Bad experience with ANSA exhaust system

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Melchior
Posts: 149
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 11:44 am

Bad experience with ANSA exhaust system

Post by Melchior »

I want to provide my bad experience with a brand new ANSA exhaust system, maybe this can be of a help for someones decision when looking for a new exhaust system.

I decided for ANSA despite the high costs as I wanted the most original parts I could get for my GTE. The work of ANSA is frowsy as the tubes do not fit very well into each other. The alignment of the front bends to the main manifolds is a cheek. About 10mm right and 35mm left! The brackets for the hangers are wrong positionned up to 50mm so that the hangers would stretch and wind.

Conclusion: cutting and welding of the brand new system required, a lot of work and finally anger. Having made this experience I woul never decide for Ansa again but have a customized exhaust system for half of the price which - if you have your old exhaust as a template - would look and probably even sound the same.
250 GTE #3631 (series Ii)
Timo
Posts: 216
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:56 pm
Location: Riverside, California

Re: Bad experience with ANSA exhaust system

Post by Timo »

Nothing unusual, in my opinion.

In the past 30-40 years I've installed a lot of different replacement exhaust systems, both custom and OEM-type, to many vintage cars, including several Ferraris and I can't recall ever seeing a set that didn't require some bending, cutting, heating, welding or other modifications.
Some just needed more than others.

Even recently I encountered some pretty frustrating ill-fit issues on what was presumably (and sold to me about ten years ago as a last ?) NOS set of headers for a U.S.-spec Daytona.

I know it can be quite infuriating after you spend many thousands or more $$$s on a set and then have to put a cutter, torch or welder to make it all fit during installation, but my past experiences have led me to now expect it before even seeing the pieces.

I even used to custom fabricate and -form some exhaust systems from scratch at a muffler shop here in town, but after the unfortunately pre-mature(?) passing of the proprietor about ten years ago that option has not been available and since I don't have a lot of volume need for these, I haven't bothered to acquire my own professional quality benders with tooling.
Timo
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tyang
Posts: 4060
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: New York
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Re: Bad experience with ANSA exhaust system

Post by tyang »

Sorry to hear about your experience, but very common. Occasionally, I will get an ANSA system that is close to within 80%, but I know this is rare. Even when I order custom exhausts, I get them with un-welded sections to tack and weld in place when I install it on the car. I don't want to hide behind the statement that these are hand made cars, but sometimes, it takes a lot of hand fitting to get right. NOTHING is ever plug-and-play in the Vintage Ferrari world!

Tom

PS. Although I think they're getting better, the steel ANSA used didn't seem to very good quality, as they rusted pretty quickly. Add to that short trips in a Vintage Ferrari where the exhaust never gets hot enough to let the condensation evaporate from inside the mufflers and you have cans that rot out from the inside out! Fun.
'63 330 America #5053
Chuck Coli
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:58 am
Location: Richmond va

Re: Bad experience with ANSA exhaust system

Post by Chuck Coli »

I have replaced my Daytona exhaust several times,when we restored the car 25 years ago we had an NOS Ansa system that came from Ferrari not the new ones being made today, ALL of the hangers were welded on upside down! We had to remove and flip over...and also some were in the wrong place! The incorrect bends were there also...this is all part of owning and restoring these old Ferraris...this is why it costs so much to replace almost everything on these cars..Warning don't break a windshield!!
Chuck Coli Daytona 12883
Daytona spyder rebody conversion
1988 carrera cabriolet
1960 MGA Twin Cam
1967 VW Convertible
Lowell
Posts: 189
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:40 am
Location: Santa Fe, NM

Re: Bad experience with ANSA exhaust system

Post by Lowell »

I had a very good experience with Mike York and his Timevalve shop.

He made left and right-hand side two-into-one exhaust pipes for my 330GT.

First he sent me a pair of his standard pipes which he uses as models.
I placed them on the car and found that one side was perfect but that the other side needed a small
correction. Took photos of how well the good side fitted and photos to show how the other side
should be altered to fit better as well as measurements on how to make a better fit.
Sent the models back with the photos and descriptions.

About three weeks later I received the new two-one pipes.
They were a perfect fit.
Lowell Brown
1966 Gold 330 2+2 Series II
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