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Randy Pflanzer
Technology Professionals Consortium
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   What's New?
 
  02/01/13 - Reformatted web page.

 

Side Pipes

From Day one, I never cared for the side pipes provided in the kit.  I didn't care for the constant radius bends in the pipes just prior to the collector, and after driving the car for a summer, the noise level was not tolerable.  I had to constantly wear ear plugs to keep the drone of the pipes out of my brain.  So I ordered up a new set of pipes and mufflers so that I could build my own.  Above are the parts although I could not use the mufflers pictures above because the slip joints were already welded in.  I didn't want another weld to cover up so I ordered another set of mufflers from Brian.

The first step was to grind all the existing welds smooth.  This took a combination of grinders, Dremel bits, and sanding disks.

Here are some of the tools used.

Next step was to quiet the pipes down.  I bought this restrictor baffle from Summit Racing.

The restrictor is welded in right after the collector and prior to the muffler.  This is a bit of a crap shoot because I have no idea what this restrictor is going to do to the sound and the performance of the car.  If it turns out to be too restrictive, I'll cut them out and replace them again.

With the collector pipe bolted on, I positioned the muffler and the tail pipe into place, tack welded them, and then took them over to the bench for final welding and grinding.

Here's a shot of the support bracket I welded on to the tail pipe.  I was able to make this significantly smaller than on the standard pipes and the whole assembly fit perfect to the car.

I had these pipes ceramic coated and put back on the car.  Initial sound tests are good.  The noise level is down to a tolerable level but the car still has a deep thumping sound.  I haven't had an opportunity to drive the car yet so I don't know how much the performance has been compromised.  More to come on this.

Other things I did to the car while I had it down for changes include fixing a minor coolant leak, new filters all around, fluid top offs on the tranny and rear end, some minor cosmetic fixes to the paint, and a complete wax and polish.

I think I'm ready to go for another driving season!!!