Rather Odd Request. VK45de exhaust manifold

[EdBwoy]

This is sort of a WTB, but not just your usual WTB. I am looking for the left exhaust manifold from the early VK45s. I posted in the WTB forum some time back, but no bite. I imagine there were way more Q45s than Ms sold in the 2003-2004 time period, so I might get more hits in this here forum.

I have a 2003 M45 and I believe the headers from the 2003+ Q45 will fit. Now here is where it gets strange: I am not just asking to see if you have one yourself. I am requesting that you notify me in case you see one for sale near you, I am begging that you scavenge for me . I will contact the seller and finalize the sale if you point me in the right direction.

I had a blown head gasket at 138K miles and when I pulled the engine I noticed the left precat had been gutted. I had had an intermittent CEL code for some catalytic activity. Sad part is that I have been too cheap to plunk the $800 for the OEM one as I'd like to redirect the funds to other things like the bleeding power steering etc. It doesn't help that I have another car so the urgency to fix hasn't been that much.

Over the past year I have reached out to all corners of this nation through Craigslist but I've seen it all. Mainly flakers and people just breaking communication although they are still trying to get rid of parts months down the line. I've even offered to cover ebay fees if they want to sell securely through that.

I apologize if I might be crossing the line of our forum brotherhood, but it breaks my heart to see my beloved M just sitting there. Help a brother out and I'll do what I can to help you from out here in Iowa . Thanks in advance


*Back in the day I used to browse craigslist nationwide through a website called zimkiv but that doesn't work anymore, making my craigslist addiction difficult to indulge in.
**Mods, if I'm out of line, shuffle it as you please

[BCC93QT]

Google advanced lets you search all of craigslist.

[Q451990]

I don't have a problem with this thread...

Can salvage yards sell you this, or is it prohibited because there's a pre-cat involved?

[BCC93QT]

I think there is an issue shipping used exhaust pieces in most states but am not 100% positive

[EdBwoy]

Thanks for the tip BCC. I've been on craigslist "semi-advanced", where I just hit the big cities then go to neighboring ones. I think I've gotten a lot of old postings.

Thanks Q. On junkyards, I think most times they just cut them off to get the precious metals and avoid the hassle of selling them piece by piece. However, i think most places would get more money selling the VK45 manifoldss to people like me.
I am also exploring the possibility of having a header made with a flanged precat sourced from the aftermarket.

[EdBwoy]

I think there is an issue shipping used exhaust pieces in most states but am not 100% positive

I have to look into the issue further, as it seems like some dealers sell used cats and precats on ebay pretty frequently. I have been following some searches on ebay as well.

[Brew Q]

are there any bone yards in Iowa you can search?

I like this craigslist search:
http://www.searchcraigslist.org/

Felton's sells used Infiniti/Nissan parts:
http://feltonautoparts.com/

call them, they may have the manifolds you're looking for just sitting on a shelf.

[EdBwoy]

Thanks Brew. Tried both. search craigslist had no hits, but the 2nd one got me somewhere. Felton didn't have any on hand but gave me the number to a place in Maryland. Their quote with shipping was 285 bucks. I told them I need to ponder over it a little. A brand new right mani from Infiniti costs 300 bucks plus some change. A left one costs from 600 to 850.. Not sure why the huge price difference but I need to know where the dealers source them from so I can cut the middleman.

One of the cheapest sources of OEM parts out there: http://infinitipartsnet.com/parts/2003/ ... am=3860175
vs. http://www.infinitipartsusa.com/2004-In ... earching=Y

[Q451990]

Even cheaper at http://www.orderinfinitiparts.com/parts ... eid=215003

Not sure about shipping costs to Iowa. They're in Charlotte, NC - so for me ground is usually overnight shipping

[EdBwoy]

I have a set of headers from a 2006 M45. The plan is to use the 06+ headers as they are on the 03 engine and modify the mating flanges on the rest of the exhaust system(cat back). The manifolds bolt up after relocating the exhaust studs on the heads & the overall length is the same, but the 06+ manifold flanges are rotated 90 degrees in comparison to the 03's.
Will update with the results when I make the changes.

[EdBwoy]

Where are my manners!? I should have updated this long ago.

I successfully installed the 06 M45 parts on my 03 m45 and I don't see why it wouldn't work on the last gen q45. As much as I don't drive the vehicle that much, there have been no problems in the past 1.5 or so years.
I tried to take pics but was disappointed with their outcome, unfortunately.

So, it can be done.