As predicted, the 16V VW exhaust manifold does indeed bolt directly onto the V8 head. Unfortunately, because the manifold outlet is offset a few inches to one side and they're not available in right- and left-handed versions, packaging the turbos in a neat and tidy manner as Audi would have done -- one of the basic objectives of this conversion, remember -- will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Needless to say, this isn't quite what I had in mind...

Worse still, the few companies that make pre-cut exhaust manifold flanges for the few people who wish to roll-their-own headers, only offer them in mild-steel for the 16V VW head. Given the heat involved with a turbo installation, I'm concerned that a mild-steel header won't last very long and having a pair of flanges custom-made from 321 Stainless is waayyy beyond my present budget.

However, there's still one avenue left to explore: I've learned that a company called A.M.S. (aka Advanced Motorsport Solutions) in Los Angeles, California is offering a turbo conversion kit for the 16v VW engine and from what I've seen of it in photos, the exhaust manifold outlet, which also mounts the turbo, is located dead center in the middle of the cast-iron manifold. If this is indeed true -- and assuming they can be persuaded to sell me a pair of them without the rest of the [ka-ching!] $6,000 kit, which may or may not be easy -- then this approach may just work after all ... I'll be contacting them after the holidays and we'll find out then.

By the way, a few people -- I'd usually call them "friends" but sometimes I wonder! -- have asked why I'm letting all this hold me up from working on other parts of the project ... you know, things like getting the engine mounted solidly in the car. The answer, obvious enough to those of you who've ever tackled a project like this, is that I need to know exactly where everything's going to go before I start cutting and welding things otherwise I run the risk of having to do it all over again later should I encounter any unforeseen problems. As the old carpenter's saying goes, "Measure twice, cut once" and while I like shortcuts as much as anybody, this is one instance where caution definitely pays off in the long run.