Vararam Install - Need Help!! - and Magnaflow Axleback

[Eidolon]

Well, first off, let me state that wow. Wooooow. The mere sound of the Vararam... Pop the throttle and there's a whoosh as the throttle body flies open and air rushes in to fill the vacuum.

Installing the Vararam, though... Now THAT was a chore. Took all kinds of wiggling to get it between the radiator and the radiator frame, and I was afraid I was going to break something up front (I did, actually; a tab for holding a wire snap). But get it in I did, only now... I can't close my hood.

HELP!

Below are some photos I took of my installation. Everything here seem OK?

First pic. Should the slot in the front of the Vararam be filled by the tab on the radiator frame?


Second pic, passenger side radiator fitment. Vararam seems to be sitting right atop black A/C condenser

Pic three, sidelong view after going for a drive. It works fine during a drive, and it does tangibly pull harder. I've got the HSRK in there, and it really is an amazing difference. If I could just close the hood...


Final pic, showing the gap between the hood and the car.



The safety latch catches, so the hood stays down while driving. But the primary latch isn't catching, and at the point in the photo seen above, I am pushing on the Vararam. It feels like I might be able to force it shut, but I'm afraid of damaging the Vararam.

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help, all.


Also, the tube for the PCV breather that was provided with my Vararam was a tad short. I had to rotate the collar on the throttle body to get it to reach, hence the odd brass elbow placement in the pics above. I'll need to get a longer tube.

Magnaflows
I also installed the Magnaflows, and the resonance right around 2500 RPM when I nail it is ridiculous. The car just sounds ... more. It's epic. Not sure if I like the volume, but we'll see.

That said, is it normal for a new exhaust to smell a tad odd? The Magnaflows smell like there was some kind of adhesive or chemical inside that's burning. I doubt it's the intake. In fact, in the second pic below, you can see a bit of what looks like tar spatter inside one of the tips. So near as I could tell, it was coming from inside the muffler.

Of course, it could also be my plastic trim. By default, the Magnaflows are a little close to the plastic around them. I may have to find a way to drop them a tad to provide more clearance so the plastic doesn't suffer the high temps from the mufflers. Pics below.

[-Ray-]

The Vararam isn't nestled correctly on the radiator. When it is, the snorkel and the maf are parallel. You can see where the vararam attached to the maf it's going uphill.

[wnt2gofst]

What ray said..i think i totally agree with him for once..

[GRRRR8]

The middle tab is sitting under the Vararam. That is holding it up. I cut most of them off so it fits perfect.

[Eidolon]

The Vararam isn't nestled correctly on the radiator. When it is, the snorkel and the maf are parallel. You can see where the vararam attached to the maf it's going uphill.

The middle tab is sitting under the Vararam. That is holding it up. I cut most of them off so it fits perfect.

Thanks much for the help, guys. Let's see if I can get this thing to sit properly...

Push as I might, I wasn't able to get it to go much further down. It seems to be sitting right atop the A/C condenser and, up front, I wasn't able to get it to move much further down than maybe am eighth to a quarter of an inch. You're right, Charlie, that tab was holding it up by that bit up front.

Pushing and pulling got the entire radiator to sit back further and the 1" collar to sit further on into the 4". This way, it actually completely clears the tab on the radiator frame by virtue of being far enough away. Looking at the install photos provided by the manufacturer, this may be the more correct fitment and, like this, I can close the hood, but it is still a tight fit. I rest the hood on the Vararam and it takes a few good pushes to get it to latch. How tight should the fitment be like this?

Here's pictures of it. How does the angle look, including how far the 1" collar is into the 4" collar on the throttle body.

[GRRRR8]

Disconnect the radiator plug from the fans so the radiator can tilt. I see it is hitting in your picks. Dont unplug it, just slide it off and let it roll up so the radiator will tilt. You are very close now. My hood doesnt touch, so your shouldnt.

[Eidolon]

Disconnect the radiator plug from the fans so the radiator can tilt. I see it is hitting in your picks. Dont unplug it, just slide it off and let it roll up so the radiator will tilt. You are very close now. My hood doesnt touch, so your shouldnt.

It is loose, unfortunately. I've actually gotten most of the wire loom there unhooked, still. I probably ought to find a way to tie it down...

As for the Vararam, where it sits now, the hood is pretty easy to close. It still hits, but dropping the hood from just about 7 inches up gets it closed without much issue, and the hood doesn't go flying up when I pull the release. There is pressure on the Vararam, but I don't see any physical damage as a result. Should I tilt the radiator even further back and try to sink the 1" collar even further in?

[-Ray-]

Call Steve over at Vararam. They provide excellent technical support.

[Eidolon]

Call Steve over at Vararam. They provide excellent technical support.

A darn good idea. Thanks, both, for your help!

[GRRRR8]

I dont know if these will help...













My wiring harness is done different then the directions.