TJ exhaust swap

jterp · #1 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

(2002 TJ) Has anyone been able to get the stock muffler/tailpipe assembly off without cutting (or removing the whole axle)? I put the new cat-back system on yesterday and really wanted to keep the stock system (it's only got 20K miles on it) but i could not for the life of me get that thing off. I ended up cutting the tailpipe.. guess the muffler is still good with a pipe extension, but would have liked to keep all together in case the new system get to be too much..

edited by: jterp, May 27, 2003 - 11:04 AM[addsig]

hossenfeth · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

This is absolutely of topic. But how are you liking your cat back system? What kind did you install?

Hope someone has an answer for you.

Hoss[addsig]

kraken · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

yea how did that work out? any performance changes ? easy to do? tell me ,tell me i want i want !!!

[addsig]

jhiggins · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

It can be done it just take time and a little jack to hold up the front to give you just about 2" of room to get it out.... :-O [addsig]

jterp · #5 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I tried for a long time, with multiple jacks and couldnt figure it out... oh well.. I was a little tense because the install wasn't quite as easy as I had expected.
As far as the cat-back goes--here is my review thus far:
I went with the Banks stinger system (for the 6). So far it sounds ok.. not as good as i had hoped (i was hoping to hear the kind of rumble you would get from duals on a big block v-8--maybe my hopes were too high) For being a single exhaust on a 6 though, it sounds pretty darn good. On the website it says an exhaust note that is "authoritative, yet civil" and that about sums it up. It rumbles to life when you turns the key and burbles when you let it back off in a downshift. My friends say it sounds better outside than it does inside (thats what sucks about an exhaust mod-- everyone can hear it but you).
As far as performance-- it feels a little stronger in acceleration and I get to 70 mph at a lower rpm-- before i ran at 70mph and my tach was reading 2200 rpm.. Now at 70 the tach reads between 2050and 2100. I guess this indicates a hp increase and will gain a mpg or 2 on the highway.
As far as install -- nothing is as easy as it sounds.. some problems i had were: 1. The first step in the directions says jack it up and unbolt the muffler from the cat-- simple, if you could get to the bolts! The muffler bolts to the cat behind the skid plate/crossmember so you first must take that off. Taking that off, of course, lowers the tranny/driveshaft etc., which makes putting it back on a PITA (you have to support the weight of the tranny to get the skid plate back in place, but you can't just hold it up because it is behind the plate you are trying to put in place.)
2. Like i mentioned before, i wanted to keep my stock exhaust system but couldnt because i couldnt get it out in one piece. Also, I was doing this in my backyard (as opposeed to my dad's shop where i would do most major work-- I figured this one was easy and i could handle it myself.) Well, i dont exactly have the same tool collection he does, so i had to go out in the middle of the project and buy a saw. that sucked.
Getting the old system out was the hardest part. The new one went it very easily without any major probelms.
All in all I'm glad I did it. It runs a little better, wasnt that bad of an install, and sounds pretty cool. I tapped the gas as i was stopping at a light yesterday--just to hear what it sounded like, and the mercedes 500 next to me thought i wanted to race. He took off like a bat out of hell from the light, and i hadn't even noticed him sitting there!
Sorry for the long email, but I asked around a lot before i did this mod and couldnt get much feedback on the process, so i thought some people might like to know.
@KEEP JEEPIN@
j
[addsig]