Ok so I settled on ordering a Diamond Eye exhaust off ebay, if its a bad idea let me know. Going with the 3 inch turbo down and 4 inch straight pipe. Probably get a crossover from Heath. But i have 2 questions maybe you guys have some experience with.

1) How well does the system work just bolted together? How many of you guys or girls have welded the system together? Anyone done both? I'm trying to decide if its worth welding it up.

2) How would putting temp. wrap on the crossover and the downpipe hurt the EGTs? Would it help the engine compartent stay any cooler? On the old hot rods and motorcycles I have built I wrap the exhaust to keep the heat in the headers. From what I understand about how turbo diesels work this may be less than advantageous.

Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks

Ryan

When I ran my Diamond Eye system I just had everything clamped together. Worked well for the year or so I had it. Then I cut it off at the end of cab and put in my stacks :D. And the rest of the exhaust is on a Ford now lol...
I was going to wrap my downpipe but I never did... It wouldn't hurt to wrap it I bet... as for crossover... you could probably wrap that as well... I have to get mine redone due to clearance issues with some suspension components... Hopefully I'll get it done tomorrow or Saturday!

Cool. I just dont have a place to break out the welder. I live in an appartment and I cant exactly get my truck through the front door. haha. Do you know what the wrap will do with the EGTs at all. I can't really see them changing much but that is just specualtion, I have never worried about measuring it in a gasser.

My exhaust system from BD is all bolted together. No leaks or other issues. Welding isn't worth the effort.

I wrapped my cross over pipe. I used standard fiberglass wrapping tape from Summitt. Cheap and easy to do. This will help keep the exhaust gases hot on their way to the turbo. You will see a little more power, since the energy in the exhaust gases isn't being dissipated as much. The wrapping will not affect EGT readings, unless your probe is in the downpipe. Could I tell the difference, yes, but only because the cab was a little quieter, not because the truck had more power. It doesn't affect underhood temperatures, since most of the cross over is under the truck and not under the hood.

It was one of those things that I could do and it felt good.

Have fun.

Jake

I love my diamond eye its just bolted together and all clamped up like it should be no leaks. Not worth your time to weld it... Pros= MPG's go up a little bit. Truck sounds SWEET. And it through soot lol thats all i have to say... Really no cons the price of the exhaust is also very well price to I got mine shipped to my garage door for $299 USD. Can't complain...

I've heard wrapping will greatly accelerate rust.

I was just about to post the same thing ak diesel drive, it traps water and moisture when the exhaust is cool. It's more of a problem for daily driven vehicles from what I know, because they see all kinds of weather.

3X on the wrap. Works fine on racers and desert vehicles; I have always lived near the beaches and noticed the difference on my '67; long term test mule (had it since '69). Wrapping holds the moisture and salts on the metal. Much worse for the Northerners, IMO. Ceramic coat is very pricey, but works better than any thing I've seen. I don't think it's worth replacing the crossover pipe regularly for the gains you'd get. ;)
Dave

dont wrap it. no matter how much you dry it moisture will get in there and rust you crossover in a bout a year. its happened to a bunch of guys

I thought about wrapping what little of an exhaust system I have....

The good side of wrapping a diesel's exhaust, is that you keep energy inside the exhaust to the turbine of the turbo, and you have more force exerted on driving the turbo, rather then being lost to heat dissapation.

Basically, you're making things work more effectivly.

The con... Yes it does rust out the pipes faster (I've seen it personally on a dodge cummins that was used as a plow truck with no salter) So that was a kick in the teeth to my plans (lots of snow and salt here :p:).

My compromise... When I get around to switching my aluminized exhaust parts over to stainless steel (which resists rust MUCH better and hold onto heat) I'll get them ceramic coated.

Really, that's the only way to deal with the rusting issue, and still keep the heat in the exhaust.

Yea I didnt even think of the rust situation. I live in Southern California about a mile from the beach. Its a desert but its always like 70-80% humidity so probably not the best idea. Probably forget about the wrap then. The new crossover and exhaust whould be more than good enough for power anyways. Going to ebay to order it right now. When I get it I'll post some pics and videos of before and after.

Thanks for the help.
Ryan

Ok So I jsut ordered the 4 inch diamond eye and a 2.5 inch warpspeed crossover. Full exhaust for under $400. The aftermarket exhaust on my dirtbike is going to cost more. I'm super stoked can't wait to put it on!

Oh by the way... The diamond eye was $315 and free shipping
The Crossover was 69.95 with $12 shipping.

I guess prices went up for steel too oh well.