Ok, Changed the hoses,thermostat 160 and water pump, didn't change anything, actually ran the hottest yet, 253 with the A/C on max so changed the radiator to a bigger aluminum one and adjusted the fans a bit to give them more flow, big difference. This was the radiator I got from Summit racing and got to me next day WOW...
Summit Racing SUM-380455 - Summit Racing Direct Fit Aluminum Radiators - Overview - SummitRacing.com
Now with the A/C on max the hottest it got today with the temp about 100 degrees was 217. Turned the A/C off and it went back down to 203. The duel fans have been changed on this one and they are thinner and I am not sure they give as much air flow as the stock fans. I guess if we want it cooler I could try replacing both fans, but I think 217 is ok on the hottest of days. What do you guys think?
Next, the mechanic noticed several exhaust leaks. The car was modified for the 3" downpipe, cats removed, and a Borla exhaust put in. From the downpipe to the muffler there are five sections bolted together and the last section before the muffler has a visible hole in it. Also the turbo outlet to the manifold had a leak. You can see in the picture below the gasket that was all mangled up and with the car running you could feel air puffing out at the gasket. I am guessing these leaks are having a huge effect on the turbo spooling and the lag I am feeling. The mechanic recommended removing the gasket and just tightening it up at the connection metal to metal? What do you guys think? He had the gasket out while I was there and I have pictures below. He was working on getting it back together but I had to leave before we could test it and I will check it out tomorrow.
He also suggested running one 3" exhaust pipe, welded in, from the 3" down pipe to the Borla muffler inlet. This would remove all the bolted sections and leaks. Makes sense to me, what do you guys think from the pic's and the set up. And does anyone have any detailed pics of their 3" downpipe and exhaust set up for comparison?
Thanks again in advance for the the help and advice.
Here is the Turbo Exhaust to the Manifold and the blown gasket.
Here is what the gasket looked like removed.
Here are several pics of the exhaust. The first one show the visible holes in it.
What is the importance of this part where the red arrow is pointing?
Does anyone know what these two things are where the red arrows are pointing?