exhaust options

[konastinky1234]

So who knows some good exhaust shops around here? Now that my rear suspension has been done I am in desperate need of an exhaust solution as I am basically running open headers.

I built a setup very similar to clayton's double triangulated rear kit for the TJ without a stretch. Currently I shortened my whole exhaust to dump through a cut in the rear of my tcase skid with the muffler and cat right in front of that to the downpipe. It is super constricted in there and when we raised my skid up we literally tightened the bolts and watched the muffler and dumper get squashed. That is not as much of a problem as my downpipe which just simply does not mate to my header anymore. Really if I could get a new downpipe to fit my crunched setup I would be happy.

If anyone has any ideas or recommendations for shops I'm open to anything. Just stumped currently. I'll have to go lay under there and think of some ideas with a few beers but so far no dice.

thanks guys

[konastinky1234]

I'll post some pictures up tomorrow or something

[HitItWithSomeSpeed]

What muffler/cat are you running?

[konastinky1234]

I just bought a cat from napa, it is a generic one I can't remember the length but a few inches shorter than the stock one and I have the spintech muffler that clayton uses

[HitItWithSomeSpeed]

I ask because I run a Magnaflow high flow cat thats pretty thin into a cherry bomb right above the skid like youre saying. Even if I were to go to a flat belly skid, I cant see how i'd have much squishing. Just a thought.

[1cleantj]

you can essentially make your cat/muffler higher by cutting the y-pipe in half at the straight section that passes across oil pan and rotating it upward and weld back up...

[konastinky1234]

I don't know what you mean by the y pipe. Mine just looks like a straight section going by the side of the oil pan which now contains the cat. If I were to go with the cherry boimb I would get enough room I imagine. That is not really my problem I don't care if it is squished under the skid because it works. I care about the leak which is the downpipe not sealing/mating properly to the manifold. So I need to like re cut that section and reweld it so that it will mate up probably. I really don't know where I wanna go with this yet.

[konastinky1234]

Has anyone her ever used that flex exhaust pipe, the braided stainless steel kind? Not the cheap shit. I'm thinking about getting one piece to get enough play.

[1cleantj]

I don't know what you mean by the y pipe. Mine just looks like a straight section going by the side of the oil pan which now contains the cat. If I were to go with the cherry boimb I would get enough room I imagine. That is not really my problem I don't care if it is squished under the skid because it works. I care about the leak which is the downpipe not sealing/mating properly to the manifold. So I need to like re cut that section and reweld it so that it will mate up probably. I really don't know where I wanna go with this yet.

my bad i meant front pipe, but i was thinking a 4.0. not realizing you have a 2.5. the 2.5 has a different setup. the flex pipe may be your best option if your talking about this stuff

[HitItWithSomeSpeed]

Anyone have any idea how well those flex pipes hold up rust wise on an offroad vehicle that dunks them repeatedly? I feel like one trip to RC and it would be fucked...

[Hydra]

The nice ones will last. Replaced the one on my old NismoDent altima and it outlast the rest of the vehicle, even after 3 winters of beating the piss out of that car up and down my Kuwait-esque driveway.

[konastinky1234]

The nice ones will last. Replaced the one on my old NismoDent altima and it outlast the rest of the vehicle, even after 3 winters of beating the piss out of that car up and down my Kuwait-esque driveway.

Ya what he said. I read as long as you get one that is stainless steel it will last. I think like ones from dynomax would be a good bet. This is what I'm gonna try soon. I just need to get a little play for my downpipe to be able to mate up with the manifold correctly. I'll let ya guys know how it turns out.

[konastinky1234]

Alright ladies and gents I FINALLY got this thing straightened out. So I took everything apart with jon galica and turns out the banks torquetubes 400 dollar part was completely trashed with one tube almost totally severed. What bullshit, that's why it has been getting so bad gradually over the years. I can't believe this thing just died so badly granted my exhaust probably wasn't hung as well as it should be but still. Should I call and bitch to try to get a free one? I still think it should not have happened.

Oh, and if anyone ever has to deal with this, the 2.5 does not have a crush gasket from manifold to down tube but napa still lists and sells one I don't get it. It fits right on there but literally does nothing because the down tube never touches it.

[Harry]

So problem was actually a cracked header and not the gasket? And seal is only between downpipe and header, no gasket.

[konastinky1234]

So problem was actually a cracked header and not the gasket? And seal is only between downpipe and header, no gasket.

Ya, gasket was mint and we got the header off and said no way it's cracked but it was. I'll take a picture and post it up one of these days. I haven't seen any cracks before but I imagine this one is a pretty bad one.