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419 Posts
I just got in from the garage after spending about 3 hours under the 3SRT8 installing the new Magnaflow Cat-back system. My advice...take it somewhere to be done, or rent a lift. Of course, I'm old, fat and slow, but this was just too much of a hassle due to the low profile of the car. A helper would have made the job much easier. I gave up doing exhaust systems years ago because it's such a dirty job. While this car's unside is clean, and there's no rusty bolts to contend with, I made the right choice back then.
I backed the car onto my new Rhino ramps, and quickly saw that this would not give me the necessary clearance to remove the front clamps behind the cat pipes. I used my old steel Sears ramps which lift the car approx 12". Getting the old system off was not too bad, the hardest part being separating the front muffler from the cat pipes. The rubber hangers can be a bit of a bear to pop off while under the car, so I removed the brackets associated with the 4 rubbers (2 on each resonator). A little silicone spray helps a lot. The drivers side resonator detaches from the muffler, but the pssenger side does not. The whole assembly is a little bulky and heavy while underneath. I found it easier to remove the small crossmember (4 ~3/8 bolts) and put a rolling floor jack under the suitcase muffler and give the passenger side res a good heave-ho. This detached the whole mess from the car. The new system comes with u-bolt style front clamps...bad. My suggestion to Magnaflow is to include 360* strap style clamps like the others included. The area around where the new front pipe connect to the existing 2 7/8" cat pipes is very tight and hard to get the u-bolt style clamps positioned properly. I'll be replacing them soon.
Adjusting the mess so that the tips look perfect is also a pain, in fact I am going to have to make a slight adjustment to get both sides to match.
The sound isn't too mich louder with the windows closed, and at least you feel there's an engine in the car when you rev it in neutral.
I may just be tired, but I'm not sure if I would make the purchase if I could do it over, but that may be premature. Give me a few days and I'll probably feel different. Except for the aforementioned u-bolt clamps, the system is top-notch and well made.
I'm going to bed.
-Steve :yawn:
I backed the car onto my new Rhino ramps, and quickly saw that this would not give me the necessary clearance to remove the front clamps behind the cat pipes. I used my old steel Sears ramps which lift the car approx 12". Getting the old system off was not too bad, the hardest part being separating the front muffler from the cat pipes. The rubber hangers can be a bit of a bear to pop off while under the car, so I removed the brackets associated with the 4 rubbers (2 on each resonator). A little silicone spray helps a lot. The drivers side resonator detaches from the muffler, but the pssenger side does not. The whole assembly is a little bulky and heavy while underneath. I found it easier to remove the small crossmember (4 ~3/8 bolts) and put a rolling floor jack under the suitcase muffler and give the passenger side res a good heave-ho. This detached the whole mess from the car. The new system comes with u-bolt style front clamps...bad. My suggestion to Magnaflow is to include 360* strap style clamps like the others included. The area around where the new front pipe connect to the existing 2 7/8" cat pipes is very tight and hard to get the u-bolt style clamps positioned properly. I'll be replacing them soon.
Adjusting the mess so that the tips look perfect is also a pain, in fact I am going to have to make a slight adjustment to get both sides to match.
The sound isn't too mich louder with the windows closed, and at least you feel there's an engine in the car when you rev it in neutral.
I may just be tired, but I'm not sure if I would make the purchase if I could do it over, but that may be premature. Give me a few days and I'll probably feel different. Except for the aforementioned u-bolt clamps, the system is top-notch and well made.
I'm going to bed.
-Steve :yawn:
