Order Exhaust Or Have Shop Do It?

[Robb]

Hey guys,
I have seen a lot of posts lately about ordering exhaust from different dealers online. I have gotten a couple of custom exhausts before, but I am not sure if they were "brand name" systems. My friends and I have always gone to 1, of a couple, good ol' muffler shops in my area with our exhaust needs. These good ol' fellows have always known the best package for our needs. If we want throaty performance, that's what we got. If we want stock/economical, that's what we drove away with. ETC.... These guys have always done a great job, custom bent, perfectly welded, looked good, and lifetime warranty on parts (not labor on replacing lifetime warranty parts). This shop has always offered a better price than the well-known "franchise" shops.

I am a modern guy and understand the advantages of online shopping (eBay addict).

When people order an exhaust online, are they ordering seperate parts and clamping them in the driveway on jackstands? Are they taking these seperates to a shop to have welded? Are they receiving any savings by buying themselves, and then getting them welded at shop? Are honest muffler shops (non-chain shops) selling crappy mufflers (I, and my friends have never had a problem with quality)?

I know that is a bunch of questions. I am just curious b/c I have always thought (when it came to exhaust), go to muffler shop and they will hook you up with exactly what you need at a great price. Is this idea outdated?

Any responses would be great!

Robb

 

[RTStork]

I like custom setups myself. You have more options like muffler choice, tailpipe exit locations, etc.

 

[JDraper]

I put a Flowmaster aluminumized cat-back system from Summit racing on my old '92 Explorer. It came as a complete kit with all the clamps etc. and needed only a socket wrench to install. It took me about 2 hours in the garage. It fit perfectly and didn't use the el cheapo hangars you see at the local auto store. The hangars were welded onto the pipes at the factory and were exact matches for the factory hardware. It's a first class kit.

It costs about $150-180 for the system, depending upon the year and model. If you do a search on Flowmaster here you'll find a LOT of opinions on it, most of it good.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Morrisey, I would personly stay with the muffler shop you are using. I want a Flowmaster for my 97 Mtneer 5.0 but they don't make a cat-back for the 5.0 :fire: I don't understand why.
P.S. Thanks for seeing my side on the Traded my x for a Ram thread. I did not like the way he came out of the hole talking about our Explorers.

 

[Robb]

Dan,
Your case is symbolic of my question. You said that flowmaster did not make a catback for your 5.0. A catback is simply pipes and a muffler, right? A real muffler shop can easily make all the pipes, whatever diameter you want. The only question becomes the quality of the muffler. Stated another way, are the mufflers, my good 'ol shop is sticking on my car, of the same quality of something like Flowmaster or Borla? Like stated before, I have been impressed with what I have gotten in the past. Could there be "no name" muffler manufacturers producing the same quality and performance mufflers than the "big boys"? Is muffler science so "rocket science like" that only the big buys can do it?

I am bound to state my question in many other ways in the future.

BTW- Dan, no problem on that post...only an idiot would talk **** about FoMoCo on an X forum

 

[Dan Whitaker]

It is possible they have something similar. You might ask them If you buy a Flowmaster or Borla from some where else would the do all of the exhust pipe work for you. If they are realy nice i don't think they would have a problem with that. Hell they might even cary them.

 

[JDraper]

There's a good chance that the mufflers that good ol' boys shops have been using are Walker mufflers. Around here, they seem to be the choice for the "no-name" brand. Walker makes a decent muffler. Muffler science is complex (it's all fluid dynamics and acoustics) but almost every muffler company out there can produce quality mufflers if it wants to.

The Flowmaster system was the first "off the shelf" system I have ever had. All of my old muscle cars had custom systems. I can say that my Flowie performed just as well, if not better than the custom systems I had. One of the advantages of buying a bolt on system is that the manufacturer probably has better tube benders than the local shop does. Most manufacturers now use mandrel tube benders, which produce less tube collapse than a conventional bender, therefore less flow restriction.

 

[aldive]

I would highly recommend having your local muffler shop do a custom cat back or you. You can pick your own favorite muffler and they will do the install, bending and welding all the joints.

Good luck....

 

[mosinman]

If you have a quality shop that does known, quality work, I would use them. If such a shop is unavailable, or questionable, I would not hesitate to order a good bolt-on. For me, half the fun is doing it myself. Good thing is, in this case, a screw-up won't hurt anything - or cost too much money to fix.

 

[Alec]

Basically the difference in getting a custom exhaust setup or a catback kit is the joints. Catback kits are designed to be bolted on, while custom systems at a shop are welded. I personally would go for the welded system 9 times out of 10. But like was said before, if you don't have a decent shop in your area, then a catback system is probably for you.

 

[Lifted95X]

I'm gonna get my cat-back Force II welded together.

 

[RTStork]

Originally posted by SSIKORA
I'm gonna get my cat-back Force II welded together.

Thats exactly why we are recommending him to get a custom made exhaust. How much did you pay for the kit and how much will it cost to get it all welded together? Most likely you will have over $200 in your exhaust system after you pay to get it welded in but by going custom, you can buy the same muffler that you have and have a shop weld it in and bend and weld you a tailpipe, all for around $200. If you will have less than $200 invested when you are done, then you did better doing it that way, but generally a custom setup is less.

 

[Gonzo]

Am I mistaken, or is the cat-back force II a dual setup? If not, then what is the difference between the force II and the 40 or 50 series delta flow? Don't you want a single muffler for a the 6 cyl?

 

[Robb]

Sorry about the confusion guys, but right now I am not in the market for an exhaust. "Mine ain't broke, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I was just curious about what exactly goes on when someone buys a cat-back system. It was answered by the fact that most people are clamping them together in the driveway. I have personally had bad experiences with clamp systems (mainly rusting out around clamps). I'm sure plenty of people have had great experiences with clamps (don't argue that), but I haven't.

I was surprised to see that so many people still use good shops. It seems there are so many posts and signatures describing there "brand name" cat-backs. I wanted for people to understand that there are good quality/performance systems available at local shops with nicely welded joints at about the same price as purchased clamp systems.

I have also seen many posts about wanting a stronger/louder sounding exhaust, but not the LOUD. This is my opinion on that. Go to local shop, get pipe after cat enlarged a little, new muffler (with dual outlets or split pipe after muffler), then have them run duals out the back. This is what I did with my F150 and it was just the sound I wanted. When my X muffler does go bad (now that I'm thinking of this, I may take a screw driver to it in a little while), this is what I will do to it.

The ol' fashioned way of getting the exhaust you want has become unpopular, and I just want to see if anyone still did it. I'm glad some still do. You get want you want, from good people, at a good price!

Don't think of this an end to this thread, please tell what you have to say!

Thanks guys,

Robb

 

[focbl]

I only wish i could find people that do good work. especially in the motor vehicle industry. they all charge a fortune by the hour and your not guaranteed a good job. and if your really lucky you won't have grease and oil all over your steering wheel, arm rest and carpet....
DO IT YOURSELF if possible....

The only way my EX goes to a Auto Repair shop is in an ambulance.....

 

[Lifted95X]

I just got back from getting my Flowmaster Force II Catback and I personally can't tell much of a difference. It seems like it's a little louder but nothing dramatic. I wish I would have went with the 40 series.