Going to try to update throughout the process this weekend. Heat shields and stock exhaust manifold out. There is a steady drip of brake fluid under the car that should cleared up by the end of the day. The ebrake cables are pulled from G2, but one has a bubbled section of outer sheathing that worries me a bit. The rear suspension/subframe on G2 is also a bit more worn looking than I care for. To the point the trailing arms actually have more surface rust than Grumpy's. I'm still going to pull and freshen that setup, but it's not getting a direct swap during this project.

Stock manifold vs header. No idea what brand the header is, but it was still a good junkyard score. Looks like it ends right where the main cat starts on the stock one.

Close up of that point. Plan is to cut the cat out of the stock setup and weld a flange on the front to install it with the header. Hopefully it will be enough to keep the light out without the pre cat.

 

Header and new coolant tank installed along with the forward heatshields. The header is a much tighter fit to wiggle in due to how much wider it is further down. I also found out the heatshield and coolant/PS bracket doesn't fit with the header tightened down. I ended up removing the top bolts and loosening the bottom row to give enough room to slide it in.

The coolant tank has been kicking around for a while. Since it had to come out it was the perfect time to replace it.

Oooooo...shiny!

Also shiny!

I had to give the O2 sensor as much as I could!

 

Have you thought about maybe needing a second flex joint in the exhaust?

Otherwise, looking great as usual.

 

I have another one I bought with the rest of the exhaust parts because I forgot the header had one. It is small and stiff, though, so I may put the second one after the cat.

Brake lines are in and everything related is back together. I do still need to bleed them, though. I didn't swap the ebrake cables. I did manage to scrounge some bits to make the existing ones a bit better.

First the glob of booger weld from the rear subframe. Wire cutters there for a size reference. It looks like it was some sort of exhaust hanger, maybe. Welds and surface prep were so bad I chipped it off with a hammer and a prybar.

And the spot on the subframe where it was. First time that bolt hole for the heatshield has seen the light of day or had a bolt in it for a long time!

Boot from the left ebrake cable along with the one I havested. Only the left side was this bad. I snipped the end off the other cable, havested the boot, and was able to get it over the end of the existing cable with some generous lubrication. I also used the seals to the body at the handle end from G2's cabkes since Grumpy's were missing those.

 

What a mess!

What?! More?! Who made this mess?! Leaf blower was for clearing leaves and acorns from under the car, as well as rust and crud that fell while working. The tarp is easier to slide on than the driveway.

Time for one of these while I clean up.

 

The worst kind!
​​​​​​​

 

There will be no booger welds tomorrow!

 

Let me k ow if you ever need more. I'm really good st. Asking them. 🙃

 

😆😆😉

 

After seeing the rust you have to deal with I am never going to complain again about my surface rust. That weld is awesome. You should make it into a necklace pendant.

 

Despite the crustiness and 192k miles I'm still continually surprised at how well this car comes apart. There is a good bit of flaky scale inside the rear subframe, so the other one is a must at some point. I'm just glad I didn't take a chunk out of the subframe removing the weld glob.

 

Holy crap... I shouldn't reply on my phone when I'm not wearing my reading glasses.

That's supposed to say "let me know if you ever need more. I'm really good at making them."😳

 

I was able to decipher. 😉🍻

 

Well, I was not on my A game for the exhaust today. It did not get done, and it's not my proudest work, at the moment. I had to rework some sections multiple times because I was rushing at the beginning. I think I'm going to order a tight radius 2.5" u-bend to finish out to the tips. That will give me some more 2.25" bends to rework the one section I'm least happy with. Despite how short the rear muffler is I still had to cut the ends off of it to get it to work. Getting it hung was also a challenge. And I ended up with a major rework of the tip setup to get it to fit without far too much sticking out the end. I did end up using the second flex joint and put it in front of the cat, actually. I didn't like the angle and load that was going to be on the single flex.





Also changed out the reverse lught today.

 

Well, I thought I had everything, but I somehow ordered a bend of 2" diameter tubing, not 2.5". I can't put this off, so I guess I'll make due with what I have here. New mid hangers are here, a full bottle of welding gas, and a new welding helmet to try out, too. Now I'm just worried about the weather Sunday.

I generally stay away from Uro brand stuff, but the Vaico ones weren't available in time, and Mini ones were damned near $40/ea! The ones that were on it tore coming off, and the ones from G2 got all twisted up due to rusty hardware.

 

The second flex joint came out well. That was the right decision... IMHO...

I am, however, surprised that it is routed to the driver’s side. The base Cooper pipe is routed to the passenger side, which “balances” the car a little. Seems like that could have worked here too... Oh well.

The backup light is quite the improvement.

 

The single ball routes to the driver side, so that's what I did with this as well. And when I made the tip setup I made it to route that way, as well. From the factory on the S the exhaust routes to the passenger's side, makes a u-turn in the muffler there, back across to the driver's side muffler, and then out the back. Most of the aftermarket systems split and have a muffler on each side of the battery box, then two pipes that come back together and out the bumper.

I have it almost done being mocked up. I think I'm ready to weld the tailpipe to the muffler. It's hard gouging the placement and angle of the tips while holding the pipe in place under the car. I may try to get my wife to help me mark it before I weld.

 

Hope the welding goes well...

 

The outside of the bends in the tricky part, where the metal is thinner. I burned a hole yesterday on a tack weld where I couldn't really see. 😳 Still not a booger weld, though! 😁

 

As long as it penetrates a booger weld is a good weld. May all your welds get good penetration. Insert joke as needed.

 

 

I gave up on perfect, and it's good enough. The tips sit decently in the bumper, everything is hung, now it just all needs welded up. I was able to fix one section I wasn't happy with, too.

Snakes and a muffler


Two pieces instead of three means better flow, less welds, etc

 

Nice work man, keep it up!

 

It's done! Didn't take too long to weld up, a little under 2 hours. Not too boogery, either, LOL! No rattles or clunks, which is always a plus! It's not subtle, but it does sound good. If you drive it easy it's not too loud at all and it's drive thru friendly at an idle. But when you put your foot down, man is it good! And it doesn't drone too badly on the highway, either. The wife has had a drive and approves, which is the most important thing! I'll have to try to get a video to share.

All welded up and laid out before install.

Not my finest work, but not terrible, either. Frankenexhaust! Right time of year for it, too.

Don't mind the toes, I was starting break in my new work boots today.


Yeah, ok, the tips are a little crooked. I think most of that is in the initial build of the dual tip, though. Overall they look good and were free!

They also stick out a touch further than I had hoped, but it's not too bad.

 

Maybe it is just me, but no rattles or clunk is the number 1 on my list that defines success. Those 2 things can drive me nuts.

Nicely done!