Removing mufflers?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,461
Likes: 161
From: Las Vegas Nevada
St. Jude Donor '08
99CorvetteFRC,
You need to have the rear about three feet off the ground to remove the OEM mufflers or cat backs as they are referred to. If they are the regular mufflers and not the ZO6 mufflers, just cut them off and throw them away unless you think you will want to put them back on at a later date. They are worthless, and you can't even give them away. I know some people have raised their car this high with jacks and jack stands with wood. But I think you are looking for real trouble this way.
You could very easily become a pancake. There are a lot of posts on doing this, so just do a little searching.
Good luck,
Clayton from Las Vegas
You need to have the rear about three feet off the ground to remove the OEM mufflers or cat backs as they are referred to. If they are the regular mufflers and not the ZO6 mufflers, just cut them off and throw them away unless you think you will want to put them back on at a later date. They are worthless, and you can't even give them away. I know some people have raised their car this high with jacks and jack stands with wood. But I think you are looking for real trouble this way.
You could very easily become a pancake. There are a lot of posts on doing this, so just do a little searching.Good luck,
Clayton from Las Vegas
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 24,725
Likes: 4,564
From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
i saw a post on here where some dude backed his car up to the edge of a loading dock and kept all 4 wheels on the ground while he swapped mufflers.
it's a great idea if you can find a place like that.
it's a great idea if you can find a place like that.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
I did it on 4 jack stands. Had the car up about 16" so I could get under it.
took off the mufflers to put on straight pipes. It would have been nice to have a lift, but you have to work with what you have.
took off the mufflers to put on straight pipes. It would have been nice to have a lift, but you have to work with what you have.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Hi 99corvetteFRC -
I have done several exhaust swaps -
Since you have to rotate the mufflers down in the rear and "wiggle" the over the axle pipe out, you do have to have the car up in the air pretty good -
AU N EGL - How did you remove an intact catback system with the car ony 16" above the ground?
I am assuming you cut yours off and just removed the mufflers and not the whole unit as an assembly - I don't see how you could get them off that way intact -
If you can get them off with only 16" of ground clearance, please share your secrets....
best regards -
mqqn
I have done several exhaust swaps -
Since you have to rotate the mufflers down in the rear and "wiggle" the over the axle pipe out, you do have to have the car up in the air pretty good -
AU N EGL - How did you remove an intact catback system with the car ony 16" above the ground?
I am assuming you cut yours off and just removed the mufflers and not the whole unit as an assembly - I don't see how you could get them off that way intact -
If you can get them off with only 16" of ground clearance, please share your secrets....
best regards -
mqqn
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Your floor jack won't get you up nearly high enough.
You will need to make a lifting pad to sit on top of it.
That pad will need to be a "sandwhich" of a 4x4 between 2- 2x6's.
You need that 8 inches of extra lift.
Be careful that the nose doe snot scrape with the rear that high.
I drove mine up on ramps and then lifted the rear.
What the tires on the front ramp as you jack up the back the front tires will tend to roll back... You might have to lift the front while the back is up and reposition the ramps.
You will need to make a lifting pad to sit on top of it.
That pad will need to be a "sandwhich" of a 4x4 between 2- 2x6's.
You need that 8 inches of extra lift.
Be careful that the nose doe snot scrape with the rear that high.
I drove mine up on ramps and then lifted the rear.
What the tires on the front ramp as you jack up the back the front tires will tend to roll back... You might have to lift the front while the back is up and reposition the ramps.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 199
Likes: 1
Just cut the old system and throw it away. Put corsa cross over and corsa cat back on with just rhino ramps up front and floorjack to get rear up on jackstands at the rear puck locations had no problem needed second person to hold tips in proper location while tighting everything down
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Originally Posted by mqqn
AU N EGL - How did you remove an intact catback system with the car ony 16" above the ground?
mqqn
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 1
From: Rugby North Dakota
I just did this about a month ago, and I measured - the rear of the car HAS to be 32 - 36 inches higher than the ground, measured from the LOWEST part of the rear fender/fascia to the ground in order to get the factory cat backs off w/o cutting them.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
The A4 has to be a couple of inches higher that the MN6. Because the rear diff is larger.
You might also have to take of the gasoline shield and you will have to lossen the rear sway bars and drop them out of the way.
You might also have to take of the gasoline shield and you will have to lossen the rear sway bars and drop them out of the way.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Originally Posted by AU N EGL
That I did not do. The car was on a lift to remove the headers, cats and exhaust. Rplacing with Long Tubes, high flow cats,x-pipe, and GHL exhaust. I remove then GHL Exuast and over axle pipe and replaced with straight pipes.
Thanks for the reply - I was just wondering, the thread poster asked if it could be done and I probably mis-understood your post, thinking that you had found a way to get a catback off with only 16" clearance.
Dang buddy - long tubes and no mufflers!
Bet than sounds mean!
best regards -
mqqn
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,066
Likes: 0
From: Canonsburg home of Yenko Chevy (gone but not forgotten) Western PA
Originally Posted by mqqn
Hi AU N EGL -
Thanks for the reply - I was just wondering, the thread poster asked if it could be done and I probably mis-understood your post, thinking that you had found a way to get a catback off with only 16" clearance.
Dang buddy - long tubes and no mufflers!
Bet than sounds mean!
best regards -
mqqn
Thanks for the reply - I was just wondering, the thread poster asked if it could be done and I probably mis-understood your post, thinking that you had found a way to get a catback off with only 16" clearance.
Dang buddy - long tubes and no mufflers!
Bet than sounds mean!
best regards -
mqqn
After cussing and scarey jacking up my Vette, I will never do it again. Several people have said that if you take it to Midas or some other garage they only charge $30 to use their lift. I'ts alot easier and safer,no busted knuckles either.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Originally Posted by avacorvette
After cussing and scarey jacking up my Vette, I will never do it again. Several people have said that if you take it to Midas or some other garage they only charge $30 to use their lift. I'ts alot easier and safer,no busted knuckles either.
I only charge one six pack
We should start a lift-owners registry, so that members could contact people in their area that have a lift.....
If you do go to midas or the like, bring your lifting pucks or a board for the center of the rear - lowered cars require jacking up some before the lifting arms of most service lifts can be swung under the car.
best regards -
mqqn
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Originally Posted by mqqn
Dang buddy - long tubes and no mufflers!
Bet than sounds mean!
best regards -
mqqn
Bet than sounds mean!
best regards -
mqqn
Inside at full throttle cant hear anything else, and that is WITH ear plugs under the helmet.
Guys behind on the track have said the pitch just gets better and better and the thottle goes down.
Wife says she can hear me a mile away when I bed in the brake pads. But really under light throttle it is not too bad.
Dont think I have to worry about the 105dbs at many tracks.
Did notice an HP increase when I changed from the mufflers to the straight pipes. Builder of the straight pipes sent me two dynos charts, one with his exhaust and one with the straight pipes. 7 hp increase over stock.
but think about it. 2" long tubes into a 3 " collector and 3" pipe all the way back, not much restriction to the air flow.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 640
Likes: 7
From: Dow Illinois
Originally Posted by JTS97Z28
Here is what my vette looked like in order to get stock exhaust off. Front bumper was literally resting on the ground.
