanks guys,

I'll go with the originals, they do have some pits, but they are not that bad. I may experiment with EDMing the surface of another old manifold, to see if I can minimize the pits and give the surface an original-type look.