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BA XR8 exhaust.... on a DC LTD!

3K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  MADNC_8 
#1 ·
yup you read that correctly, this is my next project. I've scored a brand new BA XR8 exhaust (that was replaced with a herrod system) for a mere $75. Now i gotta make the bastard fit. done the inspection today and looked over what will fit and what wont.

first issue is the rear muffler, it wont fit next to the spare tyre bay. I propose to solve this problem by raising the bay, losing boot space but allowing the muffler to fit easily. anyone done this before? i plan to remove the fuel tank so i can easily chop and weld.

second issue is a minor one, the pipe going over the diff *may* be slightly wrong and may need to be made shorter in places.

the only piece i am missing is the part that connects the cats with the first muffler. I will need to fabricate this part. does anyone have any opinions on what to make, a H pipe or an X pipe?

I am unsure of what to do with the cats as once i get extractors i will need to modify them again. those of you with extractors, did you have to move your cats back further?

I am doing this on a very tight budget, suggestions such as "take it to an exhaust place" or "get it done professionally" arnt very helpful. any helpful suggestions will be welcome though! some of this will be happaining next weekend, so if you have a better idea then speak now or forever hold your peace!
 
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#2 ·
i doubt anyones tried this let alone thought of it.
with the cats the guys at the exhaust joint told me that the cats have to be in the same place as they originally were, not closer to the engine and not further away. it has something to do with being designed to work at an optimum temp and where they are is at that temp. maybe talk to the exhaust guys about this.
 
#3 ·
Good pickup at $75, I want one just for the set of cats, but fitting it as is isn't worth it IMO. I would be using the mufflers and cats and any pipng that actually fits and replacing the parts that don't. Piping is fairly cheap and would be far easier than cutting and welding the boot which will be illegal I would imagine.
 
#4 ·
EDXR8 said:
Good pickup at $75, I want one just for the set of cats, but fitting it as is isn't worth it IMO. I would be using the mufflers and cats and any pipng that actually fits and replacing the parts that don't. Piping is fairly cheap and would be far easier than cutting and welding the boot which will be illegal I would imagine.
good point. would you need an engineers certificate if you hacked away at the boot?
 
#5 ·
i'd go X pipe rather than H, ive heard it flows better and gives a better note.

the pipes over the diff would be way hard, as teh BA setup is bent and twisted in a way that it would go around the IRS. might need to make that me thinks

hope it sounds nice. from hearing the BA's near work it should be fairly quiet till ya stab it and it will liven up...... be interesting if your car carries the same-ish note
 
#6 ·
The problem i have with not having the rear muffler is that it will probably be too loud and even two pipes in there will be a very tight fit. two resonators would be expensive and not a really good option as they wont fit easily either.

I know practically nothing about the system, are these cats likely to be better (performance wise) than the stock ones?

as to the spare tub welding, If i do a neat job no one will ever notice. its not a safety issue as i am not removing the indent, just raising it. As i said, if someone can come up with a better idea, tell me! could i move that muffler before the other muffler? do mufflers matter what order they are put in?
 
#7 ·
What system have you got in there at the moment. It looks like a 2 1/2" system anyway. If you actually get the BA system to fit, it will probably have a decent sound but you will also probably end up loosing power overall (if yours is a 2 1//2" that is).

Anyway, if you do go ahead I would replace the section going over the diff with a single 2 1/2" or 3" pipe and then put in a resonator if it is too loud. The twin system over the diff and that big back muffler will just be too much trouble to fit.
 
#8 ·
i am really after a twin system though. the current sytem is 2 1/2 with one muffler and one resonator.

The reason why I went this way was that i started looking into twin systems and they really want big dollars for them. this is a way of doing it on a budget. I realise most of you would not bother with what im doing, but i have the time and equipment even if i have no money lol.
 
#9 ·
You are at least going to have to get a new rear section made up, but it's going to be hard. Even exhaust shops have trouble with twin systems going over the diff, if it's not spot on it will hit on the diff or the body work every time you go over a bump.
 
#10 ·
my twin system (pic in my gallery - lying on the ground before installation) fits really nicely. it does, however, tap on the diff. but this is due to having no hook for the left pipe. when i get my cats welded in ill get them to make up a hook so it doesnt tap anymore.
 
#12 ·
its nearly a rocket science to get them balanced and in harmony with the gas pulses.. the cross-over should be 'x' distance from the cats and be on an angle of 'y' in relation to each other for max HP gains..

The companies that make them won't disclose the measurements,, my advice is troll thru some mustang forums and see if anyone has a good setup that they are sharing
 
#16 ·
if you have axcess to all hte equipment and pipe, have a go at doing a few different designs.make it so its a "middle section", with a flange at each end, so that you can easily remove it........ this will also make it super easy to dump your exhaust when you wanna drive around loud:p.......jk :wnc:
 
#17 ·
As i said, we're not talking ultra high performance here! all im after is a decent exhaust note, and I need to know some guidelines for making a balancer pipe!
 
#18 ·
make it go in either this shape

X

or this shape

H


trial and error often works..... what i mean is fit up everything else, and then just play around till you get it to fit and work. who really cares if ya waste a few meters of pipe, if youre getting it cheap like u said.....
 
#19 ·
make a h pipe
the cross pipe has to be 1 or 2 sizes smaller than the system
eg use 2in for a 2.5in system
locate it at the first bend in the pipes after the cats
as for the part over the diff i have dual 2.5 under the diff and there is no worries just have a stretchy rubber at the back so when the diff hangs on it when jacked up it won't break from the weight of the diff
 
#20 ·
oh and the cats are supposed to work better closer to the engine as they like to be hot but when a cat get around 2 years old they don't work and can be put anywhere towards the front of the system
you have to put them back slightly when using extractors to make them fit
some people say that moving the cats back is better for exhaust flow aswell
 
#22 ·
well shes on and sounds beautiful! I didnt end up having to make a H pipe as i discovered the pipes are connected inside the muffler. The original cats are still on there as im waiting to score a set of extractors to put on at the same time. the section over the diff fits perfectly and NOTHING rattles or hits. I was amazed, i really was expecting a lot more trouble. not bad for $100 ($75 exhaust, $20 pipe & $5 exhaust putty). got a slight leak on one of our dodgy welds which i still have to fix up though.
 
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