The exhaust pipe that comes from the cat and attaches
to the one that goes over axle to the muffler came lose
on the passenger side. The flanges are still bolted together
on the one that goes to the muffler. Can a "mom & pop"
muffler shop fix this or do I have to take it to the dealer?
Also can they custom make an X pipe or dose it have to
be in a certain spot and "tuned" to length and size?
Why do I need an Xpipe anyway ?
Joe Peters 99A4Vert

 

RE: Your exhaust questions-

1) to tighten up the clamps & fittings, is child's play. The key to the working on your vette is making sure whoever lifts the car, has a low profile, drive-on ramp. Don't let them lift your car with swing-under lifts. My local Midas has done all of my custom work & I've been happy. They also enjoy doing the custom work vs. the everyday boring rusty stuff.

2) You might be better served purchasing the X-pipe that has been made specifically for your car. They have a lifetime warranty and are made to be bolt-on apps, that requires little time to install. Having a custom pipe cut & welded might cost less, but will you get the same performance for the money spent? And will it last? There's your risk-

3) Why do the pipes? The rear exhaust changes the way you sound entirely, and IMHO is the best mod for the money. X-Pipes smooth out the exhaust flow, reduce the burbble & rattling created by the H-Pipe and might add a little HP to boot. The jury is out on power...some say it does, I can't really say for sure. Real power comes from the front starting with your intake, going to headers & re-working from there.

It's a disease man. A slow poison without a cure...Good Luck
:D :D

 

A mom and pop muffler shop can easily handle your problem---and pretty much anything else with the cat-back exhaust system. I bought a Basanni x-pipe, and though its construction was solid, it didn't have the proper alignment and we had to jerry-rig some bolts, so I wasn't very impressed with it. You can get a smaller x-pipe from WCC or other Forum vendors for a lot less than the $275 for Basanni. I don't think it adds any horsepower but it makes the car sound a lot better. I also put on Andy's A&A exhaust mod and that really makes the car sound a lot better---for only about $80 instead of the $900 cat-back systems. Both items can be put on at the same time.

Good luck. If you shop the Forum, you can probably get both for about $200-225 plus installation and welding for the exhaust mod. I think you'll be really happy with them.