I went to my local muffler shop today to get my Y-pipe replaced cause i have a nice sized hole in my flex section... he said it would be a ***** to get the rusted studs out of the block and that it would cost way more than expected because of that, so i started talkin to him about getting a full custom exhaust done which is something i planned anyway... Basically he said that he could give me a 2.5 inch mendral bent full custom exhaust from the flex section back including a new reactive muffler for $250-275... This isn't a bad price at all but my question is, should i worry about the approx. 2 feet of pipe from the old stock y pipes still being there on my custom exhaust? Will that much of a difference in HP gains? I'm figuring it will because just replacing your stock y's with aftermarket one's makes a good amount of HP, so i figure unless i replace the whole thing i'd be wasting alot of potential? What do you guys think, should i buy aftermakert y's and have the exhaust done from them back or should i just do what we were discussing? I'm N/A now but eventually (like everyone says) i want to go turbo, it'll be a good ways off though.... Any suggestions?

 

a) usually muffler shops use aluminim alloy
b) prolly wont have a resonator = doesnt sound good
c) get an obx catback = ~$275
d) get a budget y-pipe = ~$180

If you do go to that muffler shop, guarenteed that you'll have holes/cracks after winter because of the welds

 

Don't go back to that shop again. A simple air ratchet will take those out easily. Also you can tell them to just replace all the bolts for $10...

 

Your shop probably won't do mandrel bending either. There is no such thing as a mandrel bending machine. The part of the process that produces the equal diameter through the bends is done after the bends are made. It is basically a bunch of metal plugs which are slightly larger than the previous one. These plugs are all connected together up to 2.5" or 3" and then pulled through the piping with some kind of hydrolic machine. It sounds to me like its a pretty crappy muffler shop. If you had a hole in your flex section they could weld on a new one. My advice: go to a different shop!

 

they could do mandrel bend... all they have to do is buy the right pieces for the curves and such and just weld them on... but i still wouldnt go back to that shop... they sound like a bunh of tards.

 

if you are looking for specificly a mandrel bent exhaust there is a place that does is over here in utah for nascar its called dr. gas, or go to www.drgas.com for more info the price he quoted me for a 3" includion y pipe and cat mandrel bent was about 400 to 500, and don't go to a muffler shop they are full of them selves and their exhaust systems suck.

 

Hmm? http://www.vansantent.com/mandrel_bending_machines.htm

Actually at a local shop, they insert something like a bunch of donuts(mandrel) on a string into the pipe. Then bend it. The donuts keep the pipe from crushing inside.

 

Resonator = better and less annoying sound

 

Are you wrong or what? Mandrel bending is when the pipe gets pressure from both sides of the bend. That way the bend is the same diameter throughout. Don't you watch monster garage or american chopper. The mandre bending machines are pretty much hand operated, not all of them...

 

there are tons of mandrel bend machines...hand operated, and hydralic pressure ones. how do you think they mandrel bend their exhaust at budget or OBX....they need to bend them monster garage, american chopper, or any of the west coast chopper specials have them.

 

LoL you all got to the mandral bend thing before me i wanted to flame for that cause i saw that episode of american chopper too, i guess everyone watches that show =).... Yeah i guess i'll just save up and do it the easy way just buy the whole thing, i was thinking the same thing about ****ty welds from the muffler shop, that shops been recommened pretty highly though by a few people....Oh and the reason they said they didn't want to do the y-pipe swap is cause the studs were rusted and would break off inside making them have to drill them out, although i've taken them off of my old engine with ease, and that engine way way older than this one <shrug>...