grease monkey returns

i should've been at the new years day ride at the ranch with all the cool guys. but, it was cold this morning, and without much sleep lately i just didn't have the motivation. so i had promised myself that if i didn't ride, i'd put the new mid-pipe for my exhaust in the mustang. here we see the ol' girl up on jackstands.

here you see the old mid-pipe (called an h-pipe) on the floor. i couldn't really use the brand new creeper that gold card got for me, because even on jackstands, the mustang was too low. i guess i need a better jack and jackstands, because my shoulder blades are bruised and sore, along with my neck.

a better view of the h-pipe. it weighs about 60lbs, so it was a bit of a wrestling match between me and the pipe. you can see that the oxygen sensors are still attached. you have to disconnect them from their inserts, rather than unthread them because you don't have the room to get a wrench on them when the pipe is still on the car.

this is the new mid-pipe, called an x pipe. not only is it 3" diameter instead of the stock pipes 2 1/2", but it's all mandrel bent, which smooths the flow of the exhaust gases. the x shape keeps the pressure exchange between the cylinder banks even at higher rpm, something the h shape can't do. it also only weighs about 25lbs., being thin gauge metal.

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the whole task took 3 1/2 hours. besides having to stop and go to ace hardware for nuts and bolts that weren't included, the oxygen sensors, as always on mustangs, proved to be challenging. i guess being one guy doing all this didn't help timewise. it seemed i always needed to be on the other side of the car. but trying to attach the sensors to their wiring harnesses is really hard when the aftermarket exhaust business drills the holes just an extra 1/2" away. they all do it. i have no idea why. that means one of two things: get extension harnesses or find a way to make them reach. i unhooked the wiring harness from the next stop along the fire wall and it brought them down JUST where i needed them to be.

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install went well. sounds good, power is certainly there, and i have bruised shoulder blades once again!