Alright I will try, though I am having trouble with the whole thing completely loose I just can’t get the stud deep enough to expose some threads:/
I’m sure I do, I will check tomorrow though… would those help?
Exhaust How to get lower exhaust flange nut on?
- Thread starter opihinalu
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I’m sure I do, I will check tomorrow though… would those help?
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Check the motor mounts too. If either of them is worn or broken it could allow the engine to be slightly cocked. That might make lining up the Xpipe more tricky.
Another idea; can you gently force that side up further by using a jack under the pipe?
Another idea; can you gently force that side up further by using a jack under the pipe?
manicmechanic007
5 Year Member
I use a jack and the cardinal rule to start the exhaust bolts
The rubber is the radiator lower mount
The rubber is the radiator lower mount
You most likely can get it on, the issue with a foxbody exhaust is that every time you add a new or difference part, it changes how it fits somewhere else.
I had a bassani 1 piece stainless back in the day. Looked brand new when i sold it after years of NJ winters. Probably the most robust exhaust part i've ever owned. But getting the exhaust where i wanted it was a real pain. I struggled with it every time i took it off.
Now i have a stainless bassani 3 piece. Takes me longer to find the right wrenches and sockets than it does to get it on or off.
Being able to twist and slide the front pipes makes all the difference in the world.
With that said, i looked up the price of a new pipe (i only saw it with cats, if i had the room i would do cats again), though it was $667.
They used to have a kit that came with Cats and cat delete pipes. Which was a 5 piece. So you could swap cats in any time you wanted to.
I would totally buy a 3 piece if I had the money lol. Hopefully one day I’ll see someone selling on used.
I like the jack idea. I was using a jack right at the X to hold the exhaust up but that didn’t do much good. I will check the motor mounts.
manicmechanic007
5 Year Member
The Cardinal rule
Day one mechanic school
Start all the bolts before tightening any
It gets worse than that and there are other rules
Day one mechanic school
Start all the bolts before tightening any
It gets worse than that and there are other rules
I posted about this problem probably about a month ago but I have worked on it and still haven’t gotten anywhere and I want to see if anyone else has any more suggestions. I installed new headers and that went pretty painless. Now that I need to bolt the header flange to the ball socket on the exhaust I am running into problems. I cannot get the bolts to line up. I got 3/4 of the bolts done but there is the last bolt that is like a 1/2 inch away from the hole it needs to go into now. It is extremely frustrating.
I have since procrastinated this part of the project and moved onto something else which is also equally as frustrating and is not working. These are the last 2 things that I need to do to get my car running again and I am losing motivation and I am making no progress. Sorry for the rant. Any suggestions? I am very willing to provide more info if needed. I just want to get this done.
I have since procrastinated this part of the project and moved onto something else which is also equally as frustrating and is not working. These are the last 2 things that I need to do to get my car running again and I am losing motivation and I am making no progress. Sorry for the rant. Any suggestions? I am very willing to provide more info if needed. I just want to get this done.
I am wondering if the H pipe was bent wrong or bent in shipping. If this is the hang up, a trip to a small exhaust shop would be worth it to get it done and move on. You do not have to do everything yourself.
Miss matched headers and H pipes, ie:hooker headers and BBK H pipes may not line up, take it to a muffler shop so they can bend it to fit, as close as the pics show you should have been able to pry and jack it into place but then it puts the pipe/header into a stress bind and may not seal completely and wiggle loose, the pipes should line up without any hard work,
It’s actually an off-road x pipe. Should have specified that. So I should drive to the exhaust shop open headers and hope they can help? I wanted to go with the idea of not letting anyone else but me touch my car but this is really defeating me…
Yeah that sounds like the problem. I am running an off-road x pipe. That hooked up to the stock manifold just fine but not these new headers. I will probably work on this a little more but I do worry about a stress bend. Thanks for the input.
That’s what I did after a big health issue and was stuck with the H pipe wired up but not hooked up. It was fun driving with open headers once. You might have to swear it’s a race car in progress and pay cash in some states.
I cannnot remember if it is too close or too far apart, but ratchet straps could either be the answer or a disaster on your own.
If the weld pops or the pipe kinks, it’s bad.
The rest of this is brainstorming. Apply at your own risk.
If the pipes are sprung open, you could put a length of 2x in there to prevent pulling them together too far. Pulling apart, do you have two things solid enough to use strap on or a come along on one side? I have pulled a radiator core support with the rear bumper of an F350 and the parking brakes on the car.
- Mar 2, 2015
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Ratchet strap should work. Bolt the one side up until the ball socket starts to seat. Wrap it around the transmission and both pipes. It shouldn't take a whole bunch of pressure to get the pipe to flex enough to get the ball flange to line up. Easier on a 5 speed where there's no dip stick in the way.
You could also put a jack under the pipe and use a 2x4 to pry the pipe over to line up. The heat from driving the car should take the stress out of the pipe.
The 2x4 thing is scary on Jack stands. Pushing towards one side could make the car fall if they aren't stable or positioned correctly.
If the exhaust angle is off a small amount it could cause it to be off way more at the tail pipes. They are right about that.
I'm late to this party but wanted " in " on the brain storming debacle.
You could also put a jack under the pipe and use a 2x4 to pry the pipe over to line up. The heat from driving the car should take the stress out of the pipe.
The 2x4 thing is scary on Jack stands. Pushing towards one side could make the car fall if they aren't stable or positioned correctly.
If the exhaust angle is off a small amount it could cause it to be off way more at the tail pipes. They are right about that.
I'm late to this party but wanted " in " on the brain storming debacle.
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