ticker Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 (edited) The pipe coming out of my muffler detached fully yesterday on my way to work. I've kinda been waiting for this to happen since i bought the truck a few years back. I have a leaky manifold and had told myself that when the exhasut started to fall apart I would fix the whole thing. So I'm fantisising of headers and new muffler and cat. Iv'e looked at the prices of individual parts but I haven't a clue as to what this would cost to have it done at a shop. I don't really have alot of money at the moment so I was hoping I could get a feel from you all what you paid to have this sort of work done. I'd be interested in the cheaper fixes too ie. repair manifold(if possible) and OEM type exhaust. I'd like to have a ballpark figure in mind when I look into a shop to do it. thanks in advance tony :bow: Edited March 27, 2007 by ticker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 I have looked around a little bit and found this on the AC site. http://www.4x4parts.com/public_html/shop/i...602aad973fbcba3 It is a cat-back exhaust that bolts on. It looks like it would be pretty easy to install. Has anyone used this product or have any suggestions. I think I'm going to have to live with the leaky manifold for now and just fix the muffler part until I can get some funds together. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Buy a muffler, go to an exhaust shop (not midas). Usually the lil mom & pops shops are your best bet, give them the muffler and tell them to fill the blank lol...they can make you a cat back for a reasonable cost that will be just as good and much cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Mom and Pop is the way to go... 3" from the collector back, 2.5" from the Flo-Pro Muffler out the back... $200 and a 1/2 gallon of McNoughtens for the Tip.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 COOL, thanks guys I've got a shop in mind so now I just need to get me a muffler. :cool2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbuggy67 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Im not quite sure why everyone recommends 3in piping or even 2.5in piping for that matter. Maybe my age is showing through again but exhaust velocity is what give you the horsepower and torque. A turbo car requires 2.5in or 3in piping since the turbo is creating backpressure enough for the engine. Why a NA car or truck would need anything that large is obsurd. A true stepped design exhaust will keep the exhaust gases hot which flow faster then cooler gases hence header wrap or HPC coating. IF you want to lose your low end power at 1500-2500rpm then go large if you choose to keep it don't go larger then 2.25in on the catback. If the header pipe is 2.5in a 2.25in catback will certainly flow plenty and won't be bottlenecked if you choose a proper exhaust. The factory piping on a pathfinder is 1.75in. Measure your broken tailpipe its true! This is a 150hp v6 mill 2in or 2.25in is plenty. Mine actually just broke off within the past week and i ordered a dynomax super turbo muffer which flows great cost 40bucks from summit racing and has fiberglass packing which bottom line has a deep ton thats not intrusive in the cabin or have a drone to it like some straight through mufflers like magnaflow. If a mom/pop exhaust shop bend the pipe remember they have crush bends not mandrel bends so if you choose 2.25in piping its really closer to 2in which should be fine if your just changing the catback. Stock mufflers are our #1 restriction. change that and it will flow a bunch better. PM me if you need more info. remember FLOW is key. Bigger piping makes gases cooler slowing the flow which is bad. good luck. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD50 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I'm happy with my 2.25... I wouldn't go bigger. Got mine done at a small family owned place with great service and knowledgeable staff, can't go wrong there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSon Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 (edited) Whats the average charge have you guys paid for your muffler and cat install? I did get an estimate yesterday at $85 for 2.5 piping from collector back... muffler and cat installed. seems like a damn good deal to me and an honest person to deal with. I like supporting mom and pops business coz these are the very same people supporting locals too. Forget midas or mineike Edited March 13, 2007 by SuperSon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD50 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 i think i paid around 350 for mine with 2.25 from the Y and a flowmaster super 40. the pipe is filthy cheap, mainly muffler cost and labour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 COOL, thanks guys I've got a shop in mind so now I just need to get me a muffler. :cool2: Give me a call, we can probably take care of your tail pipe without a 'shop charge" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSon Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 (edited) i think i paid around 350 for mine with 2.25 from the Y and a flowmaster super 40. the pipe is filthy cheap, mainly muffler cost and labour Forgot to mention just the labor. I figured $62 for this then another $46 for this $85 in labor. So around $220 plus some change I get a whole new exhaust system Edited March 13, 2007 by SuperSon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I havent done the pathy yet, but full 3" header back on my civic was 120 and full 3" catback on the mustang before I got the MAC system was 90 bucks...then he hacked my MAC system into turndowns after the muffler for 20 bucks. Mom & pops places rule, the guy I use cuts deals for drag racers in Albuquerque, so I love him! If you ever lose your exhaust system in albuquerque, hit up Jim's Route 66 muffler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbuggy67 Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Just got my 2in dynomax super turbo muffler installed along wiht 2.25in piping due to the crush bends over the axle so its really 2in internally and the truck has great power all over the rpm range certainly woke the vf30 up. Im glad i went with the 2in muffler and 2.25in piping certainly kept my low rpm torque which was very important to me. the sound is slightly louder then stock esp at 2-3k rpm not loud at all near redline which is even better. Took roughly 2hrs to do and cost 120 cash for the piping and bout 50 bucks for the muffler from summitracing.com Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 Nice, that's the same set up I got from Summit. Unfortunately the shop that I thought was going to be able to do the work doesn't do "custom"exhausts. They can only replace oem type exhaust ($560 installed!) This is a bummer since I pretty much limited to to where i can get the work done. Everyone pretty much recommends a mom and pop type shop but there is nothing close enough to my home or work to make it feasible to do that. There is on the other hand a mieneke accross the street fom me. Whats the deal, after all the trash talk of these types of places I'm a little aprehensive to go there. I don't think I've ever had a vehicle that needed exhaust work while I owned it so this is new territory. thanks :bow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotus7 Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I'm new here but may have a little insight. A lot of Midas and Mieneke's are actually locally owned. They are franchises that individuals buy into. They have the corporate backing for material and training programs for labor. So sometimes it's not a bad deal to check them out. I will say that some shops are corporately owned or part of a larger network, where the franchisee owns several stores throughout a city or region. In your situation, not too many choices, I wouldn't be too aprehensive to go talk to the Mieneke across the street. Typically they will do custom work, and use the parts you bring in, they just won't warrent those parts or possibly the labor to install. Check 'em out, you might be surprised. BTW, I'm not affiliated with any shop or anything. I just know this becuase I worked for a Midas many years ago, I dated the owner's daughter and they've remained family friends for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 The Midas up the street from me was able to install anything I wanted, even to the point of customizing the whole thing. All they asked was that if any mods to the cat were required, I do it myself before bringing it in so they wouldn't be responsible for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 Its done! Just picked up the pathy. Its a whole lot louder than I expected it to be but I'll get used to it. It sounds really good though and I'm curious as to whether I'll notice any difference in performance. All told the shop was $280 for parts and labor -2.4 hours of labor and $80 in parts. I spent about 120 on the dynomax muffler from summit and a new high-flow cat. $400 total which is more than I'd thought but less then the quotes I got to replace it with oem equipment. I'll keep you posted on how it drives when I get a chance to play with it. Thanks to everybody for your input. tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 The Dynomax will mellow out a bit over the first couple thousand miles. Nice sound though, eh? Not as raspy or with that tinny overtone of a Flowmaster. Just rumble.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 The sound is definately nice. I do hope it will mellow out a bit. It sounds like a hot rod at the moment and thats not really what I was going for. I was hoping for it to be a little more understated. One question I have is my stock exhaust had hangars with rubber pieces that isolated the exhaust from the frame a bit. It seems like this new exhaust is welded to the frame directly which cuases a bit of vibration inside the passenger compartment. Is this normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Might have been a cheap fix for rusted out hangers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 whoops there are new hangers on the exhaust, I just couldn't see them very easily. I think that its just that they are new and the rubber is super tight. I felt and heard the exhaust bang into something this morning when I went over a bump. I'm going to have to bring it back to the shop Monday for that and because they put the tailpipe so close to the rear wheel well that I'll never be able to put flares back on if I want to and if i shake the exhaust pipe it hits the bottom of the body panel. I'm going to have to get under there this weekend but it also seems like they routed the exhaust right over the bump stop on the rear axle which I think is a little sketchy. On a positive note the pathy sounds pretty bad ass. I'll post a sound clip this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 No sound clip because my camera makes it sound like I'm reving a motorcycle. I have a few pics though. First pic is of how one of the exhaust hangers is mounted. I think this is why I feel vibration in the passenger compartment. Shouldn't this be welded to the frame? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Ok and this is the pic of really sloppy workmanship. You can see a gash in the exhaust pipe where the bump stop hit it. I'm bringing it back tomorrow to have them re-plumb the exhaust. Should I ask them to move that exhaust hanger that's in the first pic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD50 Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 (edited) They have it attached to the safety loop???? Yeah that would definitely be why your getting bad vibes. The place I had mine done at routed it so they could use the stock hangers since they were in good shape. Edited March 25, 2007 by LD50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 I figured that's why I was getting the vibration. My stock hanger was shot and only being held on with giant hose clamps. I'm definitely going to ask them to move it to a better location. I also just noticed that if I push on the exhaust tip a little bit that it hits the gas tank skid plate on the way down and the mounting bracket for the fender flare on the way up. Hopefully they will stand behind their work and fix it with out a fuss and correctly line up the exhaust so it doesn't bang into anything. I figured I'd give them the stock one as a template. IIf anybody has pics of how they ran a custom exhaust(2.5in) over the rear axle that might help too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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