603/Britannia Exhaust system

[herrbartlet]

I have owned several V8's in the past and there has either been a balancing pipe between each bank or the two systems briefly merge to balance back pressure. Not so on this Britannia, both systems run straight and separately from manifold to tail pipe, but there is evidence that a previous owner has been tinkering between the manifold and 1st silencer.
Is this system 'as designed' by Bristol or is there something missing?

[Geoff Kingston]

Have owned 410 currently have 411 and 603e and on all of these the system runs separately as on your car.
On the 603 I have two stainless steel front pipes bought from Bristol cars ready to be fitted later this year and they both run straight from the manifold to the first silencers.

[herrbartlet]

Geoff,
Thanks for clearing up that niggling doubt,
Regards

[PEU186F]

The use of a balancing pipe seems to be North American practice. Perhaps that is where you are based? My 410 came back from California with this arrangement and I seem to recall that Brian Marelli thought it rather odd and found a reason to put it to rights.

[roybatute]

The 603 has what Setright called in his 2 volume book a "kerfuffle" valve. I don't have access to the book at the moment to check the exact spelling but it was something like that. Setright states that it was discontinued in the Britannia which had two separate straight through exhausts. Our car still has said valve. When the car is started from cold, only the O/S exhaust is in use. I believe that this is intended to help with a faster warm up. After a few minutes the valve brings the N/S exhaust into use as well. It is noticable on a cold damp morning when the exhaust gas is visible. Setright said that it gave little or no trouble if the car was serviced by BCL because it just requires occasional lubrication but if it was serviced elsewhere the mechanic would not know about the valve and in the end it would jam.

[PEU186F]

Yes indeed, the 410 has the same arrangement, with a view to blasting exhaust gas across channels in the inlet manifold in an attempt to achieve a faster warm up and hence less smog from cold. But I'd suggest your valve is a pretty rare survivor, mine had been removed before the car came back from California.

I was referring to a balancing pipe that ran between the two down pipes ahead of the silencers