Installing the new BBK H-pipe...son of a bitch!

[mustangramair]

My BBK X-pipe was the same way. First i took it to an exhaust shop and he had tons of trouble with it, he said he would never do another X after he installed mine. I have had the X-pipe disconnected many times and every time i go to bolt it back on to the headers its the BIGGEST PITA ever! I won't ever buy another BBK mid pipe, especially since BBK didn't seem to give a d*mn when i called.

 

[88 Fox GT]

My BBK X-pipe was the same way. First i took it to an exhaust shop and he had tons of trouble with it, he said he would never do another X after he installed mine. I have had the X-pipe disconnected many times and every time i go to bolt it back on to the headers its the BIGGEST PITA ever! I won't ever buy another BBK mid pipe, especially since BBK didn't seem to give a d*mn when i called.

Well, I hope I can get mine to fit pretty well once the header studs are repaired.

I got the passenger side header repaired and replaced the broken stud. I'll probably do the other one tomorrow night because I have college work to do tonight (yay ).

While I was removing the driver side header, I managed to snap the dipstick tube off inside the block.... I guess I have to figure out a way to get that fixed now.

 

[Aaron]

I hate to tell you this, but my BBK H-Pipe (with cats) was a major PITA. I couldn't get everything lined up for the life of me. Finally, I took it into a shop to have it installed. They had to heat up sections and bend it in spots to get it to line up. It was not fun at all.
However now that it is slightly reshaped, it goes on and off very easy and hugs the undercarriage perfectly.

 

[Henceforward]

I too have never understood how X-H pipe installs go that bad.

Pb Blaster is a high powered solvent that penetrates the threads better than WD-40. I have cans of that crap all over the place, house, cars, garage.

I installed my Flowmaster Catback, BBK Xpipe, and BBK headers all with no problems.

Paying a shop to do the work is a waste if you have access to tools, jackstands, and a jack.

 

[Aaron]

Paying a shop to do the work is a waste if you have access to tools, jackstands, and a jack.

And a blowtorch :SNSign:
I'm telling ya - the shop had to change the angle of the pipes going up to the headers. There was NO way my H-pipe was going to fit the way it came.

 

[ryan218]

hmm. didnt take me long when I put on on todds 88 gt

:shurg:

 

[Aaron]

hmm. didnt take me long when I put on on todds 88 gt

:shurg:

What brand is it? I'm not saying all are the same. I'm just talking about BBK.

 

[Ozz]

My BBK H was a PITA to install too. The headers were BBK and catback was MAC, so somewhere therein lied a problem.

 

[mustangramair]

Well, I hope I can get mine to fit pretty well once the header studs are repaired.

I got the passenger side header repaired and replaced the broken stud. I'll probably do the other one tomorrow night because I have college work to do tonight (yay ).

While I was removing the driver side header, I managed to snap the dipstick tube off inside the block.... I guess I have to figure out a way to get that fixed now.

My studs broke when my friends and i were bolting the BBK headers up to the BBK X-pipe after we were done with my H/C/I.

 

[mustangramair]

And a blowtorch :SNSign:
I'm telling ya - the shop had to change the angle of the pipes going up to the headers. There was NO way my H-pipe was going to fit the way it came.

The guy at the shop did that with mine alittle also!

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

FWIW, this is yet another point for the full length vs. shorty argument....i can change my mid pipe on the ground without jacking up the car and without power tools.

 

[fox-gt]

Paying a shop to do the work is a waste if you have access to tools, jackstands, and a jack.

Unless you don't have time to work on it.

 

[postalbunny]

Same problem /w bbk h-pipe & cats, passenger side was about 2-3 inches off. Exhaust shop just cut it and re-weleded it on at the right angle to make it.

 

[Darkwriter77]

PB Blaster, fo ****zle, m'nizzle!

FWIW, the only headaches as far as installs with X-/H-pipes go seem to be regarding the one-piece units, or those whose only connection made during install is right in the middle of the H-connection. Those off-road pieces whose designs allow for one or more extra ball-and-socket type connections ahead of the X- or H-connection (Pypes and UPR X-pipes, for example) are a total breeze to hook up, partly because you can just hang everything in place finger-tight and then cinch it all down nice n' snug when you have everything in position ... and partly because neither of those designs require you to fight those friggin' tranny mount hangers, either.

Jeg's does have a heckuva nicely designed off-road X-pipe, however, that I've been giving some serious consideration. It does feature tranny mount hangers, which eliminate the problem that my stupid cat'ed UPR X-pipe has always had with sagging under its own weight and scraping on every little bump ... BUT it has TWO ball-and-socket connections AHEAD of the X-connection. What this means is you can hook up the two downpipes off the headers, slide the 2nd half onto its hangers while hooking it to those two, and then work your way back from there. Sounds complicated, but it definitely looks like it would make the install SOOOOOOO much easier, and be a lot more firmly-mounted up in the long run than the hangerless X-pipe designs.

 

[frcefedlx]

bbk sucks, I swapped out an off road h-pipe for a catted pipe from bbk and will never buy anything with the bbk name on it. I can not belive how bad it went and I thought 3\8" flanges were supposed to be tough. they were bent on my headers and had to be smacked straight after I snapped every damn stud on the collector and had to remove the headers to. just to put that damn pipe on.I paid good money for inferior crap.

 

[88 Fox GT]

The only thing I'm worried about is during the mock up, I had to fight the hell out of the cat back just to make it slide over the cones on the H pipe. It really wasn't fitting too well. If it doesn't fit worth a damn tomorrow, I will never buy a BBK mid pipe again.

 

[ryan218]

What brand is it? I'm not saying all are the same. I'm just talking about BBK.

it was a headman h pipe with headman headers and a set of super 40's into dumpes. todd put on the headers on(we did this while my dad was do some more body work to the 86). while i put on the h pipe and the mufflers. then i tacked welded the hangers into place then we jacked it up and todd looked over my tacks and said that there were pretty good for my first time. took us about 2 and a half hours after everything from opening the boxes to the last weld that went in. i dont know. didnt seem to take that long. i was having fun in the sun.

if you would i like i will scan in some pictures of the 88gt for you to see.

im going to bed. im tired

 

[Chuckman]

PB Blaster, fo ****zle, m'nizzle!

FWIW, the only headaches as far as installs with X-/H-pipes go seem to be regarding the one-piece units, or those whose only connection made during install is right in the middle of the H-connection. Those off-road pieces whose designs allow for one or more extra ball-and-socket type connections ahead of the X- or H-connection (Pypes and UPR X-pipes, for example) are a total breeze to hook up, partly because you can just hang everything in place finger-tight and then cinch it all down nice n' snug when you have everything in position ... and partly because neither of those designs require you to fight those friggin' tranny mount hangers, either.

Jeg's does have a heckuva nicely designed off-road X-pipe, however, that I've been giving some serious consideration. It does feature tranny mount hangers, which eliminate the problem that my stupid cat'ed UPR X-pipe has always had with sagging under its own weight and scraping on every little bump ... BUT it has TWO ball-and-socket connections AHEAD of the X-connection. What this means is you can hook up the two downpipes off the headers, slide the 2nd half onto its hangers while hooking it to those two, and then work your way back from there. Sounds complicated, but it definitely looks like it would make the install SOOOOOOO much easier, and be a lot more firmly-mounted up in the long run than the hangerless X-pipe designs.

i agree whole-heartdly. the mac pieces are like that, it makes taking em on and off and aligning them SO much easier. the bbk unit i had took two people to hoist it up and fanangle into place, but was able to install the mac by my self in about 1/4 the time (cept for taking the stock 17y.o. pipe off, why oh why did it have to have 4 cats? espically the two of em exactly where you need to put a ratchet for the collectors, almost forcing you to use so many extensions as to make breaking off the studs so easy?)

 

[88 Fox GT]

DON'T BUY BBK H PIPES

This thing is a fuggin piece of ****. The driver side tail pipe is sticking out at least 1.5" too far. This is on a GT so, it looks like complete **** just hangin out from under the bumper cover!

I'm gonna see about getting into the exhaust shop tomorrow so I can have it fixed. I'm gonna have well over $200 wrapped up into this POS pipe.

Oh, I also have a bad ass exhaust leak where the mid pipe bolts to the header. Don't know why, both nuts are really tight. This really burns my ass right now because this car is my DD.

 

[tunedin302]

DON'T BUY BBK H PIPES

Sorry to hear that. After going through the same thing, many times, I finally got a bassani 2 piece pipe and installation was a breeze in comparison.