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View Full Version : LA Exhaust ?'s - making my muffler fit



Ted_Z
05-12-2009, 01:16 PM
So I'm in the home stretch of my Claytons long arm install and it’s time to put the exhaust back together. (I cut most of it out for the install). Here's the problem, I've only got ~28" from the cross member to the rear upper control arm mount and in that space I've got to fit the cat and muffler.

I cut out the bend that goes over the cross member so the cat (aftermarket) could move forward (the body right at the cross member). I also trimmed the outlet of the cat and inlet of the muffler (flowmaster 50 clone) to the minimum so they can be installed back to back with about 1.5" between the bodies (just enough for the o2 sensor bung). While that saved a bunch of length is still wasn't quite enough.

I need smaller a muffler that has the outlet and inlet offset to the same side. I haven't found many mufflers with a body smaller than 13" long which is what mine is. So to save $ and to make the muffler fit I cut about the last 1" off the end of the muffler and put some 1/8" sheet over the end with the outlet in the right spot. (Pictures coming)

Is cutting the chamber down on the muffler going to cause me trouble?

Ted_Z
05-12-2009, 01:34 PM
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/1484/flowmaster50suvseries.jpg

Looking at the cutaway I don't think there is any chance of adding a restriction, plenty of room. I'm thinking the sound may change a bit.

BigDaveZJ
05-12-2009, 02:02 PM
FWIW, the turndown on my muffler mounts to the rear UCA bracket on my Clayton's setup. Has worked well for 3 years now. I think my muffler is a 14" body, and I didn't go to nearly the effort you did to shorten everything else.

DJJordache
05-12-2009, 04:20 PM
I have the front part of my cat over the crossmember and the muffler butted right up against the cat... and it all fits between the crossmember and teh rear uca's with a full tail pipe.

Ted_Z
05-13-2009, 04:01 PM
Can either of you guys snap a picture, please?

MrFreeze5
05-13-2009, 04:08 PM
my cat sits directly above the crossmember. Its a very slim cat and pretty short too, then my muffler starts right behind the xmember. But its only on there until I can get my emissions done, then its coming back off. It is touching the heat shielding, but doesnt seem to be bothering it any. Its a catco cat. But I have been considering swapping to a tiny round cat that I ran acorss a while back.

The cat has an AIR tube on it that I sealed the end. It fits perfectly into the rubber hanger on the tranny mount in place of the pipe that was there.

MrFreeze5
05-13-2009, 04:17 PM
Id like to find a slightly smaller cat and I wont have any fitment issues at all. It touches the corssmber a little, but if I can get one with a 1/2" smaller overall diameter/width, it will fit perfectly.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1045860/cat.JPG

I also used my rear UCA mount to make a little arm with a U clamp on it to support the back of the muffler and turndown. Plus, if I did away with the air tube mount, it would move over a little and would fit fine, so if you can support yours in another way and have a similar sized cat it could work.

Cody
05-13-2009, 04:25 PM
I run full 3" exhaust with cat and muffler out my triangulated 4 link. It's not Clayton's so it might be slightly different. My Cat is above the crossmember like the above picture, and the small little bullet style muffler is actually wedged in between the links in a miraculous way that doesn't interfere at any point in the suspension cycle.

I should take some pictures because this keeps coming up.

Ted_Z
05-13-2009, 04:43 PM
Freeze: Wow, that's a tiny cat, about 3/4 the size of mine. Do you have a I6 or V8?

MrFreeze5
05-13-2009, 04:53 PM
I6 for now. V8 hopefully installed by the end of teh summer, but axles come first. Its all 2.5" after the downpipe.

Its a catco cat. My stocker crapped out years ago and sounded like a coffee can full or marbles.

I want to eventually switch to a 4" round cat like this one.

http://www.jegs.com/p/Magnaflow/763223/10002/-1

From what I can tell its 4" for the 3" pipe and 2.5" pipe.

dads5.9
05-13-2009, 05:26 PM
I went with no muffler on mine because of the challenge of getting it all to fit well. I went with a 2.5" pip to keep the noise down, and it isn't too loud. It only cost me $75 to have the pipe run from the cat back.

Justin's was done at the local Meinike and they got it all to fit but it took a small cat. He might be able to get a picture. If not we;ve got to drop his t-case this weekend so we can get a shot of the exhaust.

MrFreeze5
05-13-2009, 06:22 PM
I went with no muffler on mine because of the challenge of getting it all to fit well. I went with a 2.5" pip to keep the noise down, and it isn't too loud. It only cost me $75 to have the pipe run from the cat back.

Justin's was done at the local Meinike and they got it all to fit but it took a small cat. He might be able to get a picture. If not we;ve got to drop his t-case this weekend so we can get a shot of the exhaust.

It cost me about $35 to redo everything from the downpipe back not including cat, and Ive had the muffler since about a month after I got the jeep(flowmaster delta 50). I cut it and put some flex pipe on to the cat, a piece of 2.5" pipe between the cat and muffler with a O2 bung welded in, then a piece of 1"x1/4" steel about 10" long with a clamp in it welded to the UCA mount, turndown. Done.

I will be putting a lot more work into my exhaust when I put my V8 in. Ill have to move my downpipe to the driver side and it will all be 3" the whole way with new cat and muffler to a turndown.

i think the 4.0 sounds like poo with no muffler. I would never do that. Id sacrifice the cat first. And did for a while.

ZJ TINS
05-13-2009, 10:49 PM
Isn't your heat shield on the wrong side? Should be on top between the cat and the vehicle.

ArloGuthroJeep
05-13-2009, 11:10 PM
Looks like the heat shield is on both sides.

MrFreeze5
05-13-2009, 11:47 PM
yep, both sides

dads5.9
05-18-2009, 11:44 AM
Here is some picts from under Justin's (jsteves) Jeep, showing the routing.

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=15&pictureid=65

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=15&pictureid=64

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=15&pictureid=66

V

jsteves
05-18-2009, 11:54 AM
Don't pay any attention to the sick amounts of gear oil on the tire. either. Just a side the note, I have an extra crossmember for the back of my skid. The cat sits just behind the Clayton's crossmember (right next to the t-case) and the muffler just behind the skid crossmember.

Edit: If the Magnaflow were a center out it would actually fit even more easily past the rear control arm mounts. But this is what they had on hand.

Ted_Z
05-18-2009, 12:08 PM
Perfect! Those are exactly the pic's I needed.