3 Bolt Flange Adapter or Workaround

[J5hort]

Got a 1995 Explorer Sport 4.0L that I use mostly as a yard truck. Dropped Transmission a while back and cut out Y-Pipe to get access to transmission. Remove entire exhaust. Wish I saved the 3 bolt flange in front of the Cat as it looked to be specific. In any event, running with open stock headers and am planning to replace exhaust. Was thinking about headers, y-pipe and out to a cherry bomb or similar that would dump out passenger side ahead of rear wheel. No problem with emissions or regs as this is old and not used on road (too much). Budget build and am thinking of keeping stock manifolds, looking at walker y-pipe which has the original 3 bolt flange. Problem is that it will need to adapted to accommodate any after market pipe/muffler. I do not need a cat setup on this. So does anyone know of or have available an old stock flange that I can use and transition to a 2.5" pipe. Not sure if there are any other Y-pipes that can be used that have the normal 3 bolt flange (circular) that I can bolt a cherry bomb or similar up to. Open for ideas, just want to quiet this down a bit and it is only a beater, so simple and economical works best. Ideas anyone?

 

[CDW6212R]

The stock exhaust back then all had two 2.25" pipes going back to the one muffler. So the stock connection won't help you to merge to a single pipe. Did you plan it to be one 2.5" pipe to the muffler, or two? Since you don't have the original flange connection, I'd use V-band clamps, merge the two pipes from the exhaust to go back to the muffler. The V-band connections don't leak, have no gasket(two meshed pieces you have welded to the two pipes, and the clamp holds them together), and are easy to take apart as needed. They run over $50 for the three components of one connection, cheaper brands on eBay I've seen for maybe $35.

 

[J5hort]

Hey, Don, thats for the info. Planning on going 1 pipe to the muffler (or should I say from). So combine left and right headers into y-pipe and was hoping to attach 1 straight thru muffler that has the 3 hold flange as part of the muffler unit. Then run a pipe from muffler out the side. I do not want to go over the rear axle. 2.25 is ok. Not too hung up on diameter if it does not make difference. I'll look at the v-bands as it is new to me.

I'd still like to explore a fabricated stock (oval) 3 hole to common (aftermarket) 3 hole adapter. There are header,y-pipe combo kits, but I really do not want to take off (and buy new) exhaust manifold/headers.

Just adding that this is a Sport (2 Door) and I had a stock setup that merged 2 to 1 at the end of the back of the y-pipe. There was a single pipe with a unique flange (Oval) that fed a Cat or 2 inline Cats.

 

[delexploder]

cut stock y pipe before the flange and use a small two into one y pipe

 

[J5hort]

Yup, that is another option. They are pretty inexpensive and readily available. I'll need to check the y-pipe. I am planning on an aftermarket unit, Walker has one, are there any others that would be recommended. Budget build so the OEM route is probably gpoing to be to pricey.

 

[CDW6212R]

cut stock y pipe before the flange and use a small two into one y pipe

That will be the cheapest and fastest way, using a common strap/band clamp downstream if you want to be able to separate it in halves. I'd go to at least 2.5" single pipe, 3" single would be closer to the stock airflow into a single muffler.