I hate exhausts!!!!

[Legacy777]

Yeah....it's looks ok/marginal.

The first thing I need to figure out is, is the current clearance I have enough to not cause me any fitment issues. If so, then I can go in and see what a shop can do. As of now, just messing with the hangers....I don't think will work.

[Legacy777]

Well I went for a drive in the rain today...very similar type of rain that I initially found out my issues.....and didn't appear to have any rubbing.

So the extra long hangers work. I just need to find someone/some way to modify the piping so I can use the stock hangers at the muffer and raise the tip up, but still keep the clearance at the resonator.

BTW, I have about .6" of clearance between the driveline and resonator.

[georryan]

So guess what? I got my cat and put it up in place of the test pipe. PUlled out of the driveway and heard tons of rubbing from the driveline on the resonator.

"DANGIT" I start thinking. Then I look under the car and those two pieces are just getting to know each other real well.

So I start loosening up bolts and the first thing I notice is that the resonator drops enough to stop rubbing. I haven't even removed the bolts yet.

So then I put in the test pipe. The test pipe is just about 7/32" longer than the cat I got. With the test pipe in, I have no rubbing issues. It is close but no rubbing.

Conclusion: the cat I bought is just short enough that it pulls the midpipe towards the front of the car and for some reason it raises it enough to rub. Crazy I know, but that is the deal on my car. I'm betting that on your car Josh, if you had a little longer cat in place of that test pipe you'd probably be ok.

-Ryan

[Legacy777]

Ryan,

I have a cat on mine, no test pipe. I made adjustments so that I was not getting rubbing in the dry, only in the wet. However, what you saw probably holds true.

I guess one possibility is to try and get a 1/4" piece of metal water jet cut or something and slip it in between the cat & mid-pipe.

[georryan]

Yeah, I took my car back to the shop that fabricated the cat. I told them what was up, and they are going to try and fix it. They are also going to smog it for me. The car is stumbling at idle at times and it stumbled on the freeway some when I was being light on the gas pedal. I'm thinking it could be plugs, we'll see if it passes.

[Legacy777]

Did they use a standard flange to mate up with the CES stuff? Or did they have to custom do something?

I guess if the flange is a "standard" exhaust flange, I can probably find something relatively cheap, rather then me having to have something made.

[georryan]

I just took took the test pipe to an exhaust shop and said "hey make it to these dimensions so they are swappable."

Its just a 3" 2 bolt flange on the ends.

[Legacy777]

yeah....I'm hoping it's a "standard" type of flange, and I can just buy the flange somewhere.

[Legacy777]

Just to give an update. When putting my downpipe back on after the turbo swap, I too noticed a gap.

I used the 1/8" thick spacer I bought. I can't recall the name off the top of my head now. But between that, and two gaskets, that seemed to fill the gap. I'm going to try going back to stock length hangers and see if I get any rubbing in the wet.

Here's to hoping....

[legacy94]

great lookin set-up you got there...even if it's given you fitment probs...

BTW-how does it sound?

[Legacy777]

Sounds good.

[Legacy777]

Just to give an update. When putting my downpipe back on after the turbo swap, I too noticed a gap.

I used the 1/8" thick spacer I bought. I can't recall the name off the top of my head now. But between that, and two gaskets, that seemed to fill the gap. I'm going to try going back to stock length hangers and see if I get any rubbing in the wet.

Here's to hoping....

Drove in some rain last night, and didn't have any rubbing....it wasn't the same deluge I had before, but wanted to post my results so far.

[Legacy777]

Got an update to this thread.

There was speculation that the cat I got was shorter and that the test pipe would be the correct length. Well....I ended up picking a CES test pipe up from magicmike to use on my car. Turns out the test pipe and the cat are exactly the same length. So for whatever reason, the exhaust on my car is about 1/8" too short and caused my rubbing issues. The spacer I had made is working great, so no complaints after all is said and done.

Pics of the exhaust are towards the bottom of this page
http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/s ... adwork/27/