Flange benefits

If you use your air-cooled VW as its was intended and like nothing more than taking extended road trips, then we bet you’ve had issues with those pesky slip joints between the heat exchangers or J tubes and the exhaust at some point. There’s nothing worse than being plagued by exhaust leaks on a long trip, and the irritating pops and backfires that might result. Well, OK, there is something worse – finding out that the exhaust and heat exchangers are literally welded together when you come to remove them. Quite often, you literally have to beat or chisel them apart.

Having experienced these problems in the past, we decided to address the issue once and for all while our current engine was out for a full reseal and some paint and powdercoat. The flanges are readily available and cheap – all it takes is a little time.

01 Remove Exhaust

Before you can fit flanges to your exhaust, you’ll need to get it off. Soak all the fittings in penetrating oil, then remove the fresh