Fixing exhaust

[the_bard]

When I do my engine & tranny swap from the '92 Loyale into the '90 Loyale, the entire exhaust system is going to have to follow.

 

Problem is, the exhaust system is a pretty large mess right now. There are two big gaps in the stock pipe that I've jerry-rigged with that flexible exhaust tube and various types of exhaust repair tape. One's just in front of the rear cat leading to where the exhaust pipe attaches to the support. The second chunk leads from behind the rear cat to the flange that bolts onto the flange leading to the muffler.

 

Both sections would need to be replaced with bent piping. I have no mig welder, no pipe bender, so it's rather ridiculous & impossible for me to do this on my own.

 

Supposedly there's a guy about a half hour away that'll do a bang-up exhaust job for cheap (guy who I heard it from said "$20 if he doesn't hurt himself, $50 if he does" ). As long as it just involves pipes, that is. I haven't talked to him yet, but I figured it's a thought.

 

Other problem is, the flange that mounts to the headers is pretty rusted out, along with the studs. So if this guy needs to pull the exhaust system in order to weld on it, I'd need to replace the studs (going to need to anyhow, once I do the swap). That flange looks pretty weak where it joins onto the pipe... don't imagine it'll last all that long, if it even holds after the swap.

 

I imagine it might be possible to build that joint back up with a welder, but with all the other work that the current piping needs, I can't imagine it being worth it.

 

From what I've seen in my searches on the web, replacing the exhaust with new y-pipes, cats, and piping is gonna be expensive. So what I'm thinking I'll do is hunt around the junkyards in the area, and find a set of y-pipes that's relatively untouched by rust, with the heat shielding intact. I could pick up the cats and piping, too, but then I don't know the condition of the cats (or I could just hollow out the cats... NY inspection is still visual only, I believe). Or I could take my cats, and have somebody weld in the replacement piping.

 

Just looking for the cheapest route that'll pass inspection, at this point. I'll worry about replacing/upgrading it properly later.

 

Anybody have any suggestions?

[EmmCeeBee]

I have a Y-pipe that u can have for $shipping....

 

It's in almost perfect condition -- except last summer my cat started rattling. I don't have the option of gutting the cat here in SW Washington, so I bought a new Y-pipe (from dealer, not that expensive, considering -- $235).

 

I really should get rid of the old one, but it would be good for someone who could gut the cat and get away with it. Oh.... the rear hanger bracket is broken, but it can be welded or braced up with a clamp (which I did). Heat shields in perfect condition (new SS bolts), no rust.

 

'Course, I see you're on the east coast. Shipping might add up big$.

 

This is a N/A EA82.

 

-- Mark

[the_bard]

That would be awesome . Assuming shipping isn't too bad, at least.

 

Figure a 48" x 36" x 12" box... 25 lbs total weight... Yep, UPS wants $111. Falls under the OverSize category 3, so they get to bill it as a 100 lbs. item. Shipping from Richland, WA 99352.

 

Hmmm... say you took a hacksaw (or sawzall ) to it, so it'd fit in a 48" x 18" x 18" box. That drops it down to $50.

 

Then 36" x 18" x 18" box... now it's $30.

 

Looks like anything smaller than that runs $26.

 

Fedex Ground looks like it's cheaper... 36"x18"x18" at 25 lbs. is $22. 36" x 12" x 12" is $19.

 

Gonna take a closer look underneath the car tomorrow, and see how small it could be if the 'y' sections were cut off from the cat. Might even be able to use my old cat. Depends on how much trouble it'd be to get all the pieces welded back together.