[k9eros]

So I have the car jacked up and on jack stands, the left tailpipe removed and the right side/suitcase loose. However, I can't budge the system off of the down/catted pipes. Any tips or tricks? No, I don't have a torch to heat them up.

 

[Hemi31]

Take off the X-brace and then holding the tail pipe start working it side to side till it starts to move.Or you can beat the crap out of it with a rubber mallet.Guess it depends on your mood!

 

[ZMagnum]

Remove the cross bar like Hemi13 said and then using a long extension bar remove the exhaust hangers up near the cats. The whole exhaust will pivot down in one pice. Now you can work on it easier. That's what the guy did in installing my Zoomers so he could fully weld it while still on my car.

 

[Hemi31]

There are no hangers near the Cats!

 

[k9eros]

I had taken the X brace off, loostened the system by wiggling it, beaten it with a dead-blow mallet and even tried a hand sledge. I had sprayed a penetrant in the joints before coming inside to post this question. I just went out, braced my feet against the rear tires and pulled like mad while wiggling the snot out of it. What a crash it finally made, but it sounded beautiful. I was having visions of having to cut the right pipe off behind the hanger, rehang the suitcase and take it to a shop to have the system cut off.
Thanks for giving me the motivation to give it one last try.

And no, there are no hangers forward of the suitcase. The whole system was already pivoted down.

Take off the X-brace and then holding the tail pipe start working it side to side till it starts to move.Or you can beat the crap out of it with a rubber mallet.Guess it depends on your mood!

 

[Hemi31]

Glad to hear you got it off.Now,don't tighten anything until you get the brace back on,and you wedge a block of wood about an inch and a half thick between the brace and the exhaust.It is the best way to hold the pipes up high enough to not rub the brace,while you tightn the clamps.That noise will make you insane!

 

[k9eros]

Already got a chunk of 2X4 sitting there as a spacer. Nothing will get torqued until the whole system is hung and looking right.

Thanks again.

Glad to hear you got it off.Now,don't tighten anything until you get the brace back on,and you wedge a block of wood about an inch and a half thick between the brace and the exhaust.It is the best way to hold the pipes up high enough to not rub the brace,while you tightn the clamps.That noise will make you insane!

 

[magram]

If your exhast hangs to low now,and rubs on the brace flip the brace upside down and just use a couple of nuts as spacers, there is lots of extra threads to do this. That's what I had to do with my dynomax exhast. I don't have a pic of what I'm talking about but here's an exhast pic.

 

[MikeEast]

My Magnaflow setup was touching that brace every now and again, and made me nuts - I'd brace it up, torque the crap outa everything and a week later have if rubbing again.

My buddy Dennis drew a bead about an inch long on the undersides of the connections - hasn't budged since.

Mike

 

[ZMagnum]

There are no hangers near the Cats!

It may be above the cats. Between the cats and the engine.

 

[magram]

My Magnaflow setup was touching that brace every now and again, and made me nuts - I'd brace it up, torque the crap outa everything and a week later have if rubbing again.

My buddy Dennis drew a bead about an inch long on the undersides of the connections - hasn't budged since.

Mike

I just tack welded mine, this way I won't have to grind that much of a bead off if I want to swap to factory pipes again. Mine hasn't moved an inch either, but both will work.

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l260/magram/

 

[Hemi31]

It may be above the cats. Between the cats and the engine.

No hangers on an RT near the cats!The only hangers are behind the muffler and at the resonators!

 

[Super T]

And those rubber hangers SUCK to take on/off!

 

[ZMagnum]

No hangers on an RT near the cats!The only hangers are behind the muffler and at the resonators!

That's strange. I watched the guy loosen/remove some bolts up near the cats or engine and then lower the entire exhaust system as one unit. All the other hangers had been removed as well. I'm not sure what it did then.

 

[k9eros]

OK, I'm half insane now.
I couldn't wedge the 2X4 between the pipes and cross member. So, I wedged the pipes up as far as I could and left it at that. All was good or about 30 seconds, then the noise started. The pipes fell down and were hitting the crossmember.
I took it in and we put it on a lift, wedged the pipes up again and this time tack welded the pipes. Let the pipes down, they fell to within about half an inch at most of the crossmember. Well, they still hit the crossmember every once in a while, they wouldn't go up any further, and I'm stumped. These 3" pipes are huge...
Will it hurt anything to just remove the crossmember?

It is the best way to hold the pipes up high enough to not rub the brace,while you tightn the clamps.That noise will make you insane!