The broken Y-Pipe blues...any ideas?

[Brandontw]

Hey guys. As you may or may not know my SHO is a total piece of crap...I spend the money I should be using to fix it on stereo stuff for it, but anyway. A big problem has recently reared its ugly head. My y pipe is broken up front and it is really loud, like I don’t even like to drive it anymore. And I went to a muffler shop that was recommended to me by a friend and they gave me an estimate of 998.99. They need to fabricate a new y pipe, and whoever did the exhaust before I got the car took the cats off so it’s like 350 for new cats. And another 80 for a new custom flex pipe because mine is trashed. I was totally shocked. I was thinking 300-400...but not 1000! So I asked the guy if I could get my own y-pipe and cats and he said “yeah-if it’s the right one” So I found on on shoshop.com for 379$ -It the “HiFlow Y-Pipe w/ catalytic converters” and that’s how much they were going to charge me just for the cats at the muffler store, and since they don’t have to weld the y pipe, that will bring the labor down to about 300 and I will still have to get a flex pipe so it will still probably be 700-800$ to get it fixed.

Any ideas to bring that number down any more? Anybody have a spare y pipe and cats you need to get rid of?


Sorry for the long post

 

[jedhead]

You should be able to install the y-pipe yourself and save some $$. The y-pipe comes in pieces and you put them together and clamp pipes for a custom fit.

Bob

 

[Mels]

www.midwestsho.com

If you're looking for an aftermarket performance y-pipe at a very reasonable price. Otherwise, place an ad in the WTB for a used stock unit which should work just fine for you.

If you showed your location, I'd bet some local guys may offer to help.

Good luck.

 

[Brandontw]

You should be able to install the y-pipe yourself and save some $$. The y-pipe comes in pieces and you put them together and clamp pipes for a custom fit.

Bob

i dont have a mig welder, and i have tried arc welding stuff like this before and it never works out good.
and clamping stuff sound cheap.

The y pipe comes in peices?!?! like how many peices? this all just seems like it should be welded, and scince i cant weld it....


im in reno NV by the way

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

The y pipe comes in peices?!?! like how many peices? this all just seems like it should be welded, and scince i cant weld it....

you could always clamp it together and drive it to your local muffler shop and have them weld it together so you did not have to worry about leaks and the clapms

 

[Brandontw]

waht sort of clamps would i use for this? remember that this isnt the stock type of system..it is welded all one peice front to back.

 

[NWGRN94MTX]

The MidWest Y-pipe come fully assembled. There is no welding needed. unplug the O2's, loosen the 4 nuts on the bell mouths and loosen the two spring bolts at the ******. That's it.
Where are you located? Some people in your area may be able to help you.

I don't want to sound like a @ss, but if you can't handle doing this, you may want to get a different car. SHO's are very hands on.

 

[jedhead]

The y-pipe came with muffler clamps. I just put the y-pipe together on the car clamped it all together (this way you have a perfect custom fit to your car). Believe me I would rather install it this way instead of trying to wrestle with the pipe because my car is not exactly like the car the jig was made from. Then I drove the car to a muffler shop and they welded it together and I had them add a flex pipe. I was charged $100 for the welding and new flex pipe.

Bob

 

[MorpheusGPR]

My borla stinger catback, JDM catback on my other vehicles all use clamps. If you get good quality clamps its the best way to go. Then you can get it back off if you need to.

 

[Brandontw]

sorry for being dense- i do alot of metalwork, but not on cars.

i would have to use a cutting torch or grinder, and cut the pipe right by the flex pipe, then take off the old y pipe, and put the new one on, then i would have to clamp it at the end of the y pipe, right before the flex pipe.

and im not sure the flex pipe is in the right place, i think it needs to be moved back.
i think ill have to take it down there and have them do it..

 

[MYSHO1]

Y pipe...

BIttersweet, makes em also

 

[Brandontw]

BIttersweet, makes em also

eh?? whats bittersweet? makes what?

 

[jedhead]

They make a cat-less y-pipe with crush bends. The pipe gets narrower at the bends unlike the mandrel bends used on Midwest, Performance Plus and SS Y-pipe. However the Bittersweet is less expensive and has no cats.
http://www.bittersweetsho.com/performance.html

bob

 

[Brandontw]

thanks

 

[ViPER1313]

Are you sure its the Y-Pipe that has rusted through? Could it be a broken exhaust stud on one of the manifolds where the Y-Pipe connects to them? If it's not....

Look for a Catco Y-Pipe if you want to keep the cats on the car - you might be able to find one for cheaper, but this is what you are looking for:
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/cats/part.php?partid=890&year=1992

Then get a dynomax cat back system from Summit Racing - part WLK-17400 - http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=egnsearch.asp&N=400358+302010

Tada! Whole new exhaust for less than what the shop wants to charge you. If you are going to install it yourself I suggest you invest in a MAPP torch and some new studs for the exhaust manifolds. You will also need a doughnut gasket for where the Y-Pipe meets the cat back - you can buy this from lots of auto parts stores or from Rockauto.com

 

[TicoSHO]

I have a 93 atx and had clogged cats. I went to Rainbow Muffler and they found the Y-pipe from Goelich's (I think that is how you spell it. I know that they have the part for the mtx. It only cost me $500 icluding install. I have not had any problems with it since. It may not be high performance but it gets you back on the road.

 

[TicoSHO]

sorry, it's Goerlich's

www.goerlichs.com

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

That looks loke a Catco pipe.

 

[Brandontw]

i think trueSHO is going to hook me up with an old stock one that he had laying around and hopefully i can get it welded on for 200 or so.

I really dont even care about performance anymore... my car has like 290000 miles on it and runs like a one legged wombat, so i dont think a stock y pipe will be a big drag on it. As long as i can quiet it down a bit so it will get me around pleasurably for a while more, i will be happy.

I think i will replace my O2 sensors while im at it... any recomendations for some cheap ones that dont suck?

do you think they will be able to fit the old stock y pipe to the aftermarket exhaust OK?

 

[Ace]

sorry, it's Goerlich's

www.goerlichs.com

which is the same as AP....