My Top Speed catback is on and fine (EZ leak fix!)

[chickencornsoup]

i use some Loctite 596 problem fixed.

[bluesman]

Originally Posted by chickencornsoup

i use some Loctite 596 problem fixed.

That's similar to UltraCopper RTV, and it's probably the easiest way to close it up. But every time I look at a joint with RTV in it, it reminds me that I failed to solve a mechanical problem the "right way".

Truth be told, if a better band clamp doesn't do it, I'll finally be opening that tube I bought long ago to carry in my race trailer for trackside emergencies but (thankfully) never needed. I can live with this........I just won't ever look at the muffler again. This old dog's gonna try something new.....

[chickencornsoup]

Originally Posted by bluesman

That's similar to UltraCopper RTV, and it's probably the easiest way to close it up. But every time I look at a joint with RTV in it, it reminds me that I failed to solve a mechanical problem the "right way".

Truth be told, if a better band clamp doesn't do it, I'll finally be opening that tube I bought long ago to carry in my race trailer for trackside emergencies but (thankfully) never needed. I can live with this........I just won't ever look at the muffler again. This old dog's gonna try something new.....

most of the slip joint have the same problem, they rely on the band clamp to tighten and seal the exhaust .. but you see the two pipe (slip joint) has no gaskets in between .....just metal to metal.

[bluesman]

Originally Posted by chickencornsoup

most of the slip joint have the same problem, they rely on the band clamp to tighten and seal the exhaust .. but you see the two pipe (slip joint) has no gaskets in between .....just metal to metal.

A really well made system will have so little clearance in the slip joint that it will seal with a clamp around it. There's a fair amount of slop in this one - it's what you get for half the price of a good one, and I can live with that. This system looks and sounds fine, so it's worth the trade-off to me.

My goal is to be sealed by Saturday!

[Basket Case]

Originally Posted by chickencornsoup

i use some Loctite 596 problem fixed.

I tried muffler sealer...tat was a messy mistake.

[LittleMonster]

Originally Posted by bluesman

It was no trouble at all, but I have a bit more experience than many and a fully equipped shop (lathe, mill, MIG, TIG, 20 ton press etc). I've been an SCCA racer since 1968 (C-Sedan Mini, Formula Vee) and a vintage racer since 1984 (Lotus 7, LeGrand H-mod, Mini). I've maintained and prepped my own race cars and built or completely restored over 30 cars since a friend and I inherited his brother's terminally ill V8-60-powered MG-TD in 1962. I still pause a minute or two before I start even a simple job like this, because you never know what's going to go wrong. Stuff breaks, things are not made properly, and sometimes the box contains the wrong pieces or too few of the right ones. Without a lot of experience, a complete set of tools, and a stock of spare parts and materials, you're stuck without a ride if for some reason you can't complete the job.

Technically, it's easy to swap exhausts in an FRS/BRZ. Get the rear securely in the air on jackstands or ramps. I did it without raising the front, but it's a lot easier for a novice if you also put the front up on jackstands. The car has to be completely secure - you'll be pushing and pulling pretty hard to get the old system out of its mounts, and you can knock the car off flimsy or badly placed stands - this is one reason I like ramps at the working end. I know I shouldn't have to add this, but I've burned myself many times, so this is not at all condescending advice: LET IT COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE YOU START. While it's cooling, get a stable platform of some kind under the muffler so you have something on which to rest it while you work it off its mounts - a plastic milk crate's the perfect height for my ramps. And make sure it's not less than about 6 inches from the bottom of the muffler, or you won't be able to slide it out from under the car with the muffler on it. I put foot-long 2x4s on it so I can slide them out to lower the muffler on the crate if it won't clear. And lay out mats or towels long enough to protect the entire system while it sits on your garage floor. Concrete will scrape up the polished SS if you drag the parts on the bare floor.

Once the car is cold, remove the 2 flange bolts at the muffler inlet and separate the joint - you may have to run a kitchen knife between the gasket and one flange to free it, depending on how old it is (mine's less than 2 months old). Pop the ends of the struts on the muffler out of the rubber hangers (more about this further down). I suggest that once you work the flanged tip of each hanger tube into its hole in the rubber hanger, push it halfway through and do the others in turn before fully removing any. The hardest part is getting the tip to enter the hanger hole, for which I and everyone else recommend lubing the tip, shaft and hole. I used a Teflon-containing spray applied through a thin tube tip - you don't have to get it all over everything, just the metal tube and its hole in the hanger. While you're at it, lube the hanger on the middle pipe now. After the tips are well within the hangers, you can push the hangers off completely one at a time. Do one side first and lower the muffler onto the crate, then do the other side and it's free.

This sounds a lot easier than you'll think it is when you try it for the first time. You'll push and pull for a few minutes before questioning why you ever started this, because it will seem impossible to get the tip back through the hole in the rubber. But it will go if you push firmly on one side of the bottom of the rubber while firmly rocking the muffler or pipe down and back several times. This tips the metal tube relative to the hole in the rubber, and the edge of the flanged tip will suddenly slip into the hole a little bit. Keep pushing the rubber towards the tip with a thumb while rocking the muffler or pipe and pulling it gently the other way, and it will slip through the hanger.

There's only one other hanger, and it holds up the middle tube. Put something under the front of this tube to catch and hold it close to its installed level before proceeding. Then remove the two spring-retained bolts in the flange at the front of this tube. The nuts are not captive, but unless they're corroded, you probably won't need a wrench on them to loosen the bolts because the spring pressure holds the nuts well enough. BUT...these nuts will fall off when you completely remove the bolts - so be ready to catch them or they'll roll away and end up someplace you'll never find. When you remove the second one, pull back on the pipe to get the flange off the tapered gasket onto which it seats. The front of the pipe will then fall down if you're not holding it, so lower it gently onto the support you've put beneath it. Now you can work the last hanger tube out of the rubber hanger the same way you did the others. You should have lubed the hanger when you did the rest. When it pops free, the tube's ready to be slid out from under the car. I think it's easiest to work from the rear end of that tube, rotating it counterclockwise and pulling it down ti get the hanger tip into the hole in the rubber.

I hung the new muffler first. Pushing the hanger tubes into the rubber hangers is a lot easier than getting them out. My tips are well positioned, so spacing in the valence cutouts is perfect. Then put the band clamp over the small tube and slip it into the muffler inlet but do not tighten anything yet.

Next you hang the pipe with the resonator. Use your wood blocks or whatever you put under the front of the old pipe to hold the new one close to its installed position while you slip the hanger rod into the rubber. The tip is not flanged on the TopSpeed pipe hanger - it's longer than necessary and bent down a little to allow for retention and mobility. After hanging it, slip the front flange over the outlet and replace the spring-loaded bolts. It takes a little finger pressure on the bolts to get them far enoughthrough the front flange to secure the nuts on them. Leave them finger tight for now.

Put the gasket between the flanges at the muffler inlet pipe and use the supplied bolts to secure it finger tight. BTW, the hardware doesn't look like SS to me, so I used SS washers and will replace the bolts and nuts later. Everything aligned well for me, so I tightened everything up from front to back. Be careful with the band clamp - there's an hourglass-shaped spacer on the bolt between the insides of the ends, and it can slip off the splined part of the bolt and rotate into a bad position. Make sure the concave surfaces fit over the insides of the clamp before you start to tighten it, and rotate / realign it if they don't. You may have to remove the nut and withdraw the bolt enough to get the spacer off the splines so you can rotate it if it's not right. Then tighten the band clamp with a mm or two of muffler inlet pipe barely outside the front end of the clamp.

Now you have the pleasure of checking for leaks. Start the car and look for condensation drops from joints. If there's a drop of water, it's not selaed and you have to make it right. More flanges are ruined by overtightening than by undertightening, so don't whack on that wrench. You can always tighten it a bit more if it's clearly loose.

When tight, remove everything you left on the ground under the car, drop it, and you're done.

I certainly do appreciate the easy instillation guide you provided. It’s really assuring to hear someone of your background praise this inexpensive exhaust. Because of that and some sound clips I’ve found on Youtube, I stopped by the Top Speed Auto shop (thankfully I only live about 30 minutes away), and picked up my very own Top Speed catback exhaust! It’s beautiful, and I’ll be using your handy guide to install it sometime this weekend or next week. Thanks!

[bluesman]

These are the best exhaust clamps I've ever seen. It's tight as a drum and looks much better than the cheapo clamp that came with it. A picture is worth 1000 words:

[bluesman]

[This is for LittleMonster - the "quote" button wouldn't paste the text from the post.]

I was undecided between the one I bought and the one you bought. I preferred the look of the central muffler, but yours probably sounds even better than mine and is a bit louder (which I wouldn't mind at all). Enjoy it!