My very own exhaust thread!

Topic: My very own exhaust thread! (Read 2277 times) previous topic - next topic

My very own exhaust thread!

December 22, 2004, 06:03:07 PM

OK, I got tired of hijacking the emissions thread in the lounge, and figured it was time to make my own thread about this.

(this is about the '86 V6.. single exhaust 2" I.D., fuel filter on inside of subframe rail)

Today I decided to jack 'er up and pull the main cat section of the exhaust. While I was there, I wanted to have a better look at a leak I had tried to repair before, but came back quickly. (so much for that cheap tape)

Got the cat out fine.. only broke two of the four bolts. :D Once it was off, however, I noticed that the leak was a bigger problem than I thought.

At the very end of the cat is a ball-socket joint to the piece going back to the ler. There's nothing wrong with the cat, aside from the fact that someone already pounded it out. What's wrong is the connector on the other side. I already knew there was a large crack near the connector.. but what I did not know is that that crack goes much of the way around the end of the pipe and into the joint socket itself, pretty much ruining the integrity of the connector completely.

I need a quick and very cheap fix for this. We're going up to visit family 3 hours' drive away from here on Saturday, and I need to make all reasonable efforts to have this car on the road by early Saturday morning, because I don't want to stuff 3 people into a '98 ZX2 instead. I don't have to put the cat back in. The 2-bolt is still in place on the end of the Y-pipe.. I need to work from there. I don't care if the cheapest possible materials are used, because within 2 years I will probably run a new exhaust system entirely. (by then, the rest of this system should be on its last legs anyway)

The running theory right now is to get a cheap piece of pipe, hack off both existing connectors on the pipes it would mate to, and bolt it all together. I'd need to have it bent, with just the cheap bends. (vs. mandrel) I was thinking about using 2.5" ID pipe to counteract the restriction of the bends, and using reducers on each end.. but since the rest of the exhaust pipe looks bent the cheap way, I don't know.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.. I can't afford a lot here. I need to try to keep it as far under $100 as possible, because the household is very short on money right now. I also have no access to welding of any kind unless I pay a shop to do something for me. I also need the car to be as quiet as it was before the cat came off. The whole point of taking my car over taking my mother's car this weekend is comfort. If I have to do something as simple as buying a straight piece of pipe and a $20 ler and running it under the rear axle and out near the right rear tire, I'll do it as long as it's not annoyingly loud. (or putting exhaust up into the passenger compartment, which was my second big concern over that leak)

OK, I guess I could say that it could be as loud as the car was with the old exhaust system plus the leak.. but I'd prefer it to be at least a little bit quieter. (like, minus the leak sound)

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #1 – December 22, 2004, 08:23:35 PM

you can get new exhaust system from the cat on back for less than a 100bux.
intermediate pipe
ler
tailpipe

you want a reasonable fix but talk about welding and such which i cant make any sense of. Price the material required to replace the parts that are broken and you find its the most reasonable fix.

btw-
PEP BOYS is the only one i know of that sells the corrigated (SP)exhaust pipe. Its shaped like an acordian (again SP). Maybe the best description would be the part of a sipping straw that has that one end you can bend anyway you want or pull to make it longer. Thats the shape i mean. With this type of pipe,, it allows you the DIY to bend it without any crimping or pinching effects of the exhaust.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #2 – December 22, 2004, 08:54:27 PM

Unfortunately we have no Pep Boys here. Just AutoHole, Advanced/Discount, and NAPA.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #3 – December 22, 2004, 09:44:20 PM

Could you bring the convertor to a shop and have the crack on the "ball" welded? Is it a stress crack or a rust crack?

Other than that your idea of putting a piece of pipe in its place would probably be the answer. Don't worry about the "cheap" bends causing restriction - even with that bit of restriction it'll probably still flow better than your gutted cat

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #4 – December 22, 2004, 09:51:30 PM

Well, the break isn't on the cat.. it's on the pipe running from the cat to the ler, on the socket part of the ball and socket. I tried removing the pipe from the ler.. no go.

The crack on the pipe is a little of both, I'm guessing.. stress and rust.

The cat itself is fine, although it was already pounded out before I got to it.

How much would an exhaust shop charge to put a couple cheap bends in a pipe?

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #5 – December 23, 2004, 12:06:46 AM

why not flip thru the phone book and ask em?

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #6 – December 23, 2004, 12:21:44 AM

Quote from: zpyro

why not flip thru the phone book and ask em?

I could, but there's a good chance many of those businesses are still destroyed from Charley. It's been like 5 months now and we still have issues hanging with businesses from before the hurricane. The place we rented the tow dolly from to get the '88 back here was operating out of a nearly destroyed building that only had a generator out front for power. The guy who did the porcelain touch-up work on our new (from July) tub couldn't get back to us until a couple weeks ago because he was STILL busy trying to secure a roof for his house.

The major stores are working fine. Discount was always open.. AutoHole fixed their damage incredibly fast. Wally-World never shut down, neither did the mall or any of the other big places.. but a lot of the little stuff is still screwed here.

I intend to ask my friend (that was supposed to call back tonight but didn't) if he has any hookups that can do exhaust work. I'll go from there. He's quite well connected in the community.

Charley went right over the bigger of the two industrial parks in town, which is where most of the relevant businesses tend to set up. The second industrial park is only a mile from me, and we're both 5 miles from the path of the center of Charley. I have no idea how many of those businesses are doing. (well, I hope.. I do have a friend I talk to infrequently who runs a general auto repair shop in that industrial park. I may also ask him if he can help me at all with the exhaust.. but I don't know. I don't recall seeing a bending machine at his place.)

OK, enough of the hometown update.. heh.

I have to proceed as if I have zero options for outside help.. because the way things go around here, it just might be that way. Remember also that we're coming up fast on a major holiday. That may alter options a bit.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #7 – December 23, 2004, 07:25:52 AM

Quote

I don't have to put the cat back in.

Can you put the cat back in?
Autozone:
EXHAUST PIPE for a 1986 FORD THUNDERBIRD
ARVIN EXTENSION PIPE 339322 $22.99

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #8 – December 23, 2004, 10:02:23 AM

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it.

That pipe right there is pretty firmly stuck in the ler, though.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #9 – December 23, 2004, 10:47:43 AM

Quote from: Bird351

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it.

That pipe right there is pretty firmly stuck in the ler, though.

Could you cut it in front of the ler, leaving a short piece, and use a connector to connect to the new pipe?

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #10 – December 23, 2004, 10:58:33 AM

That's also possible.

Not sure what I can get done today. Raining right now, and looks like it will be for much of the day.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #11 – December 23, 2004, 01:39:51 PM

I hate this. I'm stuck in the house since I can't drive the car right now, and I can't go look around the auto parts stores on the other end of town. I'm left with poking around AutoHole's website for ideas.. and Google searches that end up nowhere.

Why do I get the feeling I'm going to end up hacking off the straight part of the cat with the to the Y-pipe, slipping a big honkin' glasspack on it, and running 4-5' of straight pipe down under the axle? Not exactly a thrilling idea.. but I guess it would get the job done.

If I can find that corrugated pipe locally, I may just go with that.

This is just stress-rambling, I guess.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #12 – December 23, 2004, 08:19:16 PM

OK, AutoHole couldn't get that pipe in until the 29th. (the one you gave the part number for) I found 18" of the flex-pipe there, which I got. (2 1/8" ID) It came with one clamp.. I bought a second clamp for 2 1/8". I also picked up some "QuikSteel" that withstands up to 500 degrees (probably intermittent) and a new hacksaw and some blades.

I think I'm just going to hack off the socket of the joint on the extension pipe, and hack off the pipe leading into the cat, and use the flex-pipe to connect the two. I'll use an exhaust clamp on each side, and ring the edge of the flex pipe with the quik-steel in case of leaks. I don't expect it'll last too long, but I just need it to work awhile. I guess I'll have to hang it with some wire coat hanger or something.

Re: My very own exhaust thread!

Reply #13 – December 24, 2004, 04:08:56 PM

Well, it worked. Much quieter now. The QuikSteel stinks when heated up, but I'm sure that'll pass.