Exhaust Install

[matt325]

For those of you who have installed the Spec3 exhaust, exactly where do I cut the stock exhaust...upstream or downstream of the yellow clamp thing?

 

I can't quite tell from the pipe diameter on the new exhaust if it will be inside or outside the old pipe. There is also enough uncertainty just holding up the pipe to be sure where to cut.

 

Like they say, measure twice, cut once...

 

 

Thanks,

Matt

[Scany]

I believe mine is cut to the right of that yellow clamp. I can try and take a pic later tonight as my car is still up on stands.

[matt325]

I believe mine is cut to the right of that yellow clamp. I can try and take a pic later tonight as my car is still up on stands.

 

I'd really appreciate that. Thanks!

[VaTechM3]

Great post Matt! I didn't realize there was cutting involved with the install...I figured if you've got to cut it there, you might as well just put planges on it and bolt it to where the cat back disconnections. Sure would be easier to install correctly!

 

Good luck with the install, once you get it in, could you post some pics so we can see the final product installed on the car for future reference

[Jon M.]

Great post Matt! I didn't realize there was cutting involved with the install...I figured if you've got to cut it there, you might as well just put planges on it and bolt it to where the cat back disconnections. Sure would be easier to install correctly!

 

Good luck with the install, once you get it in, could you post some pics so we can see the final product installed on the car for future reference

 

 

the exhaust requires cutting to remove the cat. For this reason, and to keep costs down (I mean $180 is pretty darn cheap for a track exhaust), there is cutting required.

 

 

Matt,

 

My apologies, I have the car at home, but my jack is in the trailer 45 minutes away. Hopefully Anders will come through with some photos.

 

Thanks,

Jon

[matt325]

Great post Matt! I didn't realize there was cutting involved with the install...I figured if you've got to cut it there, you might as well just put planges on it and bolt it to where the cat back disconnections. Sure would be easier to install correctly!

 

Good luck with the install, once you get it in, could you post some pics so we can see the final product installed on the car for future reference

 

 

the exhaust requires cutting to remove the cat. For this reason, and to keep costs down (I mean $180 is pretty darn cheap for a track exhaust), there is cutting required.

 

 

Matt,

 

My apologies, I have the car at home, but my jack is in the trailer 45 minutes away. Hopefully Anders will come through with some photos.

 

Thanks,

Jon

 

 

$180!! That's not what I paid for the exhaust (no, I didn't pay less either).

[Scany]

Great post Matt! I didn't realize there was cutting involved with the install...I figured if you've got to cut it there, you might as well just put planges on it and bolt it to where the cat back disconnections. Sure would be easier to install correctly!

 

Good luck with the install, once you get it in, could you post some pics so we can see the final product installed on the car for future reference

 

You can see the exhaust on the vid when I got my car back from the shop:

 

Pics of the cut and weld coming up tonight, soon.

[Scany]

I can't attach pictures on this board because it's full apparently. But I'll try to link it from my website:

 

[matt325]

Thanks for the photo. I see you welded the new pipe to the original exhaust rather than use the clamp from the kit. Any particular reason why?

 

Also, since the yellow bracket is gone from your collector, can you get a measurement between the welds (from the one on the Y where the pipes come into it and the other on the new part)?

 

Thanks again!

 

Matt

[Scany]

Matt,

 

The job was done by York Automotive when they welded in the subframe reinforcements. I guess they had the welder out. I'll try to get you some measurements tomorrow.

[VaTechM3]

Great post Matt! I didn't realize there was cutting involved with the install...I figured if you've got to cut it there, you might as well just put planges on it and bolt it to where the cat back disconnections. Sure would be easier to install correctly!

 

Good luck with the install, once you get it in, could you post some pics so we can see the final product installed on the car for future reference

 

 

the exhaust requires cutting to remove the cat. For this reason, and to keep costs down (I mean $180 is pretty darn cheap for a track exhaust), there is cutting required.

 

 

Matt,

 

My apologies, I have the car at home, but my jack is in the trailer 45 minutes away. Hopefully Anders will come through with some photos.

 

Thanks,

Jon

 

 

$180!! That's not what I paid for the exhaust (no, I didn't pay less either).

 

I thought they were closer to $300?

[Jon M.]

It would appear that my memory was out of whack when I wrote that. I guess that is what I get for trying to do too many things at once.

 

My apologies for the confusion.

Jon

[VaTechM3]

Haha, now hes just trying to cover his tracks! He must have the inside deals haha!

[Jon M.]

Haha, now hes just trying to cover his tracks! He must have the inside deals haha!

 

 

I wish I knew, remember my car is the original prototype vehicle, so it was put together before I bought it.

 

The most I had to do was install a window net, vinyl, and NASA stickers to get up and running.

 

I know that the spec exhaust is not a work of art, but it works and the Mitchum folks are NASA-MA family.

 

The part was "spec'ed" before I took over and provides us with a safe and equal playing field.

[Scany]

Thanks for the photo. I see you welded the new pipe to the original exhaust rather than use the clamp from the kit. Any particular reason why?

 

Also, since the yellow bracket is gone from your collector, can you get a measurement between the welds (from the one on the Y where the pipes come into it and the other on the new part)?

 

Thanks again!

 

Matt

 

Matt,

 

I got the complete exhaust off the car right now and I'll try to give you the emasurement you want if you still need it. If you'd like you can also stop by if you're in the area (NW DC).

[VaTechM3]

I'm pretty sure Matt lives in Florida or somewhere way down South

[matt325]

 

Matt,

 

I got the complete exhaust off the car right now and I'll try to give you the emasurement you want if you still need it. If you'd like you can also stop by if you're in the area (NW DC).

 

Yeah, if you can grab a measurement, that would be great. From your weld joint to the yellow bracket (f you still have it), or to the split in the Y (if you don't). Reference the first picture in the first post of this thread.

 

It will be a little tough to stop by...I live in Florida (Melbourne...a little south of Cape Kennedy), but I appreciate the offer.

[matt325]

Bit the bullet and cut the cats off at just aft of the yellow bracket. Works out fine. Leaves a good amount of front-pipe to sit inside the new mid-pipe.

 

Next problem: with the front pipe bolted back up to the manifold, and secured to the bracket that comes off of the transmission, the new mid-pipe won't line up with the factory hangers about 2/3 of the way down.

 

 

The part boxed in red needs to move over about 6 inches or so. It appears that the bend in the mid-pipe up near the O2 sensor isn't right and won't allow the correct alignment. No amount of "pushing" is going to get this piece in place. The end of the front-pipe is fixed in space and can't move if one wants the manifold to exhaust flanges to line up (which I very much do).

 

Is there something I am missing here? Comments welcome. Before taking it someplace to get to bend it more (which will crimp down the pipe area even more---these are crush bent pipes, not mandrel bent), I would like to understand what is wrong.

[MDizzle]

the spec exhaust is crush bent...not mandrel bent? that's kinda wack - didn't know that.

[matt325]

FINALLY. After a month, my Spec3 exhaust is finally installed.

 

Before installing your Spec3 exhaust midpipe MEASURE THE BEND ANGLE. If it is not very close to 53 degrees, IT WILL NOT WORK. Don't test install it hoping it will magically work out, because it won't. The first pipe I received in the kit (pictured above) was 46 degrees...not even close.

 

I measured the bend using Photoshop. This is a picture of my final midpipe, with a correct bend angle. I will be happy to help out anyone if they don't have a way of doing this. Just send a picture.

 

 

Second, check that the strip of metal welded to the aft end of the midpipe is flat. Lay the midpipe on the ground. The strip of metal should be parallel with the ground. The strip original midpipe in my kit was not (you can see it in the Jan. 30 picture) and even if the bend had been correct, the hangars would not have gone on correctly.

 

Here is what a midpipe with the correct bend angle looks like installed:

 

 

And the rest of the exhaust:

 

 

[dbgeek]

Did you have someone re-bend what you received, or did Mitchum fix it?

[matt325]

The midpipe can't be re-bent as the O2 bung is welded right in the middle of the bend...it won't go back on a bender. It would be possible to put a correction bend after the main bend to bring the tube back over, but then it, technically, wouldn't be "spec" any more.

 

Mitchum sent me another midpipe, but it was over bent (58 deg.) and did not work either. Sorry to say this, and much to my disappointment, he was not interested in dealing with the problem for me.

 

I had a local shop make the final one using the exact same materials and tube sizes, but correctly bent (and additional cost).

 

I don't want to cause problems with a Spec3 supplier, but I want Spec3 to succeed, and sharing information is important. I have been in close contact with Jon during all of this and he assures me it is being handled.

 

I still recommend measuring the bend angle before installing midpipe.

[VaTechM3]

Wow, thats pretty crazy you had to go through that whole ordeal Matt! Kind of sticks for sure!

 

Hopefully this issue will be resolved and we won't have to deal with it much any more.

 

Exhaust looks good once it is installed though!

[dbgeek]

I've cut the stock exhaust off, and am getting ready to install the spec3 pieces - wish me luck. The O2 sensor seems awful stuck...

 

Just a note to others: use a die grinder or angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. The sawzall just cooks blades on that piece of metal.

 

Done... My advice is to take ot to a shop and pay them to deal with it. My mid pipe was not bent properly... so I stuck some roll bar tubing in one end, put it in my trailer hitch, and stuck another 3' piece in the other end and 'adjusted' the bend.

 

The hardest part was getting the stock exhaust to mate with the new midpipe. I removed the header/collector and took it to a shop for some $10 assistance. Totally worth it. If I hadn't already cut off the stock exhaust, I'd much rather have paid the shop to do the whole thing.

 

Live and Learn...

[matt325]

My mid pipe was not bent properly...

 

I see the simple task of bending a tube to the correct angle has still not been solved by the Supplier. My local muffler shop had no problem. But it sucks having to $300 for the exhaust and then even more to fix the thing. Even worse when we made an effort to raise and solve the issue and it still comes out wrong.