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Getting my Fisters delivered on Friday, hoped to get them installed on Saturday before heading up to Monterey. I don't know how hard it is to do myself, but am worried i might get into it and then stuck, and then delay my trip to Monterey. Does anyone know of a competent shop that could do it and that works on Saturday in the LA Harbor area? I'll be in San Pedro/PV but can go anywhere in the reasonable area.
If you want to diy the only problem is the hardware being corroded and therefore you can't get the old ones off. Put the car on jack stands and see if the nuts will come loose. If so, you're all set.
The clamps that hold the exhaust tips onto the mufflers are often completely seized - you might want to acquire a pair of exhaust tip clamps in advance. You can always return them if you don't need them.
If it's a california car and you are fairly competent mechanically, I expect you'll be able to do this with no problems (except maybe the afore-mentioned hardware)...
I have a northeast car and hat to cut several of my bolts off and source a replacement hanger for one side. So, there are definitely cases where even a shop would have problems. I'd investigate the condition ahead of time even if the plan is to have a shop do it if time is of the essence.
all the nuts / bolts that you'll need are in there
the M80 & M130's are likely to snap (they hold the muffler on the carrier)
and the clamps for the tip section are pretty much 'one use only'
I checked the four bolts on the clamps near the converters, and the clamp on the tips, and they are all quite free. No rustiness at all, and nuts turn easily. Still need to locate and test the hanger bolts?
RRTec, Fister charges $400 core charge, so I'd have to sell for that plus the extra shipping going all the way to TN instead of Calif where I am. You can probably find them cheaper, but as long as it doesn't cost me more $ I'll sell if you want them.
I checked the four bolts on the clamps near the converters, and the clamp on the tips, and they are all quite free. No rustiness at all, and nuts turn easily. Still need to locate and test the hanger bolts?
RRTec, Fister charges $400 core charge, so I'd have to sell for that plus the extra shipping going all the way to TN instead of Calif where I am. You can probably find them cheaper, but as long as it doesn't cost me more $ I'll sell if you want them.
The hanger nuts are tricky to get to but should be pretty easy to see if there is any corrosion, etc. The other place where there can be trouble is the vertical bolts that attach the hanger to the muffler. But it sounds like a pretty clean car and you should be OK.
all the nuts / bolts that you'll need are in there
the M80 & M130's are likely to snap (they hold the muffler on the carrier)
and the clamps for the tip section are pretty much 'one use only'
Related question, sort of. Does the rear bumper cover need to come off to swap out the mufflers?
No. If you leave the muffler bolted to the mounting bracket and remove the three nuts holding the mounting bracket in place, you can remove the entire muffler/bracket assembly without removing the bumper cover.
Removing the rear wheels would definitely make the process easier - there are a couple of maneuvers where the tire is in the way - but that is not absolutely necessary either. I have done a couple of muffler swaps using nothing but a pair of Rhino Ramps with the bumper cover in place.
No. If you leave the muffler bolted to the mounting bracket and remove the three nuts holding the mounting bracket in place, you can remove the entire muffler/bracket assembly without removing the bumper cover. Removing the rear wheels would definitely make the process easier - there are a couple of maneuvers where the tire is in the way - but that is not absolutely necessary either. I have done a couple of muffler swaps using nothing but a pair of Rhino Ramps with the bumper cover in place.
An air ratchet makes it a lot easier to manage those three nuts. When we swapped my mufflers we used my Milwaukee cordless ratchet, which is kind of like an air ratchet without the hose. We jacked up the rear of the car and removed the rear wheels, as 5CNH3LL mentioned. We also needed a 3 foot pipe slid over the end of a breaker bar to loosen the nuts on the clamps. And that's after soaking them for a while in PB Blaster. We did not break any bolts.
We did not remove the bumper cover, and it didn't take that long to swap the mufflers.
Looks like a few extra parts (bolts and nuts)...but that wouldn't account for the price difference. I've bought from both Rhonda (FVD) and Gert (Carnewal) and have been pleased with both. However I usually buy from FVD since they do have a US presence if there are any customer service concerns.
08-10-2016, 06:39 PM
Saturday Muffler swap in LA Harbor area?
