Will a set of early 1.7/1.8 exchangers work on a 75 1.8? What are the differences?

yes
The older exchangers are less restrictive. You'll need a matching muffler too

Keep in mind that the entire (from the flapper boxes out) exhaust on the 75/76 models is different. If you backdate the heat exchangers, you will need the 73-74 J-pipes, s-pipes, muffler and muffler hanger.

the 2 warm air elbows are required also. don't forget new copper o-rings and 8 NEW exh stud nuts. the 75-76 hes are a real pain to remove. soaking the all the fasteners (repeatedly) with pb blaster or aerokroil for a minimum of 24 hours will make the removal much easier. have a gentle hand on the exhaust stud nuts. when i tired of fighting the old piping, i broke out the sawsall and grinder with a couple of cutoff wheels.

k

I spent a few days getting my exhaust studs out, I just kept spraying the penetrating fluid and working at them, I was scared to death I was going to break one off so I was real gentle and had good luck, none broke off. Now I need new ones and this post reminded me. Where's the best place to get them?

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

from mark henry? a fellow canadian. ian check the stud sizes before you purchase. both ends should be similar in size. if one end is thicker you'll need the step up studs.

k

Do you mean Mark who hosted the porsche fest in Ontario?

I'm not sure I need all the extra work. I guess I'll look for the right year exchangers. Thanks for the help gentlemen!

back dating to either the 1.7/1.8 2.0 is one hell of a lot eaiser than sourcing and installing the 75/76 version. limitations to the exhaust choises staying 'correct'. post a want to buy on ALL of the j-tube/warm air elbow/branch pieces from 1 person. buying a piece here and a piece there kills you on the shipping costs...should run you around $80 in parts for nice stuff. perhaps less. earlier version heat exhangers should run $100+ for fair oem 1.7/.8s to $500+ for a good set of stainless 2.0s.

k

I have a set of late style HEs (actually the full system, basically) that I just pulled off a car in favor of some KH headers
PM me if you're interested

Charles

Interesting.

A brand new, unused set of 2.0 SSI's didn't take a single bid last week on eBay, with the start set at $450. Brand new, never mounted!

Almost wished I'd needed them, but my SSI's have lasted 32 years with no signs of fading. Someone missed a bargain.

unused/never installed for $450 and 0 bids is a bit weird. sort of the wrong time of the year i guess. folks are prob not too worried about heat. a person might have been able to flip them for a tidy profit during the next 'project season'. i never look for items on ebay. i'm surprised a large parts house didn't scoop them up.

k