Install - BBX x pipe and Pypes Violator catback...rather lengthy, but I have to vent...LOL...plus a few tips.
Teardown - removing factory catpipe but keeping factory manifold.
I did not replace the factory manifold with headers at this time, afraid of breaking studs off in the block.
1) I soaked the manifold studs in PB for several days prior to starting my project.
2) using my impact (700lbs reverse), I removed the first nut from the manifold stud......I thought "this is easy". The next three studs snapped off like a pretzel. Now I thought "uggghhh".
---First two broken studs came out easy because there is a shoulder/collar on the stud so it can be removed using a socket and I used the impact.
----First mistake. Using the impact and socket on the third stud I immediately stripped/rounded the head. Uggghhh again. Reading online I found I need to heat up the flange and use a Bolt Grip. My torch tanks were out of gas (thats what I get when I loan them to someone), and I did not have a bolt gripper...end of day for me.
----the next day, I took the whole thing down, drove to the corner auto repair shop (open headers are loud). He put a torch to it, used a bolt gripper and a socket wrench with about a 3 ft long handle. The stud came out screaming all the way. Charge - $40
3) Back in business. Now for new studs. The BBK xpipe came with bolts, washers, lock washers, nuts, and the bolts fit through the stud holes but I wanted to have studs. Went to Napa, nope, he tried but nothing was close. Stopped at the Ford dealer, not in stock and $13 per bolt. Hmmmm, let me think that one over, plus I wanted to finish the car that afternoon.
4) Went ahead and installed the xpipe using the nuts and bolts that came with the xpipe. It was a PITD. I was working by myself holding the pipe to the manifold, holding the flange, the bolt, the washers, the lock washer, and the nut, while flat on my back reaching up into not much space. (and I have a freaking oilpan leak so it can be messy depending on where I rub my arms and hands). The BBK xpipe is a 3 peace so the front tubes are short and not that heavy but still it sucked.
----I found a roll of packing tape in the shop so I used the tape to hold the flange in place on the tube. I also used the tape to wrap the bolts so that they would stay put in the manifold as I attached the nuts, washers, etc. Tightening them up was another interesting issue because I now had to keep the opposite nut from spinning as I tightened it all up....another PITD. Almost no room to get a wrench above to hold the nut.
5) Installing the muffler was another adventure. Pypes makes the tubes and muffler outlet so tight that it is difficult to get the tubes all the way in and still maneuver them around. Then once I get it in and rotated properly, I discovered I had forgotten to install the flange and have to remove and start all over.
6) WD 40 works great on the rubber hangers, but then it makes it so slippery that when moving the muffler around they kept falling off the hangers.
7) Chrome tailpipes extensions are cool but a PITD.Unless I wanted the tailpipe to stick out several inches, I had to push them all the way in. Then the sleeve was so loose I had to use a metal shim to get the extension to hold on the tailpipe. (I had an old spark plug gap tool, took it apart and used the metal strips as a shim).
8) I tighten things all up, look carefully and my exhaust is hanging pretty low where the xpipe meets the catback. While installing the xpipe flange/collector to the manifold, (working by myself and doing this for the first time), I was using the old rubber hangers which are in the middle of the xpipe and apparently tightened up the xpipe to the manifold with the pipes angling downward instead of flat. Therefore when I attached the catback, the mufflers hung pretty low, but I had seen worse.
9) Oh well, I was tired so I put everything away. I was a my work warehouse and had a date. I drove to get a carwash. Uggggghhhhh as I hear my exhaust hit the rail entering the carwash. Drive home, look under and sure enough the rail hit the muffler, pushed it back and now my tailpipe was sticking out about an inch where the muffler had moved backward.
10) Day three and still working on exhaust. Loosened, moved things around, and tightened everything up again. Still hung low, but I really did not want to mess with the manifold/collector at this time.
11) Day four. Ordered new manifold studs from Ford, will be in next day at $10 per stud.
----Bought new rubber hangers. Thought maybe that would raise the muffler so here goes another grease session (my gf is growing tired of soaking my clothes each day). I also suspected an air leak cause it is not so easy to get the Pypes tube into the muffler so I loosened and moved those around too. Was able to remove the tubes, and figured to get them to fit better with the midpipe I would remove about 1/2 inch from each pipe. Sawsall blade was pretty worn but it worked. Put the first pipe into the muffler, mallet it in, fits snug then look and I had put the flange on backward. Not sure if it makes a difference, but I remove the pipe, which sucked, and correct. On to the second pipe, get it to line up, mallet it in, mates real good, look again, and had forgotten the flange all together....arrrgggghhhh
12) All together now. Check for air leaks and I still sense a small leak where the tube enters the muffler. Those freaking connections are retarded. (later I found a clamp made by Pypes that is a cylinder and it clamps over the entire muffler outlet and looks like it seals it. Ordering those next). Drive out of the garage and there is a clang. Take a look and the tailpipe extension had worked its way loose. Back to the warehouse to put shims in the second tailpipe to make it snug.)
13) Studs are in at Ford. Will do another grease session to adjust the xpipe so it it flat and thus raise the entire exhaust. I fouled it up before because it was a PITD to install using the bolt and nut through method. Then did not want to mess with it to adjust after tightening it up. However, I am contemplating ordering an H pipe because the X pipe is wayyyyy to loud and tingy at WOT.
Teardown - removing factory catpipe but keeping factory manifold.
I did not replace the factory manifold with headers at this time, afraid of breaking studs off in the block.
1) I soaked the manifold studs in PB for several days prior to starting my project.
2) using my impact (700lbs reverse), I removed the first nut from the manifold stud......I thought "this is easy". The next three studs snapped off like a pretzel. Now I thought "uggghhh".
---First two broken studs came out easy because there is a shoulder/collar on the stud so it can be removed using a socket and I used the impact.
----First mistake. Using the impact and socket on the third stud I immediately stripped/rounded the head. Uggghhh again. Reading online I found I need to heat up the flange and use a Bolt Grip. My torch tanks were out of gas (thats what I get when I loan them to someone), and I did not have a bolt gripper...end of day for me.
----the next day, I took the whole thing down, drove to the corner auto repair shop (open headers are loud). He put a torch to it, used a bolt gripper and a socket wrench with about a 3 ft long handle. The stud came out screaming all the way. Charge - $40
3) Back in business. Now for new studs. The BBK xpipe came with bolts, washers, lock washers, nuts, and the bolts fit through the stud holes but I wanted to have studs. Went to Napa, nope, he tried but nothing was close. Stopped at the Ford dealer, not in stock and $13 per bolt. Hmmmm, let me think that one over, plus I wanted to finish the car that afternoon.
4) Went ahead and installed the xpipe using the nuts and bolts that came with the xpipe. It was a PITD. I was working by myself holding the pipe to the manifold, holding the flange, the bolt, the washers, the lock washer, and the nut, while flat on my back reaching up into not much space. (and I have a freaking oilpan leak so it can be messy depending on where I rub my arms and hands). The BBK xpipe is a 3 peace so the front tubes are short and not that heavy but still it sucked.
----I found a roll of packing tape in the shop so I used the tape to hold the flange in place on the tube. I also used the tape to wrap the bolts so that they would stay put in the manifold as I attached the nuts, washers, etc. Tightening them up was another interesting issue because I now had to keep the opposite nut from spinning as I tightened it all up....another PITD. Almost no room to get a wrench above to hold the nut.
5) Installing the muffler was another adventure. Pypes makes the tubes and muffler outlet so tight that it is difficult to get the tubes all the way in and still maneuver them around. Then once I get it in and rotated properly, I discovered I had forgotten to install the flange and have to remove and start all over.
6) WD 40 works great on the rubber hangers, but then it makes it so slippery that when moving the muffler around they kept falling off the hangers.
7) Chrome tailpipes extensions are cool but a PITD.
Unless I wanted the tailpipe to stick out several inches, I had to push them all the way in. Then the sleeve was so loose I had to use a metal shim to get the extension to hold on the tailpipe. (I had an old spark plug gap tool, took it apart and used the metal strips as a shim). 8) I tighten things all up, look carefully and my exhaust is hanging pretty low where the xpipe meets the catback. While installing the xpipe flange/collector to the manifold, (working by myself and doing this for the first time), I was using the old rubber hangers which are in the middle of the xpipe and apparently tightened up the xpipe to the manifold with the pipes angling downward instead of flat. Therefore when I attached the catback, the mufflers hung pretty low, but I had seen worse.
9) Oh well, I was tired so I put everything away. I was a my work warehouse and had a date. I drove to get a carwash. Uggggghhhhh as I hear my exhaust hit the rail entering the carwash.
Drive home, look under and sure enough the rail hit the muffler, pushed it back and now my tailpipe was sticking out about an inch where the muffler had moved backward.10) Day three and still working on exhaust. Loosened, moved things around, and tightened everything up again. Still hung low, but I really did not want to mess with the manifold/collector at this time.
11) Day four. Ordered new manifold studs from Ford, will be in next day at $10 per stud.
----Bought new rubber hangers. Thought maybe that would raise the muffler so here goes another grease session (my gf is growing tired of soaking my clothes each day). I also suspected an air leak cause it is not so easy to get the Pypes tube into the muffler so I loosened and moved those around too. Was able to remove the tubes, and figured to get them to fit better with the midpipe I would remove about 1/2 inch from each pipe. Sawsall blade was pretty worn but it worked. Put the first pipe into the muffler, mallet it in, fits snug then look and I had put the flange on backward. Not sure if it makes a difference, but I remove the pipe, which sucked, and correct. On to the second pipe, get it to line up, mallet it in, mates real good, look again, and had forgotten the flange all together....arrrgggghhhh
12) All together now. Check for air leaks and I still sense a small leak where the tube enters the muffler. Those freaking connections are retarded. (later I found a clamp made by Pypes that is a cylinder and it clamps over the entire muffler outlet and looks like it seals it. Ordering those next). Drive out of the garage and there is a clang. Take a look and the tailpipe extension had worked its way loose. Back to the warehouse to put shims in the second tailpipe to make it snug.)
13) Studs are in at Ford. Will do another grease session to adjust the xpipe so it it flat and thus raise the entire exhaust. I fouled it up before because it was a PITD to install using the bolt and nut through method. Then did not want to mess with it to adjust after tightening it up. However, I am contemplating ordering an H pipe because the X pipe is wayyyyy to loud and tingy at WOT.
