Anyone here install their own exhaust. I'm going to do it myself, and I'm trying to get a feel for how big of job its going to be.

 

Axle back, cat-back, x/h pipe, headers?? Axle back is a piece of cake, everything else gets a little harder and more time consuming with headers being the worst

 

Axle back? Yes me and a buddy installed it in about 2 hours a little less. Headers I heard are a ***** to install. Catback exhaust wouldn't be hard with proper tools and a lift or a Jack and Jack stands .

 

Some people say it's easier than others. I just installed a Borla S-Type Axleback a couple weeks ago on my '13 GT and I can say it was much easier having a 2nd person help. The hardest part is getting the stock mufflers off the hangars and then attaching the new mufflers to the stock piping and getting the hangars in place, as it is a tight fit. It's best to unbolt the hangars with the stock mufflers still attached so you have more room to pull them off. It took us about an hour with a car lift. The best advice I can give you is to be patient lol

 

Once I jacked up my car, I had both mufflers replaced in 30 mins using my impact gun... best tool I have bought to date. Absolutely take off the hanger bracket - only need to do the forward one

 

Catback, but I only have a Jack.


I may go down the street and let my mechanic install it for $80. Good price? or I'm I getting ripped off?

 

Seems about right. Probably an hour of labor or so. Mechanics in northern nj charge anywhere from 70 to as high as 110 for an hour of labor.

 

thanks, I think ill just take it to a mechanic then.

 

Also just used a jack and jack stands. And did my install at night with just a light under the car. It's really, really easy for axle back...

 

Don't go under the car without jack stands.


Tip. Exhaust pieces slide out of the hanger bushing easier if lubed with silicone spray.

 

Axleback changeover is so easy it would be embarrassing to pay someone else to do it. But you DO need jack stands. Not paying out that $80 would buy you a nice set, with gas money left over.

 

Ramps are an alternative to jack stands. You will also need a socket wrench set.

 

I've attempted to remove my axlebacks twice and failed both times. You removed the front axleback hanger bracket with and impact? How did you reach the bolts?

 

The Midas by me changed my exhaust for $40 bucks. Only took them 15 minutes.

 

swapped mine twice now, by myself, took about an hour, include lifting/ setting up jackstands, etc.

 

I just put my GT500s on this afternoon. All you need is a pair of ramps, a 3/8" ratchet, 13 mm standard and deep well sockets, some 3/8" extensions, and a bottle jack with a hockey puck if you happen to have one. Start by spraying some silicone lube on all the rubber mounts. Remove the back hanger by the tailpipe - I found that a spring loaded clamp works well at pushing the rubber over the flare at the end. loosen the pipe clamp all the way. Put the bottle jack on the exhaust pipe behind the resonator with the hockey puck between the jack and the pipe and jack it all the way up to pop the pipe loose from the clamp. Push the muffler as far back as you can to expose the bolt on the front hanger and remove it. From the rear of the car pull the muffler down to get at the other bolt on the front hanger and remove it - note the muffler will fall off. Put the new muffler on in the reverse order. The drivers side front hanger has one additional bolt that is easy to get to. Don't completely tighten the pipe clamp until you center the tail pipe. It took me a couple of hours mainly trying to get the first muffler off - one I figured out the sequence, things went fast. The GT500s sound great - just what I was looking for.

Scott

 

ill check them out, thanks!

 

the trick that will save you the most time and headaches is when you drop the mufflers drop them from the brackets. so what you do is loosen the connecting tube clamps on the pipe. Then start with loosening the bracket bolts from the chassis. One they start getting loose you can shift the mufflers to get the harder to reach bolts. Once you disconnect all the brackets 2 per muffler you can then drop the muffler Assembly. Then you can use some wd 40, silicone or lithium grease to pull the brackets of over the spearheaded end of the muffler. I swapped mine in 30 minutes each.

 

A buddy of mine is a Ford mechanic. We took the exhaust back to his house and changed the mufflers out in about 45 minutes. We did not use stands or ramps either. It just made it a little harder to wiggle them out.

 

I did my axle backs in under a hour, x pipe in 30, center section was about a hour....all with jack stands on the ground.