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TR4/4A TR4A Exhaust Re-Hang Project

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CinneaghTR

CinneaghTR

Jedi Warrior
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Okay, the DPO, for some reason, hung the dual exhaust system below the frame on my 4A. He thought it kept things "cooler." It has bugged me since I bought the car five years ago next week (HOORAY!!), but it rarely bottoms out since I am relatively careful. It has become a problem recently because the upturned pipes at the end are starting to turn the newly-chromed bumper blue. This is a mild-steel system and is in good shape.

It looks like the header pipe has been bent down to get the system below the frame. I am hoping the Y-pipe is not bent.

I think I have two options here:

1. Go to a muffler shop. Have them heat and bend the header pipe/Y-pipe back to the correct angle and re-hang the exhaust system.

2. Install a new header pipe--how difficult is that?--and re-hang the system myself. I'd like to do that so I can paint it with Eastwood exhaust paint. If I do that, are there any trade secrets like the best access to the header pipe, anti-seize on the joints, etc.?

I'll have the car on the lift this weekend and can post some pics if you guys are in for some group diagnosis.

Thanks.
 
Hi Jeremy,

You could remove the header pipe, and have the muffler shop adjust it. If you are brave, you could even try bending it yourself. I adjusted my new headers by installing them and using a floor jack to raise them a bit. But I only had to lift them about an inch. If you try that, I would find some pipe that fits over where you jack, and maybe block inside with some wood, so that you don't distort the pipe.

Assuming it is all bolted together as stock, it isn't that difficult of a job to do yourself (and assuming things are not rusted/frozen). You do need to crawl around under the car, but it sounds like you have access to a lift, which will make it more comfortable.

-Darrell
 
CinneaghTR said:
I'll have the car on the lift this weekend and can post some pics if you guys are in for some group diagnosis.
Click to expand...

Now that's a silly question. You know how this group likes pictures. :smile:

Scott
 
Thanks, guys! Pictures it is.

One quick question: Can I install the gearbox bracket that connects the front muffler to the Y-pipe pretty easily or do I need to jack up the transmission to get it installed correctly?

I've attached an illustration from a vendor's catalog for reference. (...and pardon my not listing part numbers...)
 

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CinneaghTR said:
One quick question: Can I install the gearbox bracket that connects the front muffler to the Y-pipe pretty easily or do I need to jack up the transmission to get it installed correctly?
Click to expand...

I believe it goes between the transmission and the transmission mount, so you would need to lift it enough to slip in.

Here is the best picture I have, not quite clear enough to tell for sure.
 

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I believe the nut for the transmission mounting bolt is welded to the back side of that bracket so no you don't need to lift the transmission.
JVV
 
JerryVV said:
I believe the nut for the transmission mounting bolt is welded to the back side of that bracket so no you don't need to lift the transmission.
JVV
Click to expand...

Yes, now I remember. That is correct.
 
JerryVV said:
I believe the nut for the transmission mounting bolt is welded to the back side of that bracket so no you don't need to lift the transmission.
JVV
Click to expand...
JW, don't remember if you'd been given the BCF welcome.
So if you haven't
Welcome aboard!
 
If he's who I think he is, that's two Vs, not one W.

Good to hear from you!

Jeremy, I think I have one of those hangers. Ordered by mistake. TR3s don't use them. Yours if they are NLA. But you have to look for it in the Lab.
 
Thanks folks, yep it's me John,J V V.
J W is a common mistake. 1966 TR4A ownwer since June 1969. Lots of history with me and the car and I hope a lot more to experience.
 
Hey, I don't remember those plates. When did Md stop using them?
 
Okay, I think I am going to move to Plan C. I am pretty convinced that taking apart the original system and refitting it will be a major project. Considering the amount of fiddling it took to get the system the way it is now, I am not convinced that I can reverse it without a lot of work. It also looked like the intermediate Y-pipe would barely fit, if at all, between the differential and the frame. If anybody has done that, I am all ears.

I am thinking it will be easier to start from scratch with a new system when this system wears out (or when I wear a hole in the intermediate muffler bottoming every now and then out on the road...).

In the meantime, I am going to see if a muffler shop can bend down the pipes coming out of the rear mufflers. Does anyone have the measurement for the distance between the tailpipe and the rear bumper?

Thanks!
 
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