gibson exhaust..bolt or weld?

tc11362 · January 12, 2008

I just received delivery of a Gibson cat back exhaust. When looking for an install shop, one shop said definitely weld it and another said why weld it because you'll never be able to move it. WELD it on or BOLT it on? Thanks

Andy96XLT · January 12, 2008

welding is always a little more secure, but they are right that it will be harder to move. you can bolt it on without a problem with clamps but its a trade off because it will not be quite as secure. IMO you should weld it though unless you really think your going to have to move it to another explorer one day, and even if you have to you can cut it and reweld it. good luck :thumbsup:

storlied · January 12, 2008

I'd weld it, what if someone came up.. unbolted it and stole it?... Seriously.. anything could happen... o.o

Andy96XLT · January 12, 2008

storlied said:
I'd weld it, what if someone came up.. unbolted it and stole it?... Seriously.. anything could happen... o.o

LOL is that a big problem in alaska? exhaust jacking?

:

storlied · January 12, 2008

Nah, hell.. it's extremely rare to hear about a car being stolen. Same with break-ins. (sorta.. not really rare, it happens though.) More often when you leave your vehicle unlocked. Mine has never been broken into. Nothing stolen off of it. No tires slashed. Some dumb kids did silly string my truck though. There's still tiny bits in the door/window seals n crap, it won't come out.

Andy96XLT · January 12, 2008

thats good to hear. I had my last car keyed my senior year in hs... i guess the a**hole was jealous or something. $3800 in damage. Luckily i had full insurance on it though.

Andy96XLT · January 12, 2008

lol... of course... brings me back to my kid days... like last week lol. nah its good that you don't have too much car related crime up there. Its not too bad where i live or go to college, but if you travel a little bit it could be pretty scary.

Charlie · January 12, 2008

I say weld it, welding is much stronger, plus then it is less likely to have leaks. Welding is the only way to go.

Silver X · January 13, 2008

My Gibson cat-back is bolted on and doesn't leak. There is no need to weld. Has been on for a couple of years with no problems.

MONMIX · January 13, 2008

welding is far superrior.

Just find a good custom exhaust guy and you are set.

Silver X · January 13, 2008

He's installing a complete Gibson cat-back kit. If the kit doesn't leak and is still easily removable if needed, how would welding it be superior?

He's not just adding a muffler to an existing system, or doing custom routing. I could see welding being preferred those cases. Just not with this complete kit.

Rosscup · January 13, 2008

weld it! and have a good welder do it so you are 100% sure you dont have any leaks. good luck!

Jakee · January 13, 2008

Yeap, weld it. And to all the Bolt-on guys. Try and take your bolt-on exhaust off now that it's been on for awhile. Once you bolt the cat back on, you more than likely will not get it back off without damaging something. Been there, used that logic, learned just do it right the first time and don't worry about having to take it back off in the future.

aldive · January 13, 2008

Rosscup said:
weld it! and have a good welder do it so you are 100% sure you dont have any leaks. good luck!

I concur.

Charlie · January 13, 2008

Jakee said:
Yeap, weld it. And to all the Bolt-on guys. Try and take your bolt-on exhaust off now that it's been on for awhile. Once you bolt the cat back on, you more than likely will not get it back off without damaging something. Been there, used that logic, learned just do it right the first time and don't worry about having to take it back off in the future.

I agree, the whole unbolting it doesn't work.

Silver X · January 13, 2008

Still nobody has said how welding is superior to a non-leaking bolt-on Gibson kit. All I'm reading so far is that welding makes sure it doesn't leak.

Bolting up the kit does the same thing and doesn't cost any extra money. Even if it was impossible to remove the clamped exhaust, you still saved money from not paying to weld it in.

BTW, mine (stainless steel version) has been out several times without damage after a couple years in Michigan as my DD. It was nice not having to cut it out if everything had been welded. Its still under there not leaking for 60k miles. It is a little crusty on the outside, but the minor surface rust just brushes off.

I've had welded systems on my Mustangs and they were a PITA to work around. Bolt-in kits work just fine and most don't leak if aligned and tightened properly.

Ford_Racing_Guy · January 14, 2008

dont' care for welded systems myself.

seems that its the welds that start to deterioate first, and then it all falls apart

Stic-o · January 14, 2008

My gibson cat back is just bolted, and it has been on and off many times. It leaks a little and from the muffler back is just a pain ti get on and off now

I may change the muffler soon though, mine is sort of crushed

If you were out here in LA, I would say it's a no-brainer, as when I had my old '96 ranger with the gibson, I called them and told them it leaked and would not seal good. They told me to bring it there shop (Corona,CA) and they would weld it. No Charge! :thumbsup:

gibson exhaust..bolt or weld?

tc11362

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Andy96XLT

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storlied

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Andy96XLT

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