Installing New Catback System
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,135
Likes: 5
From: Newberry FL
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
Installing New Catback System
Anyone have some good pictures of what you did for getting the rear end of your car up high enough to install your mufflers/catback system. I know that a lift would be the best, but I want to see my alternatives.
Thanks and look forward to your tech notes and pictures.
Micah
Thanks and look forward to your tech notes and pictures.
Micah
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 917
Likes: 0
From: 10.54 @ 129 346 N/A A4 Record 9.78 @ 139+ on 150 shot
no pictures but i did it in my driveway.. i highly, with out a doubt say bring it to a muflershop , spend the 100 bucks have them do it.. with that said, i started on one side of the car , put on a jackstand about 6" off the ground at the tire. then did the otherside. now with both on stands 6" off the ground went up 2" on the left , then the right till the tire was about 1' off the ground, that gave enough clearce to get the pipes around the axel... take your time slowly go up .. but my advise bring it somewhere with a lift .. its not worth an afternnon , or any possible damage
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 822
Likes: 0
From: Grafton Ohio
I drove my car on 4 pieces of 2x10 that I cut so my floorjack would fit under the car.
Chuck the front wheels.
Jack up the back of the car up as far as your floorjack will go and set your jackstands.
Lower the jack and place a piece of 6x8 on the cup of the jack and keep jacking it up watching that you dont hit the front bumper on the floor.
Reset the stands and loosen and lower the rear anti sway bar and then swap out your cat backs.
Start to end took me about an hour.
Chuck the front wheels.
Jack up the back of the car up as far as your floorjack will go and set your jackstands.
Lower the jack and place a piece of 6x8 on the cup of the jack and keep jacking it up watching that you dont hit the front bumper on the floor.
Reset the stands and loosen and lower the rear anti sway bar and then swap out your cat backs.
Start to end took me about an hour.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 9,298
Likes: 4
From: American Canyon Lethal Injection
Originally Posted by 2000whitec5
no pictures but i did it in my driveway.. i highly, with out a doubt say bring it to a muflershop , spend the 100 bucks have them do it.. with that said, i started on one side of the car , put on a jackstand about 6" off the ground at the tire. then did the otherside. now with both on stands 6" off the ground went up 2" on the left , then the right till the tire was about 1' off the ground, that gave enough clearce to get the pipes around the axel... take your time slowly go up .. but my advise bring it somewhere with a lift .. its not worth an afternnon , or any possible damage
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 205
Likes: 0
FWIW: I did my Corsa Pace system about 2 hours ago using only ramps.
My stock exhaust had a crack near the flange, that I didn't intent on welding, so my rear section was getting trashed anyway.
I didn't even have to touch the sway-bar. I just backed it up on the ramps, unbolted the front 4 bolts, unbolted the rear hangers, pulled the mufflers down and to the rear as far as they would go, cut the pipe as high up as I could fit the angle-grinder in there, and off it came.
The new stuff slipped on easy.
Cost: 1 metal grinding wheel (3-4 bucks) that got used up.
Disregard all of the above if you want your stock system uncut.
My stock exhaust had a crack near the flange, that I didn't intent on welding, so my rear section was getting trashed anyway.
I didn't even have to touch the sway-bar. I just backed it up on the ramps, unbolted the front 4 bolts, unbolted the rear hangers, pulled the mufflers down and to the rear as far as they would go, cut the pipe as high up as I could fit the angle-grinder in there, and off it came.
The new stuff slipped on easy.
Cost: 1 metal grinding wheel (3-4 bucks) that got used up.
Disregard all of the above if you want your stock system uncut.
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
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
I agonized with the same issue - save the original or not. I even went to the Chevy Dealer who has 6-8 Corvettes in stock all the time - they scared the bejeebers out of me with what they "didn't know" about after market exhaust systems.
I spent 10 seconds on each side with a sawzall and never looked back. I have seen many threads where others have their stock system available for the cost of shipping it if you ever need it.
Good luck!
BK
I spent 10 seconds on each side with a sawzall and never looked back. I have seen many threads where others have their stock system available for the cost of shipping it if you ever need it.
Good luck!
BK
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,060
Likes: 291
From: Pasco WA
Originally Posted by MRRAZZY2003
I agonized with the same issue - save the original or not. I even went to the Chevy Dealer who has 6-8 Corvettes in stock all the time - they scared the bejeebers out of me with what they "didn't know" about after market exhaust systems.
I spent 10 seconds on each side with a sawzall and never looked back. I have seen many threads where others have their stock system available for the cost of shipping it if you ever need it.
Good luck!
BK
I spent 10 seconds on each side with a sawzall and never looked back. I have seen many threads where others have their stock system available for the cost of shipping it if you ever need it.
Good luck!
BK
The same cannot be said of the highly desirable factory Ti system that comes on ZO6s. These should not be cut up.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 14,711
Likes: 0
CI 7, 9, 10 & 11 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Cut it off - or go with this type of "rig"
....trust me, you might as well cut it off, I have a stock set still in my garage that I am just going to take to the dump
....trust me, you might as well cut it off, I have a stock set still in my garage that I am just going to take to the dump