Exhaust options

[88Vic]

Are vibration dampers the same thing as flex pipe?

[Nathan in MI]

No. They're metal weights that mount on the pipes to help dampen the vibration in the exhaust system.

[LTDMan83]

Usually doesn't hurt to take the Vibration Dampers off,your just adding unnecessary Vibration to the exhaust and chassis,by doing so.I kept mine on when I did my exhaust,just because the exhaust system will last a little longer with them on.

I think I'm gonna go with a set of the impy tailpipes and just use the over the axle parts.My 2 1/4in tailpipes are only about a year old,and are nice and cleanly tucked away behind the bottom of the rear quarter.I cannot stand low-hanging exhaust....

[Lincolnmania]

i dunno man....i ripped mine of in 1998 when i installed 2.25" duals when i worked at meineke......in 2004 i changed over to headers and an off road pipe and s10 midpipes.....those tails are still from 1998....no vibration

[gadget73]

Mine has a drone at like 45 mph in overdrive, when the engine is around 1500 rpm. Thats it. No other vibration issues, nothing has come apart, etc. The dampers are to reduce drone, somehow it changes the resonant frequency of the pipe or something. The stockers don't fit on the Mustang H pipe, so its not really of any use to me.

[P72Ford]

I cannot stand low-hanging exhaust....

Same here.

You guys haven't had trouble breaking hangers and cracking pipe? Well, maybe I was wrong then. You know what I think it is more than anything: the fact that my hangers are no longer rubber isolated. Well, there is a really small rubber, but its not prone to flexing under bumps, etc. The exhaust is probably breaking/ cracking because of the shock from bumps, and a lack of rubber cushion. Anyway, my current $400 cat back is coming off soon. My cats are shot (you can see particulates out the tailpipe), so they need to be replaces. I'm not sure what to do. It will not pass emissions as is, and it probably needs an O2 sensor too.

I don't want to thread jack, but how are those cats on aftermarket Mustang H pipes? Are those pipes expensive? Can I use one of those pipes with BBK 351 swap headers?

Hey Scott, on average how much does it cost you (in parts) to do a front to back exhaust on one of these cars (using 2.5" and all the pieces that you use, including headers, h pipe)? Just curious.

[turbo2256b]

If you do not have enough flex in the exhaust system headers, pipes and mufflers will form stress cracks and destroy parts of the exhaust system. It will also cause header bolts to loosen.

[Archangel]

Yep, I had my sidepipes hung only at the manifolds and near the exits, the current exhaust is hung only at the manifolds and at the end of the glasspacks, can flex all it wants and never gave me any problems.

[gadget73]

I don't want to thread jack, but how are those cats on aftermarket Mustang H pipes? Are those pipes expensive? Can I use one of those pipes with BBK 351 swap headers?

Depends on the pipe itself. Some H/X pipes are better than others, and will fit differently. The cats are generally a high flow model, but they work. They should work fine with the 351 swap headers, assuming the H or X itself is bent properly. I think the H on Natehawk's car was a BBK offroad H pipe, and it fit up fine to the 351 swap headers. Prices also vary, good ones are usually spendier unless you can find a good used one. Bassani parts are excellent, BBK stuff is also pretty nice. Mine is some unknown brand and its a bit of a pain in the ass. The cats sit kind of close to the trans pan for my liking, but there isn't much I can do short of having the pipe cut apart and re-built. Other brands move the cats forward more and there is more clearance around the pan.

As far as hangers, mine has a swinger types behind each muffler, and another at the end of each tailpipe. No hangers up front, the X pipe is supported only by the headers. It probably could stand a hanger somewhere towards the back end of the X, but there really isn't anything to hook it to. I guess I might be able to rig something hanging the midpipes to the trans cross member but I'm not sure. So far it hasn't proved to be necessary so I'm not going to worry about it. I used to have issues with the bolts backing out and blowing gaskets till I had the headers milled flat, and then the problems stopped. I'm not even using special header gaskets now. Its just a cheap set of manifold gaskets that came in the engine kit because I forgot to order the header gaskets. They've been on there 6 months now without issues.

[Lincolnmania]

midpipes and impala tails are about 150 shipped
headers free-500 bucks
4 extension pipes 20 bucks
2 tips 15 bucks
off road pipes 100-250
catted h or pipes 250-500
mufflers 40pr-?
4 hangers swinger 20 bucks
clamps.....i weld the extensions to the midpipes and the extensions and the tips all together if you dont have a welder, you need 10 clamps if you do you need 4 or 6

[Lincolnmania]

oh and yes they have flex at the midpipe where it connects to the h pipe, it is a ball flange instead of a gasketed flat flange

[over2tonsofFun]

Good to hear that impala parts will work on Ford. Will the parts talked about work on a Town car? I want to convert to headers and true duals.

Tim

[gadget73]

Yes, they work fine on Towncars. Same parts list as above, but the mid pipes end up being a bit longer. Thats what I'm using on my car.

[1987cp]

Yea, you'll wanna keep those Vibration Dampers,trust me.

Do you guys just cut them somehow to fit the larger exhaust pipes and bolt them to the ball flanges, or what? I don't recall there being much room to go bigger ..... my mental picture involves making a new mounting plate that fits the larger pipe and cutting and welding or brazing part of the old plate to it.

[LTDMan83]

You got it,simple as making new mounting plates for them,and welding it up.Probably why I don't have the annoying interior Drone most FM users complain about.