Muffler delete + Magnaflow resonated x pipe install

[thahemp]

So i ended up just getting 75/25 for my first gas purchase. I figured i would go through at least a couple bottles practicing. So mild steel it is for the next little while.

I've probably spent 2 minutes actually welding. I can see there is gonna be a pretty good learning curve to climb. Getting all the odds and ends for this hobby is the most time consuming part as of now. Hopefully tomorrow i can spend more time actually welding.

So far i have melted a shovel, butt welded 2 pieces of angle iron together, and welded that contraption to a flat piece of steel. All 1/8 thickness. I suck balls at welding!

Can't wait to fire it back up again though. Talk about a power tool. Too cool.

Edit

Also got a new zippo, the plasma torch, and my skip shift eliminator in the mail today. Good day.

[thahemp]

I have added Solo cats to this project. They should be here by next weekend.

I have my 6' lengths of 16 guage 409 and 304 2" tubing on the way as well. I intend on slicing them into pieces and getting used to welding sheet metal. I may just plan on painting the exhaust before I bolt it back up. It cost me about $250 to walk out of the welding shop with a leased 96 cu. ft. bottle of 75/25, including the deposit (which was $150). They tell me I can only get trimix in a larger bottle. I have no use for trimix after this project. I'm thinking 75/25 and a paint job is starting to sound pretty appealing.

Is there any reason not to paint the exhaust? It's ugly 409 for the most part anyways.

[thahemp]

Buy an auto-darkening helmet before you even start to learn to weld. That's the lesson for the day. I don't have one just yet, but the sun was just bright enough today that i could barely see what i was doing before arc. I improved 1000% in 2 minutes. It's amazing how much easier it is when you can see what you're doing.

[thahemp]

Well. It's time to show some progress methinks. I'll probably be embarrased someday... Oh well.

This is sliced up 409 steel put back together with 309L filler and 75/25 shielding gas.




This weekend the solo cats go in. Drive for a week. Next weekend the muffler delete happens. Drive for a week. If needed, the x-pipe goes in.

[2012REDSS]

your set up is very close to mine. I have a x pipe ( non resi) Solos cats and pype bomb muffler delete. Trust me you will want the magnaflow x pipe in there. The drone was horrible until I added the Solo J pipes. Ill be adding long tubes this weekend and a magnaflow xpipe soon after.

[thahemp]

Originally Posted by 2012REDSS

your set up is very close to mine. I have a x pipe ( non resi) Solos cats and pype bomb muffler delete. Trust me you will want the magnaflow x pipe in there. The drone was horrible until I added the Solo J pipes. Ill be adding long tubes this weekend and a magnaflow xpipe soon after.

That seems to be the general consensus. Birm highly recommended the x-pipe as well, and also assured me that it pretty much eliminates the drone problem. I make a 5 hour lake trip fairly frequently during the summer. I definitely won't tolerate the drone (nor will my better half).

I hope you enjoy your LT's... That's the route I originally wanted to go, but I couldn't make myself do it. I'm just gonna wait till I put a cam in to get LT's. That's gonna be an interesting install

[2012REDSS]

I had the plan of a turbo so I went with Solos but the drag racing bug bit me and now I'm trying to get every once of power out of her until I decide to break open the block. This is my last engine mod and Ill be fully bolted and then its time for some gears.

[thahemp]

I need to get out to the track here and give it a try. I've never been there before, but I've been complaining about not being able to exercise my car since I got it. Hell.. you can't even really run it hard through more than 2nd without risking a run-in with a LEO... and that's even speeding quite a bit on the freeway.

[2012REDSS]

If you go once you'll be hooked although you really only get to do full pulls in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and sometimes you might just shift into forth at the line but its still a rush

[thahemp]

I think I'm going to start separate threads in the DIY section for each of these installations. I'll keep this one up to date with finished results for those that don't care about the installation processes.

With that said... I need to charge my camera up for some Solo before/after vids. PB blaster starts tonight. Install happens tomorrow morning.

I went by Autozone to see if they had any O2 sensors in case I have any problems. They don't stock them. Sucks . I'm gonna call my dealer today and make sure they have some that I can come grab if mine are cross-threaded. Hopefully they come out no problems.

[thahemp]

I got my Solo midpipes installed on Friday. They definitely make the car sound better.

I have a couple problems with the pipes. The first problem is easy to fix. Neither the OEM gaskets or the Solo gaskets would fit properly. The Solo ones are in there now, but they tended to not align perfectly. The only thing I can think of is that the 2012 manifold to midpipe connection changed slightly? The raised lip on the OEM gasket doesn't fit down into the piping on the Solo midpipe either. I dunno.. I'm just going to make some new gaskets for that connection.

The second problem kinda sucks. The driver side O2 extender and bung are stripped out. They came that way . I need to figure out what kind of metal the extender is. If it's steel (and not aluminum) then I think I'm just going to push it back down into the bung and weld it on permanently. I don't know why Solo doesn't just do that anyways?

So there's a little chirp occasionally at idle that I've noticed. It sounds kinda like a belt, but I'm pretty sure it's a leak somewhere. There is also a tapping sound that I can hear coming from the exhaust at WOT over about 4K RPM. Kinda like a cross between a tap and a clap Impossible to explain these things. I'm not gonna get too worked up about either for the time being. I need to get new gaskets in there and my O2 extender fixed before I start seriously analyzing the problem.

Here is the DIY thread for installing the Solo midpipes.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229346

It was nice to get under the car and unbolt some of this stuff. Now I know exactly what I'm in for when I remove the entire cat-back for the next project. Piece of cake

[thahemp]

The extenders are the aluminum version. I ordered a pair of new steel extenders off ebay for $15. They're getting welded in. Problem solved.

[thahemp]

It has been a while since i thought about finishing this. We've been working on a 1960 willy's FC-150. Add life to that and there's not much left over.

I've decided to go ahead and tackle this project this weekend. One last hurrah for the little bit of good weather left before 2012 goes cold.

I'll start a diy thread for this one like i did the solos.

[thahemp]

Well... It's done. I didn't even bother to do a DIY though. About 30 minutes into the project I realized that if you need a DIY for this, then you probably shouldn't be doing it yourself.

It took a long time and a lot of adjusting to get the tips to line up right. I ended up having to cut the hangers off, straighten them out, rebend them, and weld them back on. I also ended up buying some 2.5" ID couplers to make it easier to weld it to the existing piping. I would suggest using couplers to anyone that attempts this. It makes it non-critical that your cuts line up nicely. It's easier said than done...

She sounds like a beast. I'm totally happy with the new growl.