Request Installing Catback

[BobDaGoOn]

I just got my Tanabe race Medallion and I figured it should be plug and play. I thought it can’t cost that much to get done at an exhaust shop. (was to lazy to deal with the bolts) So did a quick trip to the local exhaust shop and they wanted 100-150 bucks. With a puzzled look I said the job should take 15-20 minutes with your air tools and lift. I mean I was there last year with an Apexi N1 universal and had custom piping done for 150 bucks. For 60 bucks I can buy a nice ramp set and a few bottles of liquid wrench. So to the point, is there something more to unbolting the old one and bolting in the new one? Any info would be great, thanks, Mike

Registered and logged-in users don't see this ad! Register your free account today.

[SDSUlude]

no, nothing more than that with my Apex WS anyway, mine was a factory two piece, just unbolted, and bolt on the new one. The only thing was that the bolts were a b!#@h to get off. Took about an hour at home on some stands and no air tools.

[JimBlake]

Get new bolts for the cat flange. Your system probably comes with new bolts for the flange near the rear axle. If you have new ones, then you don't have to waste time 'saving' the old ones. Sawzall makes it real easy to take off the old system.

[laosracer860]

yea everybody is right cause i did it by my self with my cat back as long you have all the parts needed to put it together than you can put it on your self. but if you want to have it install the right corrcet way and to make sure that nothing goes wrong go to a shop the best is pep boys or minake you'll get good discounts. just take my advice you don't want to have your exhust coming off at a speen bump or a hole in the ground.... i should know i seen people do it them selfs.......

[BobDaGoOn]

I've gone to Mieneke as well and wanted just about the same price. I still feel it's a rip. I've been getting that a lot of B.S. from mechanics lately. I went to get inspections earlier this month and they pulled out this rap sheet of about $300 worth of parts and $200 estimate for labor and failed me for safety for low threads on tires. I mean I passed emissions so why would I still need a full tune up? All I need to do is change 2 tires and wheel fasteners. (Stated on the NYS safety rejection letter) So I pulled off the Rims from the G1 Integra (LS SE editions with dunlops all season sport ) and went back. Now after some arguing, they told me that my upper and lower radiator hoses are worn and needs replacing, they’ll do it for 110 and I said No, I did them about 10k miles ago for 30 bucks with my own two hands. So I just left and went somewhere else, explain the situation so they can’t B.S. me. So, I’m a bit un-easy when I get an estimate from mechanics b/c I know how much work they have to put into it. For the exhaust should take no more than 30mins tops (especially when their properly equipped), base pay is 75 per hour more or less. Doesn’t add up to me. It's a simple job, a catback that has matching factory mounts and everything. Only thing I'm worried about are leaks.

thanks,
Mike

[b16sleeper]

Does anyone have a daily driver with the racing medallion on it? I didn't know if it was loud as hell on the highway and if it would be better to just buy an apex ws cat back?

[BobDaGoOn]

Mine came with a silencer, I'll let you know as soon as I get the bolts off the stock one

mike,

[GCEX]

Originally posted by b16sleeper
Does anyone have a daily driver with the racing medallion on it? I didn't know if it was loud as hell on the highway and if it would be better to just buy an apex ws cat back?

I have an RM on my '00 Civic and it can be loud as heck on the highway. I guess if you set the cruise control and just go at 65-75 the whole time you'd be ok. I remember one night I got ticketed right before I was going to go to the casino out in the desert, about a 45 minute drive. Drove pissed off and got there in about 30 and the ears were really buzzing for a while after. But, it does come with a silencer, but that seems to kill power from 5K to redline, however it makes the car feel torquier beneath 5K.

About the exhaust install, the shop I took it to charged me $65 to install it, but that was also partially because I spent a grip of money on that trip. Honestly, after changing my oil filter so many times and getting underneath the car, it doesn't seem so hard.

How hard is it to torque down the bolts as hard as you can? I'd have more trouble not forcing that shiznitz in. About the only thing I'd worry about is making sure the exhaust is hanging properly on the hangers. A mechanic who installed my camber kit ****ed up somehow and knocked the piping off of the hanger, the one near the catalytic converter. I didn't notice until a few days later while I was standing behind my car. I was like "How come I can see so much of the piping today?" I swear there was less than the 3 inches of clearance between the piping and the ground. If I had hit a nasty bump at speed, bye bye exhaust...

[GSRacer]

The install is simple, put the car on stands, grab an impact wrench and get the bolts off, it helps to spray some penetrating oil in there the night before. If you don't have an impact wrench just cut off the bolts with a grinder or a sawzall and put new ones in (you should do this anyway). If you don't have those tools, then you have another use for the money that the shop was gonna charge you. I did this on a 95 gsr, a newer car or better climate will make it much easier to do everything.

[BobDaGoOn]

A short follow up, I finally installed it, and it cost me about 6 bucks, a socket wrench and about 2 hours total (about hour and a half of waiting time)

First we jacked the car up on stands, and try to un-bolt it. No success there. We broke two bolts. We sat down and thought, WD40. We ran out bought a can and then sprayed away. Sat around for about 45 mins, then we were back at the bolts, Took some time but we got them out. When we reached the B-pipe, there was a problem. There was a third bolt on the topside of the cat and the B-pipe. And to make it worse there was a heat shield blocking it. No leverage to unbolt so sprayed it again with WD40. This time while waiting, I changed oil and my friend ran out to buy anti-seize. Some time passed and we tried again, No luck. My friend pulls out a breaker bar and that did the trick but it destroyed my K-mart socket wrench (awe well) so the hard part is done. Now we just bolt everything together and done. Hardest thing about the install was getting the Exhaust on the hooks, but WD40 saved the day again.

Few Pics



the bolts I broke ( you can see one of them still on the pipe)


Just when I thought we were done


the Bolt I missed

It got dark, so the finished pics will be up later on. I'm not a pro yet, but I have experience now

[STOCK96civicDX]

i took my civic to a shop to have an estimate on putting a flowmaster muffler on it. stock weld on the in pipe rusted and broke, so needed a muffler. since it's a cut and weld application, one shop said about $87 for labor and the pipes they'll need to bend and weld. another shop said about $50 total. so you know where i'm going (especially since the cheaper shop came highly recommended). but the reason it's a cut and weld is because the muffler i got doesn't have the exhaust hangers on it, so they need to cut the stock ones and weld them onto the new muffler, and it's a 1 1/2" pipe on the stock exhaust, the flowmaster is 2" in and out, so they need to weld in the adaptor piece. i'm in PA, so the labor rate is cheap compared to what you pay out in NY.

[crxb16er]

im in az and i always get raped for labor costs, i had a starter bolt stripped on the transmission block and just had to have them remove it with air tools and was charged 85$ for a full hour of work, had brake line work with a double flaring tool just had to connect 2 connections and it took them 210's of labor. i avoid shops at all costs