yob_yeknom
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- City, State
- Glade Hill, Virginia
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '97 XLT & '06 Limited
Here's the story of how long it took me to put on my new Borla cat-back exhaust system. This may help out anyone wanting to do this in the future.
day 1 Sunday
First I soaked the bolts that hold on the exhaust hangers and the nuts and bolts that hold the exhaust to the catalyc converter with penetrating lubricant. Then I soaked the rubber hangers with a NON OIL BASED lubricant. NAPA Super Lube which is Teflon based in my instance. Then I started taking the bolts and nuts at the converter off. They were rusted all to $h!t. No socket or wrench would fit the nuts because they just fell apart as I turned the wratchet. I finally got them off by using vise grips to hold the nuts and a six point 15mm socket on the bolts. The nuts were disintergrated and the threads on the bolts were no more so I couldn't reuse them. I then removed the rear hangers from the frame and cut the exhaust in half where the new one was cut. The back half of the exhaust came right out no problem. I used a pair of channel lock pliers on the rubber hangers behind the muffler to push them off and the exhaust was out of there. Then used the channel locks to push the hangers off the back of the exhaust I had already removed. Pretty easy except for the rusted nuts.
day 2 Monday
Went to the Ford place and ordered new bolts. NON RETURNABLE!! Wouldn't be here until Thursday.
day 3 Tuesday
Got bored so started putting on new exhaust. Pushed the front half of exhaust into its hangers. (2 right behind the new muffler) Put the old bolts through it just to hold it in place. Slid the back half of the exhaust into place to see which old hanger I would have to reuse. (only needed one where old exhaust needed two) Got the back half in place, slipped the two pieces together and clamped them down with the new clamp. Now realize bumper is down too far and hitting my the tip on the new exhaust. P!$$ed off about this so I quit messing with it for the day. (my bumper is bent down pretty bad from somebody before me towing something way too heavy)
day 4 Wednesday
I loosen the bolts on the bumper and try to push it up off the exhaust tip. I then realize it will take two people to do the job (one to hold up the bumper and one to tighten the bolts) so I quit and go to work.
day 5 Thursday
Get the new bolts (didn't come with nuts!!! RIP OFF!! so I went to NAPA and bought ones the right size) and go to tighten exhaust to converter. I take out the old bolt just holding it in place and something falls off the converter. Oh $h!t I'm thinking. It was a woven wire gasket (i found this out when I took it to NAPA to see what it was) so I ordered a new solid graphite one from NAPA. It would be here the next day.
day 6 Friday
Finally have all the parts to put everything together. The new gasket just slips onto the converter. (bigger side toward converter) Put the new bolts on and tighten them. Exhaust is finally done! Now for the bumper. I push the bumper up while my dad gets under it and tightens the bolts. Everything is finally done. (I thought) I step back to look at everything and the bumper looks like crap. It is twisted something terrible from having towed something with too heavy a tongue weight. I take a jack and a piece of wood a jack up under the bumper. It bent it a little bit straighter but started picking up the X before it would bend it all the way back. Oh well. Everything is finally done!
My advice... Order the bolts and gasket from NAPA (their bolts come with the nuts too) before you take the old exhaust off. Had I had all the parts this 6 day job would have taken less than an hour. It was a VERY EASY job to do. Anybody can do this themselves in less than an hour. (unless you need to move your bumper too)
[Edited by yob_yeknom on 02-03-2001 at 11:27 AM]
day 1 Sunday
First I soaked the bolts that hold on the exhaust hangers and the nuts and bolts that hold the exhaust to the catalyc converter with penetrating lubricant. Then I soaked the rubber hangers with a NON OIL BASED lubricant. NAPA Super Lube which is Teflon based in my instance. Then I started taking the bolts and nuts at the converter off. They were rusted all to $h!t. No socket or wrench would fit the nuts because they just fell apart as I turned the wratchet. I finally got them off by using vise grips to hold the nuts and a six point 15mm socket on the bolts. The nuts were disintergrated and the threads on the bolts were no more so I couldn't reuse them. I then removed the rear hangers from the frame and cut the exhaust in half where the new one was cut. The back half of the exhaust came right out no problem. I used a pair of channel lock pliers on the rubber hangers behind the muffler to push them off and the exhaust was out of there. Then used the channel locks to push the hangers off the back of the exhaust I had already removed. Pretty easy except for the rusted nuts.
day 2 Monday
Went to the Ford place and ordered new bolts. NON RETURNABLE!! Wouldn't be here until Thursday.
day 3 Tuesday
Got bored so started putting on new exhaust. Pushed the front half of exhaust into its hangers. (2 right behind the new muffler) Put the old bolts through it just to hold it in place. Slid the back half of the exhaust into place to see which old hanger I would have to reuse. (only needed one where old exhaust needed two) Got the back half in place, slipped the two pieces together and clamped them down with the new clamp. Now realize bumper is down too far and hitting my the tip on the new exhaust. P!$$ed off about this so I quit messing with it for the day. (my bumper is bent down pretty bad from somebody before me towing something way too heavy)
day 4 Wednesday
I loosen the bolts on the bumper and try to push it up off the exhaust tip. I then realize it will take two people to do the job (one to hold up the bumper and one to tighten the bolts) so I quit and go to work.
day 5 Thursday
Get the new bolts (didn't come with nuts!!! RIP OFF!! so I went to NAPA and bought ones the right size) and go to tighten exhaust to converter. I take out the old bolt just holding it in place and something falls off the converter. Oh $h!t I'm thinking. It was a woven wire gasket (i found this out when I took it to NAPA to see what it was) so I ordered a new solid graphite one from NAPA. It would be here the next day.
day 6 Friday
Finally have all the parts to put everything together. The new gasket just slips onto the converter. (bigger side toward converter) Put the new bolts on and tighten them. Exhaust is finally done! Now for the bumper. I push the bumper up while my dad gets under it and tightens the bolts. Everything is finally done. (I thought) I step back to look at everything and the bumper looks like crap. It is twisted something terrible from having towed something with too heavy a tongue weight. I take a jack and a piece of wood a jack up under the bumper. It bent it a little bit straighter but started picking up the X before it would bend it all the way back. Oh well. Everything is finally done!
My advice... Order the bolts and gasket from NAPA (their bolts come with the nuts too) before you take the old exhaust off. Had I had all the parts this 6 day job would have taken less than an hour. It was a VERY EASY job to do. Anybody can do this themselves in less than an hour. (unless you need to move your bumper too)
[Edited by yob_yeknom on 02-03-2001 at 11:27 AM]
