Help and questions about installing cat-back exhaust...

[six]

Hey guys.

So, I received my Magnaflow cat-back exhaust for my MS6. I will be installing it soon, by myself, and I have a few questions for those of you that have experience in this area. This will be my first time ever installing any kind of exhaust component in any car...

Here goes...

1. Is a lift necessary, or can I just jack up the back of the car and put it on jackstands?
2. Can I use WD-40 or similar petroleum based lubricant on the pipes or the rubber hangers, in case fitment is a little tight?
3. The band clamps that are included... the instructions say to make them VERY TIGHT. I plan on using a breaker bar to do the final tightdown. Will there be a possibility that I can over-tighten them?
4. Is there a break-in involved with exhausts?

And some unrelated questions...

5. Frame-rails a good place to put the jackstands?
6. Where can I get some cheap wheel chocks? Or what can I use that I have laying around?

Thank you all in advance for your help. If you have any other tips, recommendations, or cautions, please feel free to post them too.

[watkins]

1. Is a lift necessary, or can I just jack up the back of the car and put it on jackstands?
Depends on how much space you want to work in
2. Can I use WD-40 or similar petroleum based lubricant on the pipes or the rubber hangers, in case fitment is a little tight?
WD-40 is not a lubricant. Its a cleaner. If the fit is tight, run to Autozone and rent a pipe expander
3. The band clamps that are included... the instructions say to make them VERY TIGHT. I plan on using a breaker bar to do the final tightdown. Will there be a possibility that I can over-tighten them?
Always
4. Is there a break-in involved with exhausts?
If you hit a rock (http://www.instantrimshot.com/)

And some unrelated questions...

5. Frame-rails a good place to put the jackstands?
Yes
6. Where can I get some cheap wheel chocks? Or what can I use that I have laying around?
Rocks are free

[theholycow]

2. Can I use WD-40 or similar petroleum based lubricant on the pipes or the rubber hangers, in case fitment is a little tight?
WD-40 is not a lubricant. Its a cleaner. If the fit is tight, run to Autozone and rent a pipe expander

Agreed, WD-40 is not a lubricant. However, it does lubricate well enough for temporary use. If it does the job, enjoy; it will smoke until it burns off (I imagine 2 to 30 minutes). The same can be said of other lubricants. Exhaust isn't rocket science, and the only thing downstream is a muffler which should be quite robust.

A pipe expander that you get at Autozone won't actually expand the pipe, it will re-round a slightly flattened pipe.

Lifting the car: If you don't mind laying on the ground and your exhaust doesn't have to be threaded vertically to get past an axle, no lift required.

Clamps: They're pretty tough but you can definitely break one with a decent length breaker bar. Most people just use their ratchet with as much strength as their arm can provide. If you do break a clamp, they're the cheapest item in Autozone...might as well stock up on a few extras before you start.

Chocks: You might not want to use rocks, they're not shaped to use securely when you're wrenching the hell out of your car that's held above you by 4 jack stands.

If there's a ditch nearby that your car can straddle, consider parking over it instead. If a curb will give you enough clearance, use that. Those are easier and more secure options than jacking, stands, and chocks.

[watkins]

A pipe expander that you get at Autozone won't actually expand the pipe, it will re-round a slightly flattened pipe.

Yes they will. Ive used the same design to actually expand a pipe before. Granted it was a Snap-on tool, not OEM brand nonsense.

[theholycow]

Did you have to use an air impact wrench?

I tried one of those expanders once and it looks like it should work, but I didn't get it to work. I google it and everyone says they're only good for re-rounding, not actually expanding, even with an air impact wrench.

Did you expand equal-sized pipes for a slip fit, or were they already configured for a slip fit but just a little tight?

I hope maybe the tool I used just sucked and other folks don't know what they're talking about. I've got an exhaust job to do soon...

[watkins]

Did it by hand. I dont remember the fit, though I know we expanded it quite a bit.

[six]

Clamps: They're pretty tough but you can definitely break one with a decent length breaker bar. Most people just use their ratchet with as much strength as their arm can provide. If you do break a clamp, they're the cheapest item in Autozone...might as well stock up on a few extras before you start.

The specs mentioned that they should be tightened to 65 ft/lbs. so I guess I'll be using my torque wrench to tighten them.

[watkins]

If you do break a clamp, they're the cheapest item in Autozone

I was about to say "cheapest useful item"
But then I remembered the $.99 gaskets

[permabanned]

its a quality brand name catback, you wont have to worry about having to make shit fit. OEM ease of fitment is a part of the price.

to get the hangers out of the rubber hangers, take a channellock and put 1 side of the tip of the hanger sticking thru the rubber part and the other side on the back of the rubber hanger and squeeze. it will push the flared end of the hanger right thru.

spray your choice of lubricating oil on the hangers before you put them up, and they will slide right in

autozone clamps are shit. you will have the band clamps with the kit like this


U bolt clamps crush the pipe, youll never pull them back apart after using those clamps. band clamps dont crush the pipe, so you can take them apart. german torque them, be reasonable with it. you dont need a breaker bar to tighten a exhaust clamp, just a half inch rachet at most.

youll want 4 jackstands and jacking the whole car up. catbacks start at the cat, your cat is about where front seats are. youll want the whole car up in the air. put them on the frame rails or the OEM jacking points under the rocker panels.


pipe expander doesnt work. you need a hydraulic pipe expander like they have at exhaust shops to expand pipe. a wimpy rachet wont pull apart steel. read #1

most important one: dont tighten anything til the entire catback is hung under the car and all the pipes are fitted together. start the bolts, dont even get them snug, just get them started. after it all fits decent, have a friend help you with aligning the exhaust tips. hold the pipes where you have to to get the tips to line up with the cutouts and crank the clamps down. nothing sticks out more than an exhaust tip thats not aligned with the bumper cutout.

drop the car, start it up, rice and enjoy.

[theholycow]

most important one: dont tighten anything til the entire catback is hung under the car and all the pipes are fitted together. start the bolts, dont even get them snug, just get them started.

Best piece of advice in the whole thread. Running the nuts up the threads and then tightening them are the last things you do before taking the car off the jackstands.

[six]

Thanks, Roman and everyone else, for the helpful advice. The band clamps you showed in your post is exactly what they look like from the kit. I'll torque everything to spec, so I won't be using a breaker bar on the clamps; instead I'll be using my torque wrench.

[Rope-Pusher]

Is there a DOG in heaven that would allow humans to satisfy their whims to the point of making exhaust pipes out of cat's backs? There must be some other material (stainless steel?) to use that wouldn't require a thousand cats to be sacrificed per vehicle.

[six]

They are made of stainless steel, silly.

[padauk_dust]

Six, you've got a newer car, so you may not have such a hard time with it, but breaking exhaust fasteners loose can be a hassle especially with limited working space, lying on the ground. I suggest periodically soaking the fasteners you are planning to remove with wd-40 starting about a day in advance. It really helps.

Also when reinstalling fasteners or new bolts/clamps, some anti-seize on the threads will be a huge help if you have to do exhasut work again. (Not too much anti seize, just a dab appropriate to the bolt size)
I use it whenever working on anything exhaust related, makes things go smoother the next time you do it.

Good luck if you haven't already done it!

[six]

Thanks for the tips, padauk_dust. I look forward to installing it soon. It sounds fun