Guys,

I'm about to (whenever the exhaust arrives in mail) install the STILLEN "True-Dual" exhaust with a friend on my 2003 Coupe.

Question:
My exhaust will be HOT by the time I get the coupe over to my friends house (he has three car garage to work in the cold weather).

1.) Should I let the exhaust cool down over night while in his garage or will having a WARM exhaust help with the install or HURT??????

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

 

Well if you don't want to burn yourself let the exhaust coold down for a while. It doesn't need to be hot or cold to install.

 

Just put the car on the rack first and arrange all the tools while the car is cooling down. After about 30-40 min, you should be good to go. But I'd wear gloves when you deal with the pipes near the cats.

 

as for the bolts/nuts...they come off easier when cold.

metals usually expand when heated, not to mention they get softer too which increases the chances of you stripping the bolts and/or nuts.

 

Ok, GREAT information!

I always thought it was best to "move bolts" when the metal is cold, since the heat would expand the metal, but wasn't sure what you all experienced, so fantastic news!!!!

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

 

Let it cool. Set up a fan to blow at it to make this go by faster.

 

The STILLEN "True Dual" Cat-Back Exhaust is installed.

I can NOT honestly say it was easy.

Install Time: (with trip to autozone to let the break away lube work it's magic - or atleast help us out / Dinner break)

6 Hours.
* I had a stripped bolt that took over an hour to get out...WTF!?!?!?
*Dinner break and smoke breaks probably took up a combined 2 hours.

So probably 3 straight hours of exhaust work....

Tough Parts:
1.) Getting the old bolts off. We sprayed down each and every bolt needed to take the OEM exhaust off with "Break away spray" over an hour before even touching them, and then soaked them again before actually touching a wrench to them. I can say the "break away BAR" helped a ton, but DAMN, those suckers were fused on there!!!

2.) The "X" pipe didn't quite line up with the cats. We had to loosen (1) of the Cat's mounting bolts to slightly (I mean like a Centimeter!) move the cat over some to hook up the "X" pipe. Once the entire exhaust system was on, we went back starting with that Cat mounting bolt and tightened the Heck out of each and every bolt.

3.) Getting the Rubber Exhaust Mounts off. We decided it would be MUCH EASIER to literally take out the ENTIRE mounting bracket that held the Rubber mounts - to which parts of the exhaust mounted to the rubber parts.

With the rubber mounting brackets parts of the exhaust (center section after "Y" pipe and Muffler - which had 3 rubber mounting points) totally detached off the car, we rested them on the back tail gate of my buddy's F-150 and used a FLAT-HEAD screw driver to pry those rubber pieces [b*itches] off. What a M*F* Pain those were!!!

We then took the rubber pieces and stuck them to the mounting points on the NEW pieces.

We then re-mounted the rubber mounts to the under neath of the car.

So...basically we only had to stick the rubber pieces back on the "Sticks" when we installed the new exhaust.

It made life MUCH MUCH MUCH EASIER doing it this way.

STILLEN's instructions would have you believe you can simply take the exhaust off by prying the "Sticks" out of the rubber mounts...if ANYONE has been able to do this....KUDOS to you brother!!

Overall results:

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tone of the car is like breeding the Coupe with a GT Mustang!

The overall tone was just about the same but dropped like 10 octaves in Decibel range. It's such a BAD @SS deeper tone to it...and just at idle!!!

When you get on this M*F*, it ROARS!!!!, but a nice Roar....not those NOPI ALLSTARS with their little pocket rocket Honduh's.

The response of the engine seem to increase exponentially.

On WOT, it really took off and the sound was like an Ear Orgasm!!!

I can't wait to get the Intake installed and then eventually the Super Charger.

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

 

 

^ I never said I had a DIY - LOL.

I'll try and take pics...things are busy @ work..sometime soon...

Check back in a couple weeks.

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

 

Go WOT all the way to your friends house and do the install ASAP

You should let it cool before going down there.

.

 

wd-40 on those rubber hangers makes em slide off easier. thats a long time to install an exhaust...i guess im used to time on lift being shorter

 

I think he's M*F happy with his M*F exhaust!